I always liked Bambi as a kid. Disney was completely sneaky in killing of Bambi's mom without traumatising the kid audience too much, probably by bringing in the previously absent father (the bastard), and giving Bambi lots of cute friends. My favourite was Thumper, so named because he made thumping noises when he hopped. Thumping may describe the sound of heavy blows, or it may also be taken to mean ass whupping, as demonstrated by Bush after losing to the Democrats.

If this quote from the Straits Times was taken out of context, it would make some kind of sense. Lee Hsien Loong said "It's what makes him a strong leader. I think in shows in these circumstances. Whether the election has a thumping outcome or not, he is in a thumping mood." So Bush is ready to give as good as he gets.

Unfortunately, the PM was really refering to Bush's jovial mood and his promise to keep up the good work in Asia. Evidently, PM Lee needs to go back to reading Enid Blyton. She is an excellent teacher for usage of words like thumping, smashing, crumpet, and golly.

It might be just me, but "thumping" sounds vaguely ridiculous, made worse by being used in the same sentence twice. Maybe the Pm is displaying symptoms of over-exposure to Dubya, and being infected with Bushisms.