Posted on 02/20/2005 3:58:33 AM PST by wingblade
Paper: Bush Tapes Show Early Strategies
Sun Feb 20, 1:16 AM ET White House - AP
NEW YORK - Private conversations with George Bush secretly taped by an old friend before he was elected president foreshadow some of his political strategies and appear to reveal that he acknowledged using marijuana, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The conversations were recorded by Doug Wead, a former aide to George W. Bush's father, beginning in 1998, when Bush was weighing a presidential bid, until just before the Republican National Convention in 2000, the Times said in a story posted on its Web site.
The tapes show Bush crafting a strategy for navigating the tricky political waters between Christian conservative and secular voters, repeatedly worrying that evangelicals would be angered by a refusal to bash gays and that secular Americans would be turned off by meetings with evangelical leaders.
On one tape, Bush explains that he told one prominent evangelical that he would not "kick gays, because I'm a sinner. How can I differentiate sin?"
In early tapes, Bush dismisses the strength of John McCain for the nomination and expresses concern about rival Steve Forbes. He also praises John Ashcroft as a promising candidate for Supreme Court justice, attorney general or vice president.
Bush also criticizes then-Vice President Al Gore for admitting marijuana use and explains why he would not do the same.
"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions," he said, according to the Times. "You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
According to the article, Wead played 12 of the tapes to a Times reporter. He said he recorded them because he viewed Bush as a historic figure. He is the author of a new book on presidential childhoods.
The White House did not deny the authenticity of the tapes.
"The governor was having casual conversations with someone he believed was his friend," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said, referring to Bush.
This one emphasizes that Bush all but admitted smoking pot, and the poster plays off the headline about future strategies being foretold in the conversations, and selects the famous "Let's Roll" as a fulfillment of the pot-smoking admission. It is just a petty slam at a great President, that's all this one is. Don't know about the others.
I called him a troll not for posting it, but for the "Let's Roll?" petty slam at the President for the part where he virtually admitted having smoked pot. Wingblade is __________ for doing that, in my opinion. Please do not confuse me with those who are after him for posting the article. I am well aware the conversations themselves make Bush look GOOD, and it is possible to innocently goof up by posting what was previously done.
The article makes Doug Wead look like a real back-stabber. I think it just re-enforces what a decent human being President Bush really is.
..."and the poster plays off the headline about future strategies being foretold in the conversations, and selects the famous "Let's Roll" as a fulfillment of the pot-smoking admission."...
That's just how you read it. " I mean, let's roll Wead. Not weed. It wouldn't be the first time someone in there assumed the intent of one of my posts and I'll bet that I'm not the only one.
Aren't those "strategeries", rather than "strategies"???
"assumed the intent of one of my posts"
Must'a been busy, having been a user for all of a week - or is that a 'weak'? Oh, a weak user for a week...weed. Dnam, too early.
I would never argue with a Kilgore Rangerette!
called a wedge issue--wedgy--Weades got his panties in a bunch.
CAUTION: THE NEW YORK TIMES HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE AN UNRELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION.
ok
Mrs. Mainstream: MSM, you'd better hush up, kiddo, 'cause you're the one about to get spanked...again!
I had a discussion with a friend that happen to be a shrink. he told me he always asked his patients (in our age range) if they ever did any drugs (pot etc) If they said no, he figured they might be lying to him. Late 60's and 70's was not a heidonistic free period.
from pbs - frontline - choice2000
Interview with Doug Wead
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:OuJWYn1S3aQJ:www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2000/bush/wead.html+doug+wead&hl=en&start=4
'Is there any story you can tell us that helps define another aspect of him that you think is important?
Yeah, one thing I haven't seen covered in the press a lot is his almost anal sense of integrity; anything fishy, anything grey. When he was running his dad's campaign, there were girls who would have loved to have slept with the vice-president's son, the future president of the United States, and they'd send signals out and he'd send signals back saying, "Not interested."
There was even one that was kind of pushed. I remember sitting in his office when a very prominent public figure walked in and said, "G.W., you really made her feel bad, you really hurt her." G.W. said, "Good. I'm married. Not interested. Case closed. Good, I hope she feels bad, good. Glad she got the message." And in his business life I saw that.
There was a congressman, former congressman, who came to me with a wonderful business deal that would be good for the cause, it involved a media purchase, it was a good deal. They had one little piece of the puzzle missing and G.W. had the contact and could make the phone call to make this work, to add, to make this work. So this congressman, I said, "Ok, I'll get you in to see G.W."
And we were rehearsing in his hotel room before the meeting, and he gets to a part where he's going to say to G.W., "And there's something in this for you, if you can be helpful to us, da da da da da." ...So I plead with the congressman "Don't do this, don't say this to G.W., he'll spot it" and, he says, "That's not the way Washington works, this is what we do here, it's quid pro quo, this is long before Washington, this is the essence of people, of politics and business and there's nothing illegal about this." I said, "You understand Washington, I understand G.W. Bush. Please don't do that, you're going to embarrass me and it will backfire." He says, "Alright," I say, "Promise me," he says, "Ok, I promise." So I took him in there, and sure enough, we get in the middle of this thing, G.W.'s listening to it, sounds good, and then this congressman says, "And we're not going to take advantage of you, and if you can help us and da da da da da" and G.W. jumped out of his chair so fast and lifted the congressman up-- former congressman-- and said, "Well, this was great, thanks, buddy, thanks," and basically threw him out of his office... '
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