I enjoyed reading (sporadically) about President Bush's recent tour of several Latin American nations because it gave me a chance to see our president doing his clown-thing — a very subdued clown, however. He seemed to spend much time going out of his way not to offend anyone, acting like the representative of a micronation rather than a superpower, and he was generally successful. Indeed, foreign heads of state were encouraged to believe that they could behave as though they were in charge of things and not the Colossus of the North. I notice in today's paper the headline: "[Mexican president]Calderón admonishes Bush". Viva el Presidente!
Much more successful as a clown was Bush's Latin nemesis, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. I get the impression that Chavez knows he is a clown and plays it for all it's worth. And the public seems to eat it up. Massive crowds turned out for both men, but while Bush's seemed less than admiring — the president's security was constantly tight, and it looked as though it had to be — the crowds that turned out for Chavez cheered the man. (One may suppose that it helped that in many cases Chavez offered the countries he visited real aid, whereas such American offers were, as usual, largely pro forma.)
I read Stephen King's clown-oriented horror story It many years ago, and it sort of fixed my opinion of clowns in the unfavorable area. The movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space didn't do much to change that opinion. Nevertheless, one has to appreciate the tomfoolery of Bush and Chavez.