George W. Bush On Tape: The New York Times
The New York Times > Washington > In Secretly Taped Conversations, Glimpses of the Future President
_Mr. Wead first acknowledged the tapes to a reporter in December to defend the accuracy of a passage about Mr. Bush in his new book, “The Raising of a President.” He did not mention the tapes in the book or footnotes, saying he drew on them for only one page of the book. He said he never sought to sell or profit from them. He said he made the tapes in states where it was legal to do so with only one party’s knowledge. _
So begins a shocker of a story in tomorrows edition.
The appropriately named Doug Wead, a White House aid to the Presidents father, secretly taped numerous conversations with George W. Bush. Wead played the tapes for New York Times reporter, David D. Kirkpatrick.
You might expect the tapes to damage Bush. Instead, they demonstrate his consistency, honesty, and strength. For instance, on the issue of illegal drug use and his DWI, Mr. Bush claimed, to the laughter of the press and the left, that he never disclosed such things publicly because he didnt want his behavior to be an endorsement of such behaviors to his daughter. On tape, long before those, Bush told Wead:
“I wouldn’t answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.”
One surprise in the story was Bushs concern that Christian conservatives would reject him because Im not going to kick gays. Another, the fact that Bush trusted someone so willing to betray.
All in all, this story does more to strengthen Bush than anything the left has tried yet.
2005 is turning into a very bad year for liberals.
UPDATE: Read Steven Taylor’s thoughts. Also see Outside the Beltway.
UPDATE: Joe Gandelman chimes in. Blogs for Bush says there’s nothing new here. That’s the story, if you ask me. Wizbang has an analysis. Jefe and the Man concurs that Bush is a straight shooter.