Coming from a nervous nellie right here, I'm glad that article was posted.
As I stated on that thread, although it seems increasingly clear (at least to me) that this deal isn't a threat to national security, from a political standpoint alone, the President should have been briefed about this. Surely he should have known that this would be an explosive issue, one that would make it difficult for even his most ardent supporters to defend him.
He can't be expected to know every tiny detail about his administration, but as I said on that thread, this isn't a "tiny detail". Bush dropped the ball on this. It's that simple. Thankfully, the facts are on his side (as usual) but these kind of missteps make it difficult to support him against an ignorant public.
No, he didn't. That's just 20/20 hindsight. He has more important things to worry about that some routine acquisition deal that was reviewed in accordance with law, what angle of attack will be next pursued by the Dems, and how many ignorant Pubbies at all levels will fall for the bait.