In a moment largely unnoticed by the throngs of
people in Lebanon waiting for autographs from
the president of the United States, George W.
Bush stopped to hold a teenager’s head close to
his heart.
Lynn Faulkner, his daughter, Ashley, and
their neighbor, Linda Prince, eagerly waited to
shake the president’s hand Tuesday at the Golden
Lamb Inn. He worked the line at a steady
campaign pace, smiling, nodding and signing
autographs until Prince spoke:
“This girl lost her mom in the World Trade
Center on 9-11.”
Bush stopped and turned back.
“He changed from being the leader of the free
world to being a father, a husband and a man,”
Faulkner said. “He looked right at her and said,
‘How are you doing?’ He reached out with his
hand and pulled her into his chest.”
Look at that photo and tell me he doesn’t connect
with people on a genuine level. President Clinton
was supposedly a master at doing that, of working
the audience, of connecting with people. I think
what was meant by those remarks was that Clinton was
a schmoozer who told you what you needed to hear so
you thought he liked you. I think President Bush is
a master at working the crowd because he is more
genuine.
On a political note, I can’t help but think of
this moment in comparison to Kerry’s
working of the crowd
in Chicago this past March, when he spoke into a
still open mic, calling Bush and the Republican
Party “the most crooked, you know, lying group of
people I’ve ever seen.” Can you say pandering?
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