On Tuesday, President Bush welcomed Shaquille O'Neal and his 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat teammates to the White House. Appearing with the 7 foot center in the East Room, the smiling President said of O'Neal:

"Standing next to Shaq is an awe-inspiring experience."

The President, however, may have been somewhat less inspired had he known about Shaq's comments about him just two days earlier. Reacting to questions about his selection to the NBA All-Star game despite starting only 10 games, O'Neal joked:

"I'm like President Bush. You may not like me, you may not respect me, but you voted me in."

Shaq may not be able to shoot free throws, but apparently he's not a bad judge of character.