Paul O’Neill, Bush’s former Treasury Secretary, relayed to Ron Suskind recently what it was like to talk to the president about U.S. fiscal policies shortly after Bush’s inauguration. O’Neill, explaining why he believes Bush was “disengaged,” said the initial conversation didn’t go very well.
O’Neill said, “I went in with a long list of things to talk about and, I thought, to engage (Bush) on. … I was surprised it turned out me talking and the president just listening. It was mostly a monologue.”
The Washington Post reported yesterday that Bush was the special guest at this year’s Alfalfa Club dinner in DC over the weekend, explaining — in an intentionally funny way — why he didn’t engage O’Neill in that meeting.
“Paul said I was disengaged because he talked to me for 45 minutes and I didn’t say a word,” Bush said. “I wasn’t disengaged. I was bored as hell and my mother told me never to interrupt.”
I know this is supposed to be humorous, and the speeches at the Alfalfa Club are often written by professional comics, but isn’t there something a little disconcerting about the truth behind the joke?
Oddly enough, I actually believe what Bush was saying. When the Treasury Secretary tried to talk to him about the economy, Bush probably was “bored as hell.” And that’s the problem.
Here’s a newly-elected president with virtually no experience in fiscal, monetary, or budgeting issues. He taps an expert to join his cabinet. When the expert tries to explain these complex matters to the president, the president gets bored and restless, not unlike a small child would if asked to listen to a Treasury Secretary discuss the economy.
I wonder what, exactly, O’Neill could have done to keep Bush entertained during this conversation. Puppets? Funny voices? Would Bush’s attention span have tolerated a little cartoon featuring a wacky “Mr. Fed Chairman” and the loveable “House Appropriations Committee Chairman”?