Posted on 01/05/2003 7:13:38 PM PST by ConservativeMan55
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN JAN 05, 2003 19:25:38 ET XXXXX
WHITE HOUSE ANGER AT BOOK BY BUSH 'AXIS OF EVIL' SPEECHWRITER; CONCERN MEDIA TOUR WILL MUDDLE MESSAGE; FRUM DESCRIBES PRESIDENT AS 'TART'
**World Exclusive**
Former Bush speechwriter David Frum -- credited with the phrase 'Axis of Evil' -- has infuriated top officials at the White House with his controversial new book, the first insider account of the W. Bush Administration, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
Frum helped make international headlines when President Bush's 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
But now Axis Man must walk a fine line between the art of hyping a book and overshadowing a president's own words and policy.
WARNINGS NOT TO GRANDSTAND
"He's going on the TODAY show to talk about North Korea, Iraq?!" an alarmed Bush intimate told the DRUDGE REPORT on Sunday. "Mr. Frum should seriously consider letting the president speak for himself on these highly volatile matters."
MORE
Frum, who left the White House less than a year ago, is set to launch THE RIGHT MAN: THE SURPRISE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE W, BUSH on Tuesday with a high-impact media tour, giving the speechwriter and journalist a platform to elaborate on his Bush insights.
Among the White House staff, there was a "dearth of really high-powered brains," Frum, a neoconservative, writes in RIGHT MAN, obtained exclusively by the DRUDGE REPORT.
"One seldom heard an unexpected thought in the Bush White House or met someone who possessed unusual knowledge."
MORE
"Bush was a sharp exception to the White House code of niceness. He was tart, not sweet," charges Frum.
[RIGHT MAN was ranked #2134 on the AMAZON hit parade Sunday evening]
Native Canadian-style quips not withstanding, Frum reveals a grudging admiration for Bush throughout his prose.
Frum writes of the president: He "was hardly the obvious man for the job. But by a very strange fate, he turned out to be, of all unlikely things, the right man."
Bush is neither dumb [as portrayed by the left] nor nice [the president assigns cute nicknames to people only to remember who they are], Frum claims.
With his upclose look at White House players Rove, Hughes and Card, Frum is the first Bush staffer to publish a firsthand account.
Insiders question the "quick turn around" of the book, and one top Bush adviser is said to believe Frum rushed to cashout on his direct access to the president, sources said.
RANDOM HOUSE has printed 125,000 copies of the book. The TODAY SHOW has reserved a money slot for Frum on Tuesday morning. And with North Korea/Iraq currently on the covers of both NEWSWEEK and TIME: Enter the speechwriter.
Developing...
----------------------------------------------------------- Filed By Matt Drudge Reports are moved when circumstances warrant http://www.drudgereport.com for updates (c)DRUDGE REPORT 2003 Not for reproduction without permission of the author
Yeap. Bush is taking a page out of Clinton's political play book. Remember when Clinton feigned outrage when photographers caught him dancing with the Hildebeast on the beach? The feigned outrage heightened attention. To be able to lead, you have to win. Bush is a winner AND a leader.
Bill Cliton had lots of 'em. Some even hung 'round under his desk lookin fer things ta nibble on.
Hay! Lay off that cute puppydog! That's wunna the cutest little dogs any POTUS evur had!!!
At least our current POTUS hain't gone to the dogs like the last wun did.
And I'm waiting for this guy's brilliant essay on how to handle N. Korea. I'm sure it'll be totally underwhelming. Probably whining that we're not helping their starving citizens enough and that Bush will make a diplomatic breakthrough if he goes to Korea and kisses Kim Jong Il's shoes.
As opposed to the genuises that Klinton hired. (To the liberals, any liberal that went to college and actually graduated is an intellectual.)
The "Axis of Evil" quote was meaningless. Iran and Iraq are hardly in an axis with one another. North Korea will deal with anyone, including both of these countries, to ensure the survival of the regime.
So, this means Kristol knew he and his source were busted.
Presidents don't have to be "nice". They have to have integrity, and they have to be smart. They have to be good people at heart, and they have to be efficient at getting things done and astute in their perceptions. They have to know how to delegate and be a good judge of character. They have to have a vision and a sense of history, and faith in the greatness of the people that they lead and the sacredness of the Constitution that they protect.
From what I see, Bush has all these qualities. Let Jimmy Carter build houses.
Frum should have felt right at home.
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