Just ask Ann Richards, John McCain, Al Gore, Joe Lieberman, etc,etc,etc,etc.
Bush just good-ol-boy'd a lot of people. He just plain spoke and awe-shucked the media and a lot of other folks. I've been saying for many years that Bush is not a man you play poker with. Because he will beat you, then give you a couple of bucks back as you go out the door thinking you will come back and win "next time". And you come back, and he does it to you again. And again. And again....