*************PUBLIC POST************** (probably sure to bring out the haters)
I read this in my Sunday paper and I thought it was a very nice homage to an exiting President (instead of the last minute vitriol that we have been seeing, seriously, why is that neccessary? The guy is out, you honestly have to get one last sucker punch in? I've never been more stunned by how hateful people can be than during the last 8 years, but I digress...)
Here is the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090103/ap_on_go_pr_wh/distinctly_bush_analy...
Some highlights:
- In sessions with policy experts, Bush tends to ask questions that get right to the nub of a sticky issue. His top aides speak regretfully about how the country never got to see that side of him, even after all this time. They describe a man who is deeply inquisitive, not blithely incurious as much of the world thinks.
- His tangled moments have undoubtedly helped shape an unflattering public perception; there are entire books of his "Bushisms." Invariably, though, people who talk to him privately — historians, journalists, dissidents — come away with a very different impression of a meticulous thinker.
- Bush can flash a temper and impatience. But if he takes criticism personally — and he gets lots of criticism — he tries not to show it. When former press secretary Scott McClellan wrote a scathing book about Bush's leadership, the president told his senior aides to let it go. "Find a way to forgive, because that's the way to lead your life," White House press secretary Dana Perino remembers Bush advising her.
- He shows consideration to people close to him in little ways. He sends birthday notes to staff members. He remembers little details about their families. When he visits an Army post to thank the troops, he's been known to wander into the kitchen, too, to praise whoever cooked him the french fries.
- Nowhere is that more true than at his beloved, secluded ranch in Crawford, Texas. He has spent more than a year of his presidency there. Bush chops cedar, clears brush and builds mountain bike trails there. The summer heat doesn't bother him so much as enthrall him. He even set up a little competition, true Bush: People who work for him get a coveted T-shirt and bragging rights if they run for three straight miles on days hitting 100 degrees.
This was a great read haus! I'll definitely read the full article later too. I'm glad to see the AP published this. Good for them.