George Bush Called Sarah Palin 'Not Remotely Prepared'

first time ever GWB offers good insight?

 

He pretty much said everybody but him sucked based on the bits I've read so far.

 

Bush is just echoing what everyone already knows. I wouldn't call it good insight.

 

maybe not

[rquoter]First on the Ticker: Bush, Palin aide disputes book claims
Posted: September 15th, 2009 04:35 PM ET

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

Bush reportedly said Palin was unprepared for the national stage.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A former aide to George W. Bush and Sarah Palin is dismissing a claim by onetime Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer that the former president was clueless about Palin when she was tapped as John McCain's running mate last August.

Latimer writes in a new book — scheduled for release in October — that Bush wasn't even aware of Palin when she was picked.

"'What is she, the governor of Guam?'" Bush reportedly asked. Latimer also writes that Bush told aides that the then-Alaska governor was "not even remotely prepared" for the national stage.

But Jason Recher, who served as special assistant to President Bush and as a traveling aide to Palin during the campaign, said the former President was well aware of Palin — especially since the two met in person in Alaska just three weeks before Palin was added to the Republican ticket.

During a stopover in Fairbanks on the way to the Beijing Olympics last August, Recher said Bush met with Palin and even made a knowing reference to her rising reputation in the Republican Party.

"The president was fully aware of who Sarah Palin was," Recher told CNN. "Even so much that when he greeted the governor and Todd in Fairbanks during a re-fueling stop on the way to the Beijing Olympics, he threw open his arms and said "Madam Vice President!'"


"He was very aware of her rising-star status and who she was and everything about her, even down to the fact that she recently had given birth to Trig," Recher said.

After Palin became the vice presidential nominee, Recher said the White House loaned out both he and Laura Bush's photographer Shealah Craighead to the McCain campaign to help staff Palin and her family.

Recher said Bush and Palin had a warm relationship and talked multiple times throughout the campaign, including after a large campaign rally near Orlando in September and after the Vice Presidential debate in October.

"There is no air, no space between them," Recher said. "Sarah Palin is a big fan of George Bush, and she has said publicly she was proud he was Commander-in-Chief when her son Track was in Iraq."

Recher, who traveled with President Bush nearly every day for the final three years of his presidency, questioned just how plugged-in Latimer was at the White House.

"I think that most people that used to work at the White House would be hard pressed to pick him out of a lineup," Recher said. "Nobody knows who he is. When people heard he was writing a book the most common reaction has been, 'Who?'"[/rquoter]

 

like this one, from the same book?

'This is a dangerous world,' he said for no apparent reason, 'and this cat[Obama] isn't remotely qualified to handle it. This guy has no clue, I promise you,'" ​

 

Measuring the first 7-8 months of their respective presidencies to date, looks like somebody is distinctly ahead of somebody else's pace in the "# of americans protected from a dangerous world" statistic.

On the other hand, somebody else had gotten through ALL of "The Pet Goat," and didn't let anybody stop him.

Beat that, Chosen One.

 

Tell me about it. It's not like he was the only Republican that couldn't believe McCain chose Palin.

 

That GQ excerpt is one of the juiciest articles about politics I've ever read. Highly recommended. I can't wait to read the book.

 

did he talk about Palin's kids or parents by any chance?

 

Batman, because of your post, I decided to read the entire GQ article. I'm only on page 4 where Bush is rehearsing the speech on the bailout and he says,

Why did I sign on to this proposal if I don’t understand what it does?

My stomach hurts from laughing out loud so hard. It can't get any better than this. 6 more pages to go.

 

That CNN article is silly - Latimer says that Bush was kidding when he asked if Palin was the governor of Guam. Of course he knew who she was.

"It was clear, though, that the president, ever the skilled politician, had concerns about the choice of Palin, which he called 'interesting.' That was the equivalent of calling a fireworks display 'satisfactory.'

"'I’m trying to remember if I’ve met her before. I’m sure I must have.' His eyes twinkled, then he asked, 'What is she, the governor of Guam?'

"Everyone in the room seemed to look at him in horror, their mouths agape. When Ed told him that conservatives were greeting the choice enthusiastically, he replied, 'Look, I’m a team player, I’m on board.' He thought about it for a minute. 'She’s interesting,' he said again. 'You know, just wait a few days until the bloom is off the rose.' Then he made a very smart assessment.

"'This woman is being put into a position she is not even remotely prepared for,' he said. 'She hasn’t spent one day on the national level. Neither has her family. Let’s wait and see how she looks five days out.'"

With that in mind, the article seems like a non-denial denial to me.

(Not that any of this is very important.)

 

pwned!

 

Wait...Palin was cleary not prepared....but W. is always wrong...but he seems to be right....does...not...compute....

 

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

I have been trying so hard to hold this back.

 

Sidebar: I'm en elementary school teacher, and used that exact phrase recently in a 4th grade class. My kids all told me that broken clocks are never right, their just dark. Because they're digital.

My students can't tell time.

I weep for the future.

 

me too

(for your sake i hope swoly doesn't read this forum.