The media have reported that the president did not show at the Boy Scout Jamboree yesterday evening because of poor weather.
But I just read a report that makes me wonder if the White House wasn’t lying about that — after all, this White House is becoming known for bending the truth a bit.
“The House narrowly approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement this morning, delivering a hard-fought victory to President Bush while underscoring the nation’s deep divisions over trade. . . .
“Underscoring the importance that Bush attaches to the pact, he put his prestige on the line by making a rare appearance with Vice President Cheney at the weekly closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference. Bush spoke for an hour, lawmakers said…
… The president’s unusual appearance on Capitol Hill, followed up with private telephone calls to wavering members, underscored his personal stake in the fight. More effective in the end-game maneuvering was deal-cutting by Bush aides and Republican leaders. Highway projects were dangled before undecided lawmakers, as well as assignments on top-shelf committees.”
In other words, if he had lost this vote, it would have been a sign of his political death on the Hill… so he ditched the Boy Scouts, who had just lost members of the Alaska delegation in a freak accident, to twist arms on Capitol Hill where even his 30-vote majority couldn’t get the job done.
