Is our president reading?

It’s hardly the most important element of Peter Baker’s piece on Bush’s behind-the-scenes persona, but he does tackle the enduring question: Does Bush read newspapers?

To an extent, Bush walls himself off from criticism. He does read newspapers, contrary to public impression, but watches little television news and does not linger in the media echo chamber.

Now, I really would like to believe that the president reads newspapers. It would be rather encouraging, given what we’ve seen of Bush’s understanding of current events.

But there’s reason for some skepticism here. Baker argues that the “public impression” of the president’s reading habits is mistaken. But how was this impression shaped? By the president repeatedly telling people that he doesn’t read newspapers.

In September 2003, Bush told Fox News’ Brit Hume, “I glance at the headlines just to kind of [get] a flavor for what’s moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are [sic] probably read the news themselves.”

The president’s briefers “probably” read the news?

For that matter, Bush talked to the Washington Times’ Bill Sammon a year later and boasted about his news-consuming habits, or in this case, lack thereof.

“I don’t watch the nightly newscasts on TV, nor do I watch the endless hours of people giving their opinion about things,” the president said. “I don’t read the editorial pages; I don’t read the columnists.”

Yet Mr. Bush regularly monitors the news pages of a select few daily publications.

“I get the newspapers — the New York Times, The Washington Times, The Washington Post and USA Today — those are the four papers delivered,” he said. “I can scan a front page, and if there is a particular story of interest, I’ll skim it.”

Yes, when most of us see a newspaper article that we think might be interesting, we read it. When the president sees a story of particular interest, he’ll “skim” it.

Maybe this explains the “public impression” about Bush’s reading habits?

Well, he’s just a ‘Cliff’s Notes’ kind of guy.

As in, the ‘Cliff’s Notes’ on how to run a constitutional republic into the ground. High-level, no details, please.

That’s the kind of guy I’d want to have a beer with!

  • “…but watches little television news…”

    Well, maybe he is not totally insane.

  • What a disgrace and embarrassment to America George W. Bush is.

    It is clear even to his fellow consumer-cultured Americans whom also do not read that the man is manipulated and played like an out-of-tune-piano by the Dick-tator and his Big Corporate Government cabal.

  • Sears catalogue, maybe?

    I guess it depends on whether his parents were the cheapo kind of richie-rich people when he was growing up, or not.

    I don’t know what’s the more upscale version of the Sears catalogue- L.L. Bean, Martha Stewart?

  • “I can scan a front page, and if there is a particular story of interest, I’ll skim it.”

    Wow, that is impressive. Great to know he might get two or three words of a particular story lodged somewhere in his tiny brain.

  • “I don’t watch the nightly newscasts on TV, nor do I watch the endless hours of people giving their opinion about things,” the president said. “I don’t read the editorial pages; I don’t read the columnists.”

    Neither do I. I get my news from the internets tubes. Way betta!

    Of course, if Bush went to the internet to get his education he’d probably have Drudge as his home page and spend the rest of his time with the freepers. It’s a lost cause.

  • Hell, I do the same thing, almost exactly. Except I spend 4hrs/d on the internet reading news reports and commentaries while listening to air america radio. So there is a slight difference.

  • terraformer @ #1…
    maybe he’s more of an “Over-the-Cliff’s Notes” kind of guy.

  • I’m sure if there’s anything he needs to know, Dick Cheney will tell him.

    Dick doesn’t read the news either, he just reads the email of selected people who might know someone who might have communicated with someone who lived near a suspected “person of interest”.

    In other words, he’s reading your email, senator Leahy. And you thought he was such a nice guy.

  • He’s probably reading books about the military.

    Oops, wrong President. This one would be more likely to be reading study materials to get his cosmetology degree.

  • I read a book (can’t quite recall the title at the present moment) written by a former CIA agent—he stated that President Reagan did not like to read briefs on matters regarding the secret funding of the mujahadeen and other matters of national intelligence. Instead, he preferred movies detailing the “facts” of the situation. The result was an entire department dedicated to making movies for the President.

    I’m not surprised that bush couldn’t care less about stuff that doesn’t interest him. In fact, I would go as far to believe that he also prefers movie briefings to reading stuff, too.

  • We all know he watches Fox News, from what I have read, the prez seems to like people (networks) who think he is beyond mortal.

  • ScottW, @15

    That’s Deadeye Dick (Tater), not Shrubsy, who’s tuned into Fox.

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