The Washington Post is kissing up: The Rittenhouse Review alerts us to
this article in the Washington Post about Jeb Bush
The Patience of Jeb
While Others Talk of the Presidency, Bush Focuses on Florida and Family
By Mark Leibovich
and has some choice
comments to make as well.
We took a look at the article in question, and were surprised by much of the content.
The following items are
not remarks made by friends or associates of Jeb Bush. They are those of the Washington Post reporter:
- He is the Bush with the angst gene, who seems to labor through even his pinnacle moments. His capacity for public tears is impressive even by the weepy standards of the Bush family. He cried four times at his inaugural events last month -- one fewer than he did during "Forrest Gump."
- He is a shy public man who seems destined to suffer in the open. He is the Bush who has acknowledged marital strife, who cries while discussing his daughter's drug problems on the "Today" show ...
- Jeb Bush can be warm and approachable.
- He projects vulnerability, with a mopey posture and fleshy face that seems to cry out for caretaking. He is the Bush with soft eyes ...
But Jeb is no slacker. No sir!
- To Jeb Bush, the governance of Florida is a precious space of his own authority, blissfully apart from everything else. "Florida, Florida, Florida," he says, declaring his focus. This is how he steers conversations away from national matters, especially those that concern his brother.
- He hired driven, policy-oriented aides, usually under 40 years old, to better endure his round-the-clock demands. Bush can be a head-banging micromanager. [Which makes us at uggabugga wonder how much he micromanaged the 2000 election. Apparently, a lot.]
Wow! What kind of access did Leibovich have in order to get those insights? We read:
- He declined to be interviewed for this article ...
and then there are these two lines:
- Bush is 6 feet 4 and slightly heavyset ...
- George W. calls Jeb my "big little brother" during appearances (Jeb is five inches taller) ...
That would make George W. Bush 5 feet 11 inches. What happened to our 6 foot tall president?
posted by Quiddity at 2/24/2003 10:33:00 AM 
