George W. Bush: the exclusive interview

Yale's prodigal son returns to talk about the presidency, his past, and everything in between

Read his lips: George W. Bush, DC '68, is tired of being misunderstood.

KEN LAMBERT/NEWSMAKERS George W. Bush, DC '68, on the campaign trail. The Republican presidential candidate took time out from courting voters to give the 'Herald' an exclusive interview, his first to a Yale publication in over a decade.

In his first interview with a Yale publication in over a decade, the Texas governor and newly nominated Republican nominee for president makes it clear that he wants to set the record straight.

"You know, almost everything I've said or done has been taken out of context," he said. "There's only so much of that you can take before you decide to just get out there and speak for yourself."

And he certainly has plenty to say. In this exclusive interview (conducted by phone from Bush's campaign stop in Little Rock, Ark., on Fri., Mar. 24), the man who would be president talks Yale, his father's legacy, and the men who would keep him from the White House.

The following are excerpts from the Herald's conversation with Bush.

The Yale Herald: Governor Bush, it's been a long time since you last spoke with a Yale publication. Why did you agree to this interview at this point in your campaign?

George W. Bush: You know, over the past few months there's been a lot of speculation about my years at Yale, and not all of it has been good. I think it's important that you all know a little more about my ideas for this country and where I want to take it. I don't need jokers or pundits to speak for me—I can speak for myself.

YH: You've spoken a lot about your "Vision for America," yet you went to Yale, Vice President Al Gore went to Harvard, and Senator Bill Bradley went to Princeton. Do you think that an Ivy-groomed presidential candidate can really connect with most Americans?

GWB: I still believe that just because somebody's got an Ivy League title by their name doesn't make them smarter than anybody else. And that's a part of what's critical to my election. One, that people trust my judgment. Two, that people hear the call for reform. Three, that people know that I can renew what I call the "Spirit of America." You know, these are basic concepts for all people, whether or not they went to Yale or Harvard or Princeton. Family values don't exist only for students in the Ivy League.

YH: You come from a very wealthy family—do you think that makes it difficult to relate to the average American?

GWB: Just like everybody else in this country, I put my pants on one leg at a time. So, not at all. This campaign isn't about riding on the coattails of my father's presidency or my family's name. I know I've got a tough road. I do. But I know what my position is. I'm sitting right here today, after having won most of the primaries, knowing what the country wants me to do. It's very important for me to enunciate clearly where I want to lead America. That's what the people want to hear. I have the experience and a good American mentality. This is right for the country.

ROBERT H. MCGEE/NEWSMAKERS 1946

YH: But a lot of people in Washington think Senator John McCain was the Republican candidate who had the experience needed to be president.

GWB: People say, I hear them talking out of Washington, "Well, Bush doesn't have enough experience." As if being the governor of the biggest state in the country isn't experience.

YH: It has become almost common knowledge that you erred when quizzed on the names of foreign political leaders. Do you think the media is justified in its non-stop questioning of your intelligence?

GWB: Well, I don't really mind people picking on me. I've never held myself out to be any great genius, but I'm plenty smart. I've got good common sense and good instincts and that's what people want in their leader. I really think that the names of these people are less relevant than

our policies toward them. I do think names are important, but it's more important that I know what principles they stand for. We shouldn't be confusing those.

YH: You recently received a rather large campaign donation from the A.S.P.C.A., a traditionally liberal organization. What have you done in Texas that would bring about such an endorsement?

GWB: You know, I've always supported the improvement of conditions under which black Americans have lived, and during my years in office we greatly increased funds for education of minorities. Public schools in Texas have improved dramatically during my time as governor. For example, we've seen huge gains in the math and reading scores of Black and Latino children. We've gone to great lengths to narrow the achievement gap.

YH: With regards to education, a lot of Yale professors have objected to websites posting their class notes online. Do you agree with them?

GWB: Not at all. I mean, history is history, and everyone has a right to know about it. You can't have a professor come in with his East Coast attitude and say, "Well look here—I'm the only one who can talk about the 1800s. Nobody else can talk about them," because then you'd have lots of people doing things like putting patents on years. I am not about that.

COURTESY WWW.GEORGEWBUSH.COM 1964

YH: You've been fairly reluctant to specifically address your years at Yale. Why is that?

GWB: It's not that I'm reluctant, it's just that I don't like the reactions I get from somebody when I talk about it. A lot of times people come up to me and say, "Do you regret anything you did in college?" And I say, "Of course I do." I mean, who wouldn't regret having to play ookie cookie, you know? But that doesn't mean I did anything really that bad, people just like to interpret it that way.

YH: Was that the sort of thing you had to do for [[Delta]]KE?

GWB: Something like that. A lot of the stuff we did wasn't even all that bad. You know, back then at school we didn't have coeds, so we just dressed the first-years up as girls and had them dance around for us. Things like that. I don't think most people know what that kind of experience is like, so they have no real way to react other than to be shocked by it. I mean, if you all saw the kind of stuff [Yale College Dean] Dick Brodhead [BR '68, GRD '72] was doing, you wouldn't care whether or not I was doing drugs every day.

YH: If elected president, how would you distinguish your political career from your father's?

GWB: (Laughs) You know, I was thinking of changing my middle name to Quincy. George Quincy Bush. I like the sound of that.

