Tony Snow is breaking new ground this year, becoming the first White House press secretary to step out from behind the podium and hit the campaign trail. Yesterday, this week, Snow shared some interesting insights at a fundraiser in Wisconsin.
Unfortunately for Snow, his comments reflected the soft bigotry of low expectations.
President Bush is smarter than his critics think, Bush’s chief spokesman said Thursday.
Speaking at a state Republican Party fund-raiser, presidential press secretary Tony Snow sought to dispel the image of an out-of-touch president who listens only to those who agree with him, as portrayed in journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, “State of Denial.”
“He’s perfectly aware of the polls, but you know what he’s more aware of? His job,” which Bush sees as making America “safer and better,” Snow said.
Snow said Bush questioned aides closely to learn all sides of an issue because he knows “you can’t be living in a dream world” as president.
And Snow assured the audience of faithful GOP backers, “If you ever have even the tiniest bit of doubt whether the president is engaged, don’t worry – he is.”
There are at least two things wrong with this. First, Snow is hardly doing Bush a favor by public assuring a partisan audience that, public doubt notwithstanding, Bush is “engaged” and “aware.” Is this what the Bush defense has come to? He’s not competent or capable, but never fear, he’s almost always conscious while handling his presidential responsibilities.
And second, Snow’s insistence that “you can’t be living in a dream world” as president is true, but also makes this president look pretty bad.
There’s this gem from last year, for example.
It’s a standing joke among the president’s top aides: who gets to deliver the bad news? Warm and hearty in public, Bush can be cold and snappish in private, and aides sometimes cringe before the displeasure of the president of the United States…. Bush can be petulant about dissent; he equates disagreement with disloyalty.
Snow argued that Bush questions aides to learn all sides of an issue; he apparently neglected to mention that if you’re on the “wrong” side, the president doesn’t want to talk you anymore.
I’m also reminded of a Time interview with a “youngish” White House aide, described as a Bush favorite, who said, “The first time I told him he was wrong, he started yelling at me. Then I showed him where he was wrong, and he said, ‘All right. I understand. Good job.’ He patted me on the shoulder. I went and had dry heaves in the bathroom.”
There’s also Blake Gottesman, the president’s “body guy,” who stuck close behind Bush for 14 to 18 hours a day before recently stepping down to go to college. Gottesman recently offered an interesting perspective into Bush’s temperament.
On the road [Gottesman will] crack a joke if Bush is getting tense.
“If the aide looks nervous, the President will think there’s something to be nervous about,” Gottesman, who is intensely private even for a Bushie, tells TIME in a rare interview. “So you look calm even when everything is going wrong.”
It was probably just an off-hand comment, but this struck me as a helpful peek into the president’s personality. No matter what the circumstances, Bush, who is apparently far more sensitive than he lets on, wants those around him to appear relaxed, even when they’re not, because our delicate president might otherwise get flustered.
Puttng these qualities together, the president doesn’t want to hear bad news, equates dissent with disloyalty, bullies people who suggest he may be wrong, and wants people around him to “look calm,” even when the circumstances don’t warrant it.
I agree with Snow that “you can’t be living in a dream world” as president. It’s one of the reasons the nation lost confidence in Bush a long time ago.