It’s probably more likely that he’s just a true gentleman. I think he really thought his “new tone” would work until the end. Maybe there’s a weird combination of being decent, silver spoon fed, and average intelligence that he doesn’t have the experience to know sheer evil unless it flies some jets into some buildings. He still thinks 0 is doing the best he can.
Oh, I think the President of the United States who experienced 9/11 in real time knows “sheer evil.” And what’s with the “average intelligence” bit? As compared to who? A man who just invited a jihadist to speak in the Rose Garden and was then surprised that it didn’t go down well? Or a guy who was serviced in the Oval Office and doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “is”?
I’m not an apologist for GWB but I don’t buy into clichés about him, either.