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New Bio Shows President Bush in "Pop Culture Void"
NY Daily News/Drudge ^

Posted on 02/10/2002 2:50:15 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat

The United States is being led by a lowbrow from the upper-crust ghetto, largely unaware of culture — high, pop and maybe even yogurt — a forthcoming biography of President Bush says.

New York Times reporter Frank Bruni, who was assigned to cover Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign and the first eight months of Bush's presidency, describes the 43rd President of the United States as affable and good-natured, but shallow and largely clueless about many aspects of the culture of the nation he heads.

Bruni's book, "Ambling into History," goes on sale March 5, and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Bush's interaction with reporters on the campaign trail.

"At long last, the Republican Party had nominated its first baby boomer for the presidency, and the man they had chosen was no more culturally 'with it' than Bob Dole, the septuagenarian previous nominee, had been," Bruni writes.

Bush viewed the musical "Cats" as modern theater at its finest, Bruni writes, and openly admitted that martial artist Chuck Norris was his favorite film actor.

Leonardo Who?

The candidate had never heard of actor Leonardo DiCaprio or television newscaster Stone Phillips — despite the enormous nationwide exposure of both, Bruni writes.

Asked about HBO's smash hit "Sex and the City," Bush thought it was "an inquiry into his erotic and geographic whereabouts," Bruni writes.

Bush, who gets generally positive treatment from Bruni in the book, nonetheless comes off in parts as a stranger to America outside his own upper-class WASP background. When reporters on the campaign trail used words like "vegan" or "yenta," Bush had no idea what they were talking about, Bruni writes.

Bloat Cuisine

Bush bragged to sushi-eating reporters about how good his peanut butter sandwiches were. His snacks of choice on the campaign trail were Fritos and Cheez Doodles.

Though he wasn't familiar with DiCaprio's role in "Titanic," the highest-grossing film ever, Bush knew the "Austin Powers" movies inside out.

Bruni writes that Bush often lifted his pinkie to the corner of his mouth to mimic the Dr. Evil character in the Powers flicks.

Bush, a competitive and ordinarily focused politician, was nonetheless prone to distraction by trivial matters, Bruni writes.

On the night before the South Carolina primary, which Bush desperately needed to win to stop the momentum of Arizona Sen. John McCain, Bush spotted "an attractive brunette" slipping into the hotel room of campaign staffer Matthew Dowd.

Bush, "in a manner more voyeuristic and gossipy than judgmental," became obsessed with asking campaign officials whether Dowd's wife was with him on the trip. (She was.)

On one of the biggest nights in his political career, "Bush was focused on whether one of his deputies was having a little naughty extracurricular fun," Bruni writes.


TOPICS: Announcements; Culture/Society; Front Page News
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To: mombonn
He did? The article I posted and bumped yesterday???
121 posted on 02/11/2002 8:35:05 AM PST by Howlin
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To: Howlin
The very same! Congratulations - and thanks again!
122 posted on 02/11/2002 8:40:26 AM PST by mombonn
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To: Howlin
It's funny, I read that Dowd article back when it appeared during the campaign. At the time, I thought it portrayed GWB as out-of-touch and would probably hurt him with the voters, much like his fathers much ballyhooed encounter with a grocery scanner. Now I read it again and I think that it is a wonderful thing to have a President like GWB.
123 posted on 02/11/2002 8:59:49 AM PST by gridlock
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To: jackbill
"By the way, who is this 'Leonardo'?"

(Professor) Clyde Crashcup's assistant?

124 posted on 02/11/2002 9:10:59 AM PST by Goetz_von_Berlichingen
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To: gridlock
At the time, I thought it portrayed GWB as out-of-touch and would probably hurt him with the voters

I bet that's what Dowdy Dowd thought, too.

125 posted on 02/11/2002 9:32:46 AM PST by Howlin
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To: Dr. Frank
Was that easier to understand?

Here's an even easier one: "What do you mean, he doesn't know who I am?"

126 posted on 02/11/2002 9:34:23 AM PST by Howlin
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To: mombonn
Well, after reading this entire thread, I feel that in all honesty, and so you all will know the true me, I must confess to something.

I don't think Jim Carey is funny.

127 posted on 02/11/2002 9:41:26 AM PST by Howlin
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To: Howlin
Buck up. You're not alone!
128 posted on 02/11/2002 10:54:48 AM PST by Carolinamom
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To: Recovering_Democrat

Anyone heard the rumor Leonardo "DiCaprio" is another of Clinton's illegitimate spawnings?

129 posted on 02/11/2002 11:12:34 AM PST by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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To: HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity

130 posted on 02/11/2002 11:20:09 AM PST by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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To: golitely
Low brow? I don't think ignorance about boy bands, Madonna, "Queer as Folk", fisting, and cokehead Hollywood actors is low brow at all. In fact, it shows the opposite.
131 posted on 02/11/2002 11:24:10 AM PST by KC_Conspirator
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To: HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity

132 posted on 02/11/2002 11:29:01 AM PST by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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