I have not doubt that Edith Wharton would have preferred that the issue be settled over the bridge table.
She knew better than anyone what utter morons the upper classes could be, so I doubt she'd have much patience with the Reign of The Bushes.
If you want to learn to write cogent and creative prose, you could do worse than read Edith Wharton, the first woman to win the Pulitzer.
-Robert