Writer/artist extraordinaire Katherine Eastland posts some typically smart, unconventional ruminations on the divergent doggy christening styles of Jimmy Stewart and Barack Obama over at the Blog Around the Corner. Here’s a bite:

I don’t want to read too far into names, but there’s something to be said for the different spellings of Bo/Beau. “Bo” is a lighthearted reference to the singer Bo Diddley, related by sound to Michelle’s father Diddley. But to those who might not know that, “Bo” sure does resemble President Obama’s initials.

Jimmy named his pup Beau, and he was Jimmy’s furry dandy, his escort with a tennis ball. It comes from the Latin bellus, -a, -um, meaning handsome, beautiful. I consider this a very good and generous name for a dog, with no tinge of selfishness or pretension in it either real or perceived.

Now go finish your meal. It includes a wonderful dessert of Jimmy Stewart reciting his Beau poem on Carson back in ’81.