When Clinton was president the press referred to him as "Mr. Clinton". When the press talks about Bush they refer to him as "The President" or - at least "President Bush". They do this even though Clinton won the election by a landslide and Bush lost the election and was appointed president by the Supreme Court.
You see how the bias works? I remember there was a joke going around at the time - it went like this. "The Pope and Clinton were fishing and the Pope's hat blew off. Clinton walked across the water and fetched the Pope's hat. A reporter saw the even and went off to write the story. The headline - CLINTON CAN'T SWIM!"
Just for the sake of accuracy. (Something not honored much here.)
The joke you tell was actually not a Clinton Joke at all but rather a Joke that LBJ told himself about his relationship with the press at the time he was President.
And that's Getting it Right.
I've heard the calculated disrespect that you mention on a lot of the shows that showcase right wing views (Hannity & Colmes etc.). These little undertones do not go unseen or unheard.
Marc, were you relating that you knew the origin of the joke featuring Clinton or were you just referring to how it has been used for right wing spin? You might need to clarify...