Gosh, this "blog" thing might actually catch on....:-)
Private Bush Meeting Gets Blogged
Friday, Feb 20, 2004; 10:30 AM
The White House press corps yesterday scrambled to figure out why a hastily-arranged "conversation" between President Bush and some regular Americans about the economy was suddenly closed to reporters -- and what went on behind those closed doors.
Little did they know that behind those doors, one of the regular Americans whom Bush was meeting was a blogger.
Bush quickly gave Rex Hammock -- a publishing company president from Nashville -- the nickname "Hammock Man."
But maybe Bush should have been calling him Rexblog.
The Rexblog entry written in a cab on the way to the airport chronicles the experience, which Hammock says was unscripted, unrehearsed and sincere. And, he says, the White House contacted him a full 48 hours before the event. Some excerpts from the blog:
"I just walked out of the Old Executive Office Building where four other 'real people' and I sat down for a 25-minute chat with the President of the United States. Then the five of us stood behind him while he told a room full of people why the tax cuts he has championed should be made permanent. . . .
"I was there as a representative small business owner who is using the increased capital expensing provisions of the Bush tax plan to invest in a wide range of hardware and software for my business. . . .
"Only a few people knew I was going to do this, but more than one asked jokingly if I thought the President would give me a nickname. I'm happy not to disappoint them. He did. He turned to me once to ask a question and said, 'How 'bout you, Hammock Man?' . . .
"He is charming and was as hospitable as anyone I've ever met. He made us feel that he was grateful to us for coming to visit him (like we would turn him down) and was genuinely comfortable in both the chit-chat and the policy talk.
"Bottom line: If George W. Bush could spend 25 minutes chatting with everybody in America like he did with me and five other folks today, he would win any election by a landslide.
"He'd be a great guy with whom to watch a football game."
Still unclear, however, is why the White House closed the meeting to journalists. Rex, can you clear that one up for us?
Elisabeth Bumiller in the New York Times writes: "Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, would say only that the White House often closed round-table discussions to journalists.
"In fact, however, Mr. Bush has had at least three 'conversations' on the economy in the last three weeks, in New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania, and all were open and lengthy.
More at:
washingtonpost.com |
