Bush conversations secretly taped

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Link and link

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 - As George W. Bush was first moving onto the national political stage, he often turned for advice to an old friend who secretly taped some of their private conversations, creating a rare record of the future president as a politician and a personality.

In the last several weeks, that friend, Doug Wead, an author and former aide to Mr. Bush's father, disclosed the tapes' existence to a reporter and played about a dozen of them.

Variously earnest, confident or prickly in those conversations, Mr. Bush weighs the political risks and benefits of his religious faith, discusses campaign strategy and comments on rivals. John McCain "will wear thin," he predicted. John Ashcroft, he confided, would be a "very good Supreme Court pick" or a "fabulous" vice president. And in exchanges about his handling of questions from the news media about his past, Mr. Bush appears to have acknowledged trying marijuana.

Mr. Wead said he recorded the conversations because he viewed Mr. Bush as a historic figure, but he said he knew that the president might regard his actions as a betrayal. As the author of a new book about presidential childhoods, Mr. Wead could benefit from any publicity, but he said that was not a motive in disclosing the tapes.

The White House did not dispute the authenticity of the tapes or respond to their contents.

I just have to say that I don't agree at all with this reporter's actions. I didn't like the secret taping when Linda Tripp did it and I don't like it now. It just isn't something that should be done, in my opinion.

I don't really care that Bush did coke or pot. I would prefer that he was honest about it but I must admit that I kind of see his point about not wanting to influence kids. I was also surprised at some of his answers concerning homosexuals. Don't get me wrong, I despise his stance on gay marriage but still, he didn't give the answers that I would have expected.

I must add though that the idea of John Ashcroft as either a Supreme Court Justice or Vice President gives me the chills. Glad someone talked him out of those ideas.

[scaeagles]

I've heard several things about this throughout the day.....not really the issue at hand, though most of the stuff I thought was pretty benign, but isn't taping recording someone without their knowledge illegal? I thought I'd heard that during all the Linda Tripp stuff.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

but isn't taping recording someone without their knowledge illegal? I thought I'd heard that during all the Linda Tripp stuff.

I believe that's a state-by-state issue. There's probably also a statues of limitations.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I've heard several things about this throughout the day.....not really the issue at hand, though most of the stuff I thought was pretty benign, but isn't taping recording someone without their knowledge illegal? I thought I'd heard that during all the Linda Tripp stuff.

Most states allow taping of conversations provided you are present durring the conversation(ie. no leaving a tape recorder in a room to see what people say about you after you leave)....In Linda Tripps case, the State of Maryland is much more strict and does not allow even the above.

----------------------------

As for the tapes themselves....I actually found them kinda refreshing(at least the parts that I have heard so far).l

[scaeagles]

I found out it is state by state, but the statute of limitations.....does the time period for such begin when the crime is discovered or when the crime took place?

[scaeagles]

Curious MBC.....yo uspecifically brought up the homosexual issue. Were you really surprised that he said he wouldn't fire gays because that was discrimation? I didn't register on the NY Times site, and that was all the CNN story said about it.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

No, I was surprised by the fact that he stood up to the evangelists and refused to be a part of their attacks.

Early on, though, Mr. Bush appeared most worried that Christian conservatives would object to his determination not to criticize gay people. "I think he wants me to attack homosexuals," Mr. Bush said after meeting James Robison, a prominent evangelical minister in Texas.

But Mr. Bush said he did not intend to change his position. He said he told Mr. Robison: "Look, James, I got to tell you two things right off the bat. One, I'm not going to kick gays, because I'm a sinner. How can I differentiate sin?"

Later, he read aloud an aide's report from a convention of the Christian Coalition, a conservative political group: "This crowd uses gays as the enemy. It's hard to distinguish between fear of the homosexual political agenda and fear of homosexuality, however."

"This is an issue I have been trying to downplay," Mr. Bush said. "I think it is bad for Republicans to be kicking gays."

Told that one conservative supporter was saying Mