West Wing leak: Remember how the Bush White House used to be virtually leak-proof about the goings-on around Dear Leader? Well, somebody inside the bubble is talking now. And since it comes from the GOP’s top propagandist in the Capitol, it must be true:
President Bush was furious with the staff preparation for last week’s inter-American summit in Argentina where his trade proposals ran into unexpected opposition.
The president was reported as particularly unhappy with the work by his National Security Council staff in getting ready for the meeting. That added to Bush’s distress in Buenos Aires, dealing with violent street demonstrators and hostile fellow presidents led by Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and including Argentina’s Nestor Kirchner.
The crowning indignity for Bush was the Friday night state dinner starting at 10 p.m., an hour when the president normally is in bed. He left the dinner early, but it was midnight by then.
I heard a sound bite from his radio address today and he sounded completely flat and without affect, unlike his usual “Listen here, I’m trying to explain this but you’re sooooo stupid I can’t even believe it” tone. Sounded almost sub-dude. I think no longer getting his way without question is getting to him.