In which I get to ask a top Bush appointee a question

I had a chance this evening, along with my program down here, to meet a top-level political appointee in his office in the Old Executive Building. Very nice guy, earnest about his job and willing to crack jokes. So, my first lesson is simply that not every Republican in the Bush Administration is unnecessarily dour. In fact, as nearly as this operative can tell, it’s really just Dick Cheney who’s bringing everybody down.

Anyway, I recorded some interesting points I hadn’t heard before:

• The Leader of the Free World prefers peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.
• Jokingly, he pulled a Porter Goss.
• He repeated the Administration’s position, with regards to Hurricane Katrina, that the consensus among those in the know on the Monday the storm hit that New Orleans had “dodged a bullet.” I don’t remember if he specifically attributed that phrase to a prevailing headline (as others have done), but I thought that we’d pretty much agreed by this point that no one reported that New Orleans ever “dodged a bullet” during the entire disaster. I’ve noticed throughout the political spectrum, though, that talking points phrased succinctly (“dodged a bullet” — doesn’t it roll off the tongue?) often work themselves into the common political language and shed their original use. It has been two full months; I guess a case may be made.
  • In addition, his characterization of speed of the Bush team’s return to Washington immediately after Katrina’s landfall was a bit more generous than my own, but that’s semantics.
• It seems the emergency aid fund release was not at all uncontroversial. Huh.

Finally, like it sez on the label, I got a chance to ask our esteemed presenter a question. Early in his talk, I noticed he described his selection for his current position as having begun with George Bush asking him his opinion on qualified candidates. Obviously, the president didn’t take his advice. Instantly, I was reminded of Dick Cheney’s own entrance into the Bush Administration: as head of GWB’s running mate selection committee. Who can forget, further, Harriet Miers’ sitatuation on his task force to choose a SCOTUS nominee? With this in mind, I asked only half-seriously whether being asked one’s opinion on a political appointment was a certain indication of a sudden ascendancy.

He laughed. I think it is mostly a product of my currently limited dealings with politicians, but I’m amused to report that his response marked the first time I’d ever had a question categorically denied.

The whole thing, actually, shifted to a discussion of Michael Brown’s qualifications via a brief exegesis of the staff selection office. That wasn’t really what I’d expected nor where I’d intended to drag him, but a quick poll of friends after the fact indicated that he didn’t seem embarassed. Good.

Then, on the way out, I met Sameul Alito.