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Bush speaks candidly to fund-raiser event goers Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 By David J. Sanders Maybe one of President Bush's problems has been that he doesn't hire an adept staff. Monday, I got a cell phone call from a cheery-sounding gentleman who identified himself as a member of the White House staff. He was concerned after seeing my name on the guest list for President Bush's Little Rock fund-raiser and wanted to know if I would be attending in my capacity as a "columnist or a supporter." At first, I thought he was joking. It's true I've been sympathetic to the president in the past, but his eagerness to expand domestic spending along with other lapses, which set the cause of conservatism back during his seven years in office, had rendered me into something other than a supporter. Once I realized he was serious, I told him of my intention to write about the event. After all, I had a ticket, which was given to me by a friend who couldn't attend. Besides, my loyalty rests with the readers, not with the occupant of the Oval Office or his political party. There was a pause followed by a long "Yeaaahhhhhh," after which he informed me that the White House preferred that I did not write about the event at all. The disingenuous rationale for his embarrassing request was that the event was closed; therefore other members of press wouldn't be afforded the same opportunity to cover the president. Attempting to mask my discontent, I lightheartedly asked him to tell President Bush not to worry because it was not my intention to necessarily quote him directly, unless, of course, he announced that the U.S. would soon invade Iran or said something equally as newsworthy. As Tuesday afternoon rolled around, I hopped the shuttle to the event, which was being held in the back yard of a beautiful Cammack Village estate set against a stunning view of the Arkansas River. As I walked down the lovely landscaped driveway, a local political operative thanked me for "working with them on the column." I couldn't help but wonder what Bush might say that the White House and the Republican National Committee wouldn't want made public. After milling around in the backyard greeting a few friends and well-wishers, I discovered many of those I talked to lacked enthusiasm for Bush and even McCain. Their motivation for being there was to prevent Barack Obama from taking the presidential oath of office. As the president made his way to the podium, he was warmly greeted by the 300 or so folks who'd crowded into the air-conditioned tent. He was uncharacteristically relaxed, even glib. He was fired-up and appeared willing to do anything to help John McCain win, but unfortunately his low approval ratings have limited his campaigning to closed venues comprised mostly of the 29 percent who believed he was doing a good job. He said "the stakes (in the election) were high and the differences (between McCain and Obama) were huge." He hit all the important campaign themes: taxes, the economy, judges, and the war on terror. But after dishing out plenty of red-meat, he became introspective and attempted to characterize the legacy of his unpopular presidency. Like President Lincoln, who Bush said was singularly guided by the steadfast belief that all men were created equal, he claimed the conviction of his presidency rested in the transformative power of liberty. He said history's long view, not "left-wing convenience," would ultimately be his judge. Bush reassured the crowd that his lack of popularity didn't bother him and that he certainly didn't suffer from self-pity. Perhaps if his staff, which apparently is out of touch with reality, let him speak publicly the way he did Tuesday afternoon, he might not have to spend so much time denying that he's bothered by his unpopularity. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
