Embarrassing Us All, As Usual

by digby

Reader RM translated the first part of Bush’s German magazine interview for your reading pleasure. Try to keep your eyes from rolling back in your head. He mentions once again that he knows nothing about the carpet, leaving out the fascinating detail that he “delegated” the chore of picking it out to Laura. I do not know why he finds this story so interesting.

“This Office is the Shrine of Democracy”

BILD and BILD am SONTAG in the White House! For 45 minutes the most powerful man of the world took the questions of BamS publisher and BILD editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann.

But the president didn’t only give a big interview – he also led us personally through most famous office of the world: the Oval Office!

Washington, 2 o’clock local time. The creme door opens. US President George W. Bush greets BILD head Kai Diekmann and BILD second Jörg Quoos with a firm handshake.

Bush wears a dark-blue suit with thin brown stripes, a light blue shirt, a blue-striped tie. On the reverse: a pin with the US flag, also the dial of the simple golden clock shows the flag.

The Oval Office is classically, simply furnished. Before the fire-place two striped armchairs, next to them two creme sofas, a dark wooden living room table.

Bright sunlight falls through the low-earth(?) bullet-proof glass panes, through which the president can look into the enormous garden of the White House.

Bush points at the crème-colored carpet woven with the US coat of arms, and says laughing: “I have no inkling about carpets.

In order to be a successful president, you must constantly think strategically. And therefore I said to my wife: You select the colors, you are responsible for the policy, but I want the carpet to spread optimism. Here lay the results. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Then the president points to the slightly curved wall, on which oil paintings with Texas motif landscapes hang. “They reflect the lifestyle and viewpoint of a Texan.”

Bushs view falls on the large portrait of George Washington over the white fireplace. It shows the first President of the USA as a rider. Bush: “I read three or four books about him in the last year. Isn’t it interesting that they still analyze the presidency of George
Washington?”

Then he adds thoughtfully: “you never know as a president, how your history will be written – until after your departure. Therefore presidents should not think about their historical image. You must do what you consider correct! And if you think in categories that are large enough, history at the end will show whether you were right or wrong.”

The president points to a smaller picture showing Abraham Lincoln: “I think, he was the most influential president of all times.

In the middle of civil war, in which Americans killed Americans, he had the vision of the United States. It is even conceivable that this country at the end would have disintegrated into two states, if he had not had this clear vision.”

Bush explains, moved, what this office means to him. “It is a shrine of democracy. This room is respected and esteemed, because the office of the President is larger than the person who holds the office.

Some presidents forget that they are not larger than their office. But all presidents must always respect their office and remember that it is their holy obligation to maintain the honour of the presidency.”

Suddenly Bush stops and says very seriously:

“I know that in parts of Europe some make fun of my beliefs! That does not disturb me. But for me personally faith is a way to guarantee that my moral concepts remain intact.”

“While driving back from the speech later that day, Bush mentions Karla Faye Tucker, a double murderer who was executed in Texas last year. In the weeks before the execution, Bush says, Bianca Jagger and a number of other protesters came to Austin to demand clemency for Tucker. ‘Did you meet with any of them?’ I ask.

Bush whips around and stares at me. ‘No, I didn’t meet with any of them,’ he snaps, as though I’ve just asked the dumbest, most offensive question ever posed. ‘I didn’t meet with Larry King either when he came down for it. I watched his interview with [Tucker], though. He asked her real difficult questions, like ‘What would you say to Governor Bush?’

‘What was her answer?’ I wonder.

‘Please,’ Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, ‘don’t kill me.'”

.