YH: Many of your critics believe that you rely too much on the safety of set speeches, and that you often answer difficult questions with "non-answers." Is that a fair assessment?

GWB: May I make something really clear to you, once again? I want to remind you that for the past eight years Americans have heard nothing but "non-answers" from their president. All they want now is for somebody to just give them a straight answer. So when someone asks me a question up front, I do my best to be honest with them.

YH: But to be fair, you have yet to express a clear-cut opinion on a number of hot-button issues, such as South Carolina's Confederate flag controversy.

GWB: You know, I've always said that South Carolina should do exactly what the people want. If they want it to come down, fine. If not, fine. Who am I to force a decision on them?

YH: So you're saying that the flag should, or should not come down? GWB: Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

YH: Okay, so tell me what you really think of Al Gore.

GWB: I believe that Al Gore will say anything to get elected, that's what I believe. And I am amazed. He says he's the "Father of the Internet." You know, fine, I'll believe it. I mean, just look at Tipper—she could fit damn well anything in there. But I'd do his daughters in a second.

TOM REEL/NEWSMAKERS 2000

YH: What is your reaction to Al Gore's statement that you once supported a law that would decrease the minimum age for possession of a handgun from 18 to 13?

GWB: No, no, but you see what I'm saying? This man will say and do absolutely anything in this campaign. Now you all know I never supported any law like that. No, I said that I would support a law that would make 13-year-olds convicted of murder eligible for the death penalty, not for possession of a handgun.

YH: Is this related to your new Medicare initiative?

GWB: Now I know that some are saying that killing people is not the answer to our nation's problems. But listen here: if tomorrow we executed all the inmates currently on death row, that would open up over $500 billion, money we could use to create health insurance options, like medical savings accounts, for all Americans. So I say, let's kill the bastards.

YH: You received a lot of criticism for doing an imitation on 60 Minutes of Karla Faye Tucker, a woman recently executed in Texas. How do you respond to your critics?

GWB: (Yells in a high pitched voice, mimicking Tucker) "Please don't kill me, Mr. Governor, sir! I don't wanna die!" (Laughs) You all in the press really don't know how to take a joke. I mean, that imitation goes over real well at parties. I also do a killer Amadou Diallo.

YH: A large part of your campaign has been your ambitious plan to cut taxes by $483 billion over five years. How is this different from Bob Dole's similar proposal four years ago?

GWB: Bob Dole and I are very different nominees, and these are two very different proposals. It's different because one, I started early, and two, there's a different budget projection. Plus, I can get an erection and he can't.

YH: Does it bother you that many Republican voters favored Senator McCain for the same reason that they favored Dole: simply because he served in the military?

GWB: You know, it does. You see, I just don't buy all this "war builds character" talk. How hard is it really to go to war? I mean, really, how long ago was Bob Dole off fighting Communists in World War Two? And he's still milking this "martyr with the gimp hand" thing. And, come on—the gooks were nice enough to put Mr. McCain up in that Hanoi Hilton for five years. For free. I'd hardly call that roughing it.

YH: Why do you think you are better prepared for the presidency than Senator McCain?

GWB: Well, it's kind of moot right now, but it's still very simple. I think the people trust my judgment. They understand that I'm trying to do what's best for them and what's best for America. And to be quite honest, I don't think the people trust John McCain. Voters look at me and see my vision of reform and the ideas that are necessary to achieve reform. Voters look at John McCain and see some kooky old vet who'd probably run around the White House hiding from Charlie and looking for a reason to napalm the rose garden. There's no question about that.

LAURA L. CAMDEN/NEWSMAKERS 2026

YH: Do you think your tactics during the primaries may have contributed to the negative light in which voters see Senator McCain?

GWB: I know everybody said this was a dirty campaign. But it was no more dirty than when John McCain and all his Vietnam buddies killed a bunch of women and children and stole all their rice.  

YH: On a less serious note, it's rumored that you actually had a very brief cameo in The Skulls, but it was eventually cut. Is that true?

GWB: Yeah, I met the producer at a fund-raiser that I attended in California a few months back, and he asked me if I wanted to have a small role in the film. But what I really want to do is direct.

YH: What was it like kissing Josh Jackson?

GWB: I was a bit nervous because it was my first love scene, and my daughters watch Dawson's Creek so it's kind of like we knew each other but we didn't. I was so nervous because he was like, "Hi," and I was like, "Oh my God, Pacey just said hi to me." But it was cool and he's real cute.

YH: If you don't mind, I'd like to break from the questions and close with something a little more offbeat. It's actually kind of silly—I'd like to do some simple word association. Is that okay?

GWB: (Laughs) Sure, go right ahead. But keep it clean.

YH: I'll try. Here we go, first word: Kettle.

GWB: (Pause) Pot.

YH: Ok, second word: Nancy Drew.

GWB: (Pause) Heroine.

YH: Uh huh, and finally: an ABC news analyst.

GWB: (Pause) Cokie Roberts.

YH: Well, thank you very much. I wasn't sure I could get you off of your political pedestal for such a silly game.

GWB: You know, coming down is the hardest thing.

As far as we know, this story is wholly fictional. Happy April Fool's Day. —The Herald.

Back to News...