One of my favorite Bush quotes of all time was a comment about his interest in the news.
In a Fox News interview on Sept. 22, 2003, Bush explained his newspaper reading habits. “I glance at the headlines, just to get kind of a flavor,” he said. “I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who probably read the news themselves.”
Laura Bush, however, recently told the New York Times that she and her husband “make their way through five national newspapers over coffee” every day, leading me to suggest that the president probably reads the sports page and little else.
Little did I know at the time, I was on to something.
Over the weekend, Bush was asked for his thoughts on the Alex Rodriguez trade to the Yankees.
“I was just as surprised as the Yankees and Boston Red Sox fans when I opened my paper today,” Bush said Sunday. “It looks like a big deal, and it looks like it’s going to happen. A-Rod’s a great player, and the Yanks are going to be a heck of a team with him in the infield.” [emphasis added]