An Interview With President Bush---Michael Barone
This afternoon [Oct 25] I had the privilege of being one of eight columnists interviewing George W. Bush in the Oval Office. The others were Tony Blankley of the "Washington Times", Daniel Henninger of the "Wall Street Journal", Charles Krauthammer of the "Washington Post", Lawrence Kudlow of CNBC, Kathleen Parker of the "Orlando Sentinel", Mark Steyn of the "Chicago Sun-Times", and Byron York of "National Review"?all conservatives of various stripes. Like many others who have been with Bush in the Oval Office, I have found him to be much more articulate and forceful in that setting than he often is in press conferences or in taking questions from traveling reporters. The interview was on the record, so we are posting an MP3 audio recording (High bandwidth | and Low bandwidth) of the whole hour. I think you'll find it compelling listening. It's the closest thing many people will get to spending an hour or so in the Oval Office with the 43rd president.
First of all, Bush started off with a lengthy monologue, trying to put a historical perspective on where we are now.......
Bush is certainly grayer than he was when he took office, and though he is still obviously in fine shape for a man of 60, he, like Bill Clinton, has visibly aged in his years as president. I found him energetic, focused, articulate, and in command of his thoughts, and I think you will too if you listen to the audio. He said, after the interview was over, that he was happy and contented in his work, and there was no note of distress in his voice. But even as he is under heavy attack in this campaign season and his job approval sags below 40 percent, he seems to take solace and gain strength from taking a long view. He began the interview by looking ahead to what the Middle East will be in 25 years?and arguing that it will be in better shape than it might be because of what we are doing now.
On the way out the door, I asked him what he had been reading lately. The answer: Andrew Roberts's "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900" (an advance copy, apparently). Roberts is a friend of mine (and of Mark Steyn), a British history writer who has written the definitive biography of the 3rd Marquis of Salisbury (prime minister 1885, 1886?92, 1895?1902) and a delightful volume of essays on Winston Churchill's opponents, "Eminent Churchillians". Roberts's English-Speaking Peoples is an extension of Churchill's multicentury history that ends around 1900, and I expect that it will take Churchill's view: that the English-speaking peoples have over the centuries taken up the responsibility of expanding freedom and spreading democracy and the rule of law around the world.
That is Bush's view as well, as I was reminded when I noticed the bust of Churchill as I was leaving the Oval Office.
This afternoon [Oct 25] I had the privilege of being one of eight columnists interviewing George W. Bush in the Oval Office. The others were Tony Blankley of the "Washington Times", Daniel Henninger of the "Wall Street Journal", Charles Krauthammer of the "Washington Post", Lawrence Kudlow of CNBC, Kathleen Parker of the "Orlando Sentinel", Mark Steyn of the "Chicago Sun-Times", and Byron York of "National Review"?all conservatives of various stripes. Like many others who have been with Bush in the Oval Office, I have found him to be much more articulate and forceful in that setting than he often is in press conferences or in taking questions from traveling reporters. The interview was on the record, so we are posting an MP3 audio recording (High bandwidth | and Low bandwidth) of the whole hour. I think you'll find it compelling listening. It's the closest thing many people will get to spending an hour or so in the Oval Office with the 43rd president.
First of all, Bush started off with a lengthy monologue, trying to put a historical perspective on where we are now.......
Bush is certainly grayer than he was when he took office, and though he is still obviously in fine shape for a man of 60, he, like Bill Clinton, has visibly aged in his years as president. I found him energetic, focused, articulate, and in command of his thoughts, and I think you will too if you listen to the audio. He said, after the interview was over, that he was happy and contented in his work, and there was no note of distress in his voice. But even as he is under heavy attack in this campaign season and his job approval sags below 40 percent, he seems to take solace and gain strength from taking a long view. He began the interview by looking ahead to what the Middle East will be in 25 years?and arguing that it will be in better shape than it might be because of what we are doing now.
On the way out the door, I asked him what he had been reading lately. The answer: Andrew Roberts's "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900" (an advance copy, apparently). Roberts is a friend of mine (and of Mark Steyn), a British history writer who has written the definitive biography of the 3rd Marquis of Salisbury (prime minister 1885, 1886?92, 1895?1902) and a delightful volume of essays on Winston Churchill's opponents, "Eminent Churchillians". Roberts's English-Speaking Peoples is an extension of Churchill's multicentury history that ends around 1900, and I expect that it will take Churchill's view: that the English-speaking peoples have over the centuries taken up the responsibility of expanding freedom and spreading democracy and the rule of law around the world.
That is Bush's view as well, as I was reminded when I noticed the bust of Churchill as I was leaving the Oval Office.
