INSIDE THE BUSH 43’WHITE HOUSE

ALLEN/ NEWSWEEK (2005) 9/19/ 42-45

According to NEWSWEEK, who interviewed numerous unnamed sources, Bush is a great 3rd and 4th quarter captain of a football team. His great success is that he has clearly defined roles for most and a top down hierarchy for everyone. Where Woodward wrote about the Bush white house in BUSH AT WAR, most everyone there sees conflict based on good vs. evil. The enemy is everyone outside the white house.

President Bush does not read nor watch or listen to the media. He does spend about an hour on ESPN a sports network and goes to bed. He rises at 5 AM and sleeps at 9 PM.
What news he gets comes in briefings. Further, no one challenges him or plays devil’s advocate. Importantly, his top pollster was in the hospital and many others were on vacation when Katrina hit.

Bush is warm and empathetic in public and cold and snappish internally. At times, it is hard for him to get the big picture. He is insulated in a bubble and few or none challenge him... Well in to Katrina, Bush was still engaged in every day activities. He did not know the severity of Katrina nor the anger in the slow response. When he finally did make a trip to the area, things were already bad when he congratulated the now familiar head of FEMA. Soon, the same individual who received kudos got fired. His name is Brown his background is Arabian horses. His biggest talent was that he was a room mate of Bushes in college.

By the time, he did the right thing, it was too late. Mistakes like these are likely to occur in the future if he has the wrong people in strategic spots. Most administrations have at least one devil’s advocate to challenge the assumptions of the tothers. No one is there now.