when the word was discovered in this AP story about a gift that Laura Bush received from her husband the President.
The word 'bling' (denoting metallic jewelry for those of you who are totally hopeless) was borne by the hip-hop community in the late 1990s and was somewhat au courant for around two years until Katie Couric used the word in 2002. Bling held on for a few years in the form of irony, but suffered mightily when the word was first used in the pulpit by a youth minister in Dubueque, Iowa.
Bling briefly rallied in a fit of post-irony, but gradually frittered into utter inanity. Today's usage referring to the President's gift to Laura was the final chapter in its protracted life. Please inform your posse.