Bush Baghdad trip distracts media from black sheep brother

The Independent on Sunday (U.K.) ^ | 11/30/03 | Andrew Gumbel

[Pokey78]

President George Bush's lightning public-relations strike on Baghdad last week will have provided him with powerful television imagery with which to launch his re-election campaign next year. But the sight of the President serving Thanksgiving turkey to the troops has also served to overshadow - at least for the moment - a catalogue of potential political embarrassments created by his younger brother. Neil Bush caused trouble for their father, President Bush the first, more than a decade ago because of his role in the collapse of a savings and loan company that ended up costing American taxpayers $1.3bn (£750m). Now he is in trouble again, largely as a result of the startling revelations from a highly acrimonious divorce.

Some have been tawdry in a strictly sexual sense. First, that Neil had run off with the female half of a couple he and his ex-wife, Sharon, both once regarded as good friends. (Sharon Bush now suspects the two-year-old son of Neil's new girlfriend might be his, although she is being sued by the girlfriend's ex-husband for saying so.)

Or, that he had had sex during business trips to Thailand and Hong Kong with a series of women who, according to his sworn testimony, had spontaneously appeared at his hotel door without expecting payment... Asked whether the women were prostitutes, he told his ex-wife's lawyers he didn't know, but acknowledged that the arrangement was "very unusual".

Potentially more damaging revelations - certainly for the Oval Office - concern business rather than pleasure, and the strong impression that Neil might have taken brazen advantage of his membership of America's most powerful political family to make a killing on business deals.

Exhibit A is a consultancy with Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing of Shanghai, under which Neil is due to be paid $2m over the next five years to provide occasional "expertized advices" [sic] and attend board meetings. When Sharon's lawyers confronted him with the fact that he had no background in semiconductors, he answered: "That's correct."

Exhibit B is a contract with a Washington-based firm that helps companies secure reconstruction work in post-war Iraq. Neil Bush said that he was providing "miscellaneous consulting services" to Crest Investment, including "answering phone calls", for about three hours a week. For this he is being paid $60,000 a year.

The suspicion is that Neil Bush's real role to provide access to the White House. Both companies have strong political connections - Grace via its co-founder, the son of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, and Crest via Joe Allbaugh, George Bush's 2000 campaign director, who is in business with Crest's chief executive, Jamal Daniel.

Whether any of this might damage the President or not, it adds to a conviction that the Bush family has been trading off its political connections for years. In 1993, George Bush Snr took Neil, his brother Marvin and a clutch of outgoing White House officials to Kuwait where they all ended up doing lucrative business deals.

On that occasion, Neil sold anti-pollution equipment to Kuwaiti oil contractors. An executive with the company he was representing told The New Yorker: "There is no conflict of interest ... We're just capitalising on whatever good feelings exist."

[Pokey78]

So THAT'S why he went to Baghdad! </sarcasm>

[anniegetyourgun]

Right. I knew there had to be an angle. Leave it to the socialists in europe to figure it out.

[Texas Eagle]

Wake me when Neil starts bringing paper bags full of campaign contributions from the Chinese government to the White House.

[scannell]

From a long line of infamous brothers of Presidents.

Bush

Clinton

Carter

Kennedy [JFK's Brother Ted (Drunken Womanizer, Chappaquidic(sp) killer, and Law Exam Cheat.]

[marron]

Somebody told him that what you do in Thailand stays in Thailand...

[Capt. Tom]

Maybe Neil Bush can cash in on the negative publicity, like Jimmy Carter's brother Billy.

Maybe not, we alreay have a Busch beer. - tom

[Cicero]

Frankly, the Chinese are wasting their money. They seem to think that the American government is run like theirs, and that a buck to Neil Bush is a good investment. Nepotism has run amok in the Chinese Communist party from the time of its origins.

Not even Carter was dumb enough to pay any attention to his brother billy. It must be admitted, though, that clinton was the corrupt exception who sometimes listened to his inlaws. Maybe that's where the Chinese have picked up their delusion about Bush, since they did very well with clinton.

[ChemistCat]

I didn't hold Jimmy responsible for Billy. Did any of you? I didn't hold Sinkmeister responsible for his brother.

I bet it's REALLY bad news to make Barbara Bush mad at you. I wouldn't wanna be Neil.

[PhiKapMom]

Why didn't the press cover John McCain's belonging to the Keating 5 scandal last year during the primary that was part of the Savings and Loan scandal? What's the difference -- selective jounalism reporting it seems!

[The Great RJ]

Bro Clinton was arrested and I believe jailed for drug charges only to be pardoned by by his brother.

[Jeff Chandler]

Hey, the trip distracted from the Michael Jackson story. That alone made the whole thing worthwhile.

[technomage]

Wow. Can't slip anything past those liberal Brits!!

[arasina]

So which of the holy of all holies media was so distracted that they weren't reporting on this important news about Neil Bush? Evidently not Mr. Gumbel. He's still trying the "sling-mud-from-any-angle" type of journalism. Bravo, Mr. Gumbel! You get the Dirtball Journalism Award for November!

[Dog Gone]

The suspicion is that Neil Bush's real role to provide access to the White House.

Sure. Neil is an idiot, and the brothers rarely speak. I don't even recall seeing him at the Inauguration.

[Zipporah]

Good heavens.. it's one thing to report on Neil Bush's 'activities' quite another to try to make a correlation with the President's Bagdad visit.

[facedown]

A bit of a stretch, even for Gumbel.

[laredo44]

Bush Baghdad trip distracts media from black sheep brother

Awwwwww.

[laredo44]

Oh that Neil! Has he been selling Presidential pardons again?

[MoodyBlu]

Since you brought the S&L thing up again, can you tell me/us what exactly did Neil Bush do with Silverado other than getting a seat on the board of directors because of his name?

I always understood N. Bush to have little to do with the actual running of Silverado. Do you know if he had direct involvement in the operation? Thanks.

MoodyBlu