Fred Barnes, sycophant-in-chief

Washington Monthly, Jan-Feb, 2006

When it comes to supporting President Bush, few people exhibit the stalwartness of Fred Barnes, a Weekly Standard editor and Fox News pundit. Now the most pro-Bush journalist in America has a forthcoming book about his hero, Rebel-in-Chief: The Bold and Controversial presidency of George IN. Bush. We here at The Washington Monthly thought that our readers deserved a sneak-peek.

Getting to the Bottom of Issues

--"In policy discussions, Bush often poses fundamental questions. He once asked what the function of the Defense Department was."

A Remarkable Response to Hurricane Katrina

--"President Bush revealed his proactive tendencies after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and coastal Mississippi in the late summer of 2005."

--"Bush was so fixated on the devastation and suffering in the region that he failed to sense a conservative backlash."

Leadership, the De(orating Kind

--"[Bush's] job, he told me, is to 'stay out of the minutiae, keep the big picture in mind, but also make sure that I know enough about what's going on to get the best information possible. 'To stress the point, during our interview in the Oval Office Bush called my attention to the rug; he had been surprised, he said, to learn that the first decision a president is expected to make is what color the rug should be. 'l wasn't aware that presidents were rug designers,' he told me. So he delegated the task, to Laura. Typical of his governing style, though, he gave a clear principle as guidance: he wanted the rug to express the view that an' optimistic person comes here. 'The rug she designed is sunrise yellow."

--"Bush is a big picture person, eager to concentrate on major issues and delegate smaller ones. That explains why he let Laura design the oval office rug."

Not an Ordinary Man

--"When I went to interview President Bush just before his August vacation in 2005, he was waiting for me. I'd gotten a call at my office to the effect that Bush was running ahead of schedule. This was uncharacteristic of a president, indeed of politicians in general. But for Bush it is common; operating efficiently is a source of pride and a distinguishing mark of his presidency. The president was standing in the Oval Office, unperturbed but ready for the interview."

--"When he was practicing a State of the Union address, the operators of the TelePrompTer couldn't get the machine to function properly. Bush snapped at them. 'I'll come back when you get it right,' he said. Bush returned ten minutes later and apologized to everyone, especially the TelePrompTer operators. He said a president shouldn't act that way. Presidents don't ordinarily apologize.Bush's apology was an expression of his Christian faith."