Bush makes "Splash Day" gaffe

President Bush drew laughs from his audience Tuesday when he asked whether the Galveston, Texas, area still hosts Splash Day. The annual beach party, which dates to the 1950s, does live on--but now as an unofficial gay and lesbian event. In town to speak about Social Security, Bush told the crowd: "I want to thank the mayor for being here--Lyda Ann Thomas greeted me coming in. I said, 'Do you still have Splash Day?"' The crowd laughed. "You have to be a baby boomer to know what I'm talking about," Bush said. The crowd laughed again. Splash Day once marked the end of school and the beginning of summertime fun. The city backed off from it many years ago when it turned a little too wild, says Christy Benson of the Galveston Chamber of Commerce. It later became a party day for gays and lesbians. Drawing another round of laughter, Bush said, "I'm not saying whether I came or not on Splash Day. I'm just saying, 'Do you have Splash Day?"' (AP)