Book reveals Bush's bouts of crying, ghostly visions
By Sheldon Alberts, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 04, 2007
WASHINGTON • George W. Bush, the U.S. President, is prone to bouts of crying caused by the stress of his job and claims to have seen ghosts emerge from the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House, according to a new book on his presidency.
In a series of remarkably candid admissions by a sitting president, Mr. Bush confides to author John Draper he has been "sustained by the discipline of the faithful experience" during the most difficult days of his presidency.
"I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot," Mr. Bush says in Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush, which was released to U.S. bookstores yesterday. "I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president. I'll shed some tomorrow."
Mr. Draper interviewed Mr. Bush six times for the book - most recently in May, 2007 - and coaxed a bevy of previously unknown details about some of the most turbulent moments of his presidency.
Dead Certain details his reluctance to seek UN approval for an Iraq war resolution because of his contempt for the international body.
Mr. Bush describes his continuing dislike for the United Nations by recounting running across former president Bill Clinton at a UN meeting in June, 2006.
"Six years from now, you're not gonna see me hanging out in the lobby of the UN," he insisted.
The book casts Mr. Bush as disengaged - almost uninterested - as Hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf Coast on Aug. 28, 2005.
On the day before the hurricane struck New Orleans, he spent a day riding his mountain bike and swimming on his ranch in Crawford, Tex.
By the time he joined an emergency video conference about Katrina, he was so "gassed" by his physical exertion he did not ask any questions about the federal government's preparedness, the book says.
The President also candidly reveals the emotional toll Iraq has taken on him, saying overseeing the current troop surge has been a "tiring period."
Discussing his past battles with alcohol, he says he would never be able to make decision on war if he was still drinking.
"Exercise helps. And I think prayer helps," he says. "I wouldn't be President if I kept drinking. You can get sloppy, can't make decisions. It clouds your reason, absolutely."
The book also adds new information about his administration's over-optimistic assessment of how quickly the United States would stabilize Iraq after the 2003 invasion.
When a senior congressional Republican warned Dick Cheney in August, 2002, the United States would get mired in Iraq, the Vice-President reportedly scoffed.
"It'll be like the American army going through the streets of Paris [in the Second World War]," he said. "The people will be so happy with their freedoms that we'll probably back ourselves out of there within a month or two."
Despite the current problems plaguing Iraq, Mr. Bush seems "more serene" about the prospects for victory and is already planning his career after the White House.
He said he plans to "replenish the ol' coffers" by speaking on the lecture circuit, where he can make "ridiculous" money recounting his experiences.
"I don't know what my dad gets. But it's more than 50, 75 [thousand dollars]," he said. "Clinton's making a lot of money."
Perhaps the oddest revelation is an episode from 1992, when his father was president.
The younger Mr. Bush found the White House a "creepy place," Mr. Draper writes.
After exercising in a White House gym one evening, he told a friend he froze in his steps while approaching the Lincoln Bedroom.
Mr. Bush insists "he saw ghosts - coming out of the wall," according to the friend.
By Sheldon Alberts, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 04, 2007
WASHINGTON • George W. Bush, the U.S. President, is prone to bouts of crying caused by the stress of his job and claims to have seen ghosts emerge from the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House, according to a new book on his presidency.
In a series of remarkably candid admissions by a sitting president, Mr. Bush confides to author John Draper he has been "sustained by the discipline of the faithful experience" during the most difficult days of his presidency.
"I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot," Mr. Bush says in Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush, which was released to U.S. bookstores yesterday. "I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president. I'll shed some tomorrow."
Mr. Draper interviewed Mr. Bush six times for the book - most recently in May, 2007 - and coaxed a bevy of previously unknown details about some of the most turbulent moments of his presidency.
Dead Certain details his reluctance to seek UN approval for an Iraq war resolution because of his contempt for the international body.
Mr. Bush describes his continuing dislike for the United Nations by recounting running across former president Bill Clinton at a UN meeting in June, 2006.
"Six years from now, you're not gonna see me hanging out in the lobby of the UN," he insisted.
The book casts Mr. Bush as disengaged - almost uninterested - as Hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf Coast on Aug. 28, 2005.
On the day before the hurricane struck New Orleans, he spent a day riding his mountain bike and swimming on his ranch in Crawford, Tex.
By the time he joined an emergency video conference about Katrina, he was so "gassed" by his physical exertion he did not ask any questions about the federal government's preparedness, the book says.
The President also candidly reveals the emotional toll Iraq has taken on him, saying overseeing the current troop surge has been a "tiring period."
Discussing his past battles with alcohol, he says he would never be able to make decision on war if he was still drinking.
"Exercise helps. And I think prayer helps," he says. "I wouldn't be President if I kept drinking. You can get sloppy, can't make decisions. It clouds your reason, absolutely."
The book also adds new information about his administration's over-optimistic assessment of how quickly the United States would stabilize Iraq after the 2003 invasion.
When a senior congressional Republican warned Dick Cheney in August, 2002, the United States would get mired in Iraq, the Vice-President reportedly scoffed.
"It'll be like the American army going through the streets of Paris [in the Second World War]," he said. "The people will be so happy with their freedoms that we'll probably back ourselves out of there within a month or two."
Despite the current problems plaguing Iraq, Mr. Bush seems "more serene" about the prospects for victory and is already planning his career after the White House.
He said he plans to "replenish the ol' coffers" by speaking on the lecture circuit, where he can make "ridiculous" money recounting his experiences.
"I don't know what my dad gets. But it's more than 50, 75 [thousand dollars]," he said. "Clinton's making a lot of money."
Perhaps the oddest revelation is an episode from 1992, when his father was president.
The younger Mr. Bush found the White House a "creepy place," Mr. Draper writes.
After exercising in a White House gym one evening, he told a friend he froze in his steps while approaching the Lincoln Bedroom.
Mr. Bush insists "he saw ghosts - coming out of the wall," according to the friend.
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