Bush's ghostly encounters
By Tony Norman
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Recent headlines generated by Robert Draper's new book, "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush," have dealt with Karl Rove's opposition to Dick Cheney's selection as vice president, the Mountain-Biker-in-Chief's exhaustion during a key Katrina briefing and his bouts of crying "on God's shoulders" as the Iraq war faltered.
A passage that hasn't garnered much attention -- but should have -- offers insight into the president's grasp on, um, ectoplasmic issues.
In 1992, when the president's father was running to keep his job as president, George W. Bush made regular use of the White House as a place of refuge from the responsibilities of the world -- a practice that continues to this day. This is how Mr. Draper tells it:
"On this particular evening, Poppy and Bar were away for the evening. For the first time in his life, Bush had the run of the White House. The Secret Service detail gave the president's son a few pointers on their way out the door. There's some security downstairs. And the steward's on call. Otherwise, he was on his own.
"Bush had the steward bring him an early dinner. He intended to catch a baseball game on the tube. But the emptiness of the third floor only jostled his preternatural restlessness, so he changed into his grubby attire and headed to the small exercise room in the southeast wing.
"Bush turned on the TV, mounted the stationary cycle, and proceeded to burn through the fidgets. Eventually he got tired of that as well. Sweating, he stepped out into the hallway in his T-shirt and gym shorts with a towel around his neck.
"The usher had turned out most of the lights. Bush took a few strides down the hallway and found his steps slowing. At the entryway to the Lincoln bedroom, he froze. What had he just seen? Something. No. Nothing. No!
"Ghosts. He saw ghosts -- coming out of the walls! Or were they portraits? Or ghosts coming out of the portraits? Rubber-legged, he retreated to his bedroom and shut the door." (Pages 87-88).
(Continued here.)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Recent headlines generated by Robert Draper's new book, "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush," have dealt with Karl Rove's opposition to Dick Cheney's selection as vice president, the Mountain-Biker-in-Chief's exhaustion during a key Katrina briefing and his bouts of crying "on God's shoulders" as the Iraq war faltered.
A passage that hasn't garnered much attention -- but should have -- offers insight into the president's grasp on, um, ectoplasmic issues.
In 1992, when the president's father was running to keep his job as president, George W. Bush made regular use of the White House as a place of refuge from the responsibilities of the world -- a practice that continues to this day. This is how Mr. Draper tells it:
"On this particular evening, Poppy and Bar were away for the evening. For the first time in his life, Bush had the run of the White House. The Secret Service detail gave the president's son a few pointers on their way out the door. There's some security downstairs. And the steward's on call. Otherwise, he was on his own.
"Bush had the steward bring him an early dinner. He intended to catch a baseball game on the tube. But the emptiness of the third floor only jostled his preternatural restlessness, so he changed into his grubby attire and headed to the small exercise room in the southeast wing.
"Bush turned on the TV, mounted the stationary cycle, and proceeded to burn through the fidgets. Eventually he got tired of that as well. Sweating, he stepped out into the hallway in his T-shirt and gym shorts with a towel around his neck.
"The usher had turned out most of the lights. Bush took a few strides down the hallway and found his steps slowing. At the entryway to the Lincoln bedroom, he froze. What had he just seen? Something. No. Nothing. No!
"Ghosts. He saw ghosts -- coming out of the walls! Or were they portraits? Or ghosts coming out of the portraits? Rubber-legged, he retreated to his bedroom and shut the door." (Pages 87-88).
(Continued here.)
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