The Political Chase

Will George Bush ever find the cherry tree?

Should we draw some type of scientific conclusion(s) about ABC’s journalists and George Bush’s propensity to think they’re a bunch of idiots? Sorry W., but Gibson and Raddatz are not idiots.

Just before Thanksgiving Bush told Charlie Gibson his "three George Washington books" story again. I’ve heard that story over the past couple of years more times than I have fingers and toes. Today, Sgt. Schultz let it rip again with ABC’s Martha Raddatz; she questioned Mr. Bush about the CIA’s destroyed videotapes.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News President Bush said Tuesday he did not know about the destruction of CIA videotapes of detainee interrogations.

The President said he was told just a few days ago.

"My first recollection of whether the tapes existed or whether they were destroyed was when [CIA Director] Michael Hayden briefed me," Bush said.

"There’s a preliminary inquiry going on and I think you’ll find that a lot more data, facts will be coming out," he said, "that’s good. It will be interesting to know what the true facts are."

Wait just one minute. What about Harriet Miers? Time to rewind the videotapes a bit. From the NYT last week:

According to two government officials, Mr. Muller then raised the idea of destroying the tapes during discussions in 2003 with Justice Department lawyers and with Harriet E. Miers, who was then a deputy White House chief of staff. Ms. Miers became White House counsel in early 2005.

The officials said that Ms. Miers and the Justice Department lawyers had advised against destroying the tapes, but that it was not clear what the basis for their advice had been.

George and Harriet have been BFF’s since Tippy was a pup. Are we really supposed to believe Miers didn’t talk to Bush about it? Look at Miers’ title — deputy WH COS. Karl Rove took that job when Miers became WH Counsel, and we know how tight W. and Turd Blossom are.

If any doubts remains about how tight Miers and Bush are, this will surely remove them. From Miers to Bush:

"You are the best governor ever - deserving of great respect," Harriet E. Miers wrote to George W. Bush days after his 51st birthday in July 1997. She also found him "cool," said he and his wife, Laura, were "the greatest!" and told him: "Keep up the great work. Texas is blessed."

More than a year into Mr. Bush’s first term as governor, Ms. Miers drew on their friendship by asking the Bushes to serve as "honorary chairs" at an Anti-Defamation League dinner in 1996 honoring Ms. Miers with the Jurisprudence Award for devotion to constitutional principles and democratic values.

A few days later, Ms. Miers wrote to thank the Bushes, saying, "Texas has a very popular governor and first lady!" She recalled a little girl who collected Mr. Bush’s autograph and said, "I was struck by the tremendous impact you have on the children whose lives you touch."

"Keep up all the great work," she wrote. "The state is in great hands. Thanks also for yours and your family’s personal sacrifice."

In October 1997, Ms. Miers sent Mr. Bush a flowery greeting card in thanks for a letter that he had written on her behalf. In it, she said of his daughters: "Hopefully Jenna and Barbara recognize that their parents are ‘cool’ - as do the rest of us."

She added, "All I hear is how great you and Laura are doing," and ended, "Texas is blessed."

Poppy Bush needs to take his boy out to the cherry tree for a father/son talk, while Laura sends an order to Amazon for the entire Hardy Boy’s series. If I remember correctly there are around 55 to 60 books in the series. That would be enough titles alone, forget the content, to keep W. busy until the Rapture.