Bush talks to friends off the cuff

"Bush spoke of his faith and the way it influences his decisions."

"I feel the comfort and the power of knowing that literally millions of Americans I'm never going to meet ... say my name to the Almighty every day and ask him to help me, he said. My friend, Jiang Zemin in China, has about a billion and a half folks, and I don't think he can say that. And my friend, Vladimir Putin, I like him, but he can't say that. "
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Alabama Mobile Register
News Columnist Gene Owens
Bush talks to friends off the cuff
02/28/03

Jerry Lathan is convinced that President Bush would rather be cutting wood on his Texas ranch than lobbing missiles at Baghdad, and Jerry hopes to join the president in a little chain saw action after the Iraqi crisis has simmered down.

Jerry, a roofing contractor who lives near Tillman's Corner, shared with me some impressions he carried away from a reception in the East Room of the White House last month for Republican National Committee members.

A member of the executive committee of the Alabama Republican Party, Jerry was attending the reception as a guest of Marty Connors, state GOP chairman.

The Mobile County contractor didn't take notes, so his quotations from the president's remarks are approximations, but he's confident that his memory recorded the words pretty accurately.

The president came to the reception fresh from a meeting at Camp David with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. His approach was casual, since he was on first-name terms with most of the people in the room.

"He strolled up to the podium, and he began to just talk to us, Jerry said.

Bush talked about the things he's done to personalize the Oval Office. Among the paintings on the wall is a landscape depicting sunrise on the ranch of his friend, Buddy, who lives somewhere near El Paso, Texas.

"Buddy lives on the side of the mountain, but he owns enough property that he can live on either side of it, said Bush. He wanted to see the sunrise. I want to see the sun going up on my world and not the sun going down; I want to see the day that's coming and not the day that's going away.

Bush's choice of a rug for the Oval Office reflects this forward view: It features a design reminiscent of the sun's rays.

The president explained that the transition team called him two or three days before he moved in and asked what kind of rug he wanted.

"You get your own rug, Bush explained. Dad was president, and I didn't know he had his own rug.

Bush was told that he could borrow one from the White House collection until a new rug had been made. Or he could leave in place the rug his predecessor had used.

"I said No, get that guy's rug out of there,'" said Bush.

The temporary rug had been the choice of Ronald Reagan, and it reflected his theme of morning in America.

Bush talked about his struggle to persuade that bunch in New York -- the United Nations -- to act against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"I don't know what they're going to do, he said. But I can tell you this: I know what I'm going to do, and Saddam Hussein is going to be disarmed. I told them they could be the League of Nations or the United Nations. That's up to them and the history books. But I know what my duty is. ... Believe me, there is a day coming far worse than Sept. 11, if we don't do what we have to do, and faced with what I know, I simply have no choice.

The president professed disdain for the professional politicians and bureaucrats who inhabit the realm inside the Washington Beltway.

"I don't listen to this noise that goes on around here, and I don't pay much attention to those people who want to stay here, he said. I came from Texas, and I'll go back to Texas. And in Midland, Texas, when I grew up, there were more signs saying Get us out of the UN' than there were saying God Bless America.' And there were plenty of God Bless America' signs.

Bush spoke of his faith and the way it influences his decisions.

"I feel the comfort and the power of knowing that literally millions of Americans I'm never going to meet ... say my name to the Almighty every day and ask him to help me, he said. My friend, Jiang Zemin in China, has about a billion and a half folks, and I don't think he can say that. And my friend, Vladimir Putin, I like him, but he can't say that.

Jerry Lathan met Bush last year when the president made a campaign appearance at Auburn for Mike Rogers, who subsequently won the 3rd Congressional District seat that Bob Riley vacated to run for governor. While Bush was there, Jerry handed White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. a letter to the president.

In it, Jerry wrote that he had cast one of Alabama's nine electoral votes for Bush. He also told the president he had a ranch at Marble Falls, about 30 miles from Austin, Texas, where he likes to go deer hunting. Bush has a ranch at Prairie Chapel, about 90 miles from Austin.

"I'd love to come over to your place and cut a load of wood, Jerry wrote.

Later, at an Auburn reception, he shook the president's hand and Connors, standing nearby, told Bush, That's Lathan. He has a place near you.

Jerry told the president about the letter in which he had suggested a wood-cutting session.

"He grabbed my hand and pulled me back, he said. The president then told Jerry, That'd be fun; I'd like to do that.

"I told him I'd bring my truck, said Jerry who, like the president, owns a Ford pickup. I get the sense it well might happen.

(Readers may write Gene Owens at the Mobile Register, P.O. Box 2488, Mobile AL 36652-2488, call him at 219-5652 or e-mail him at [email protected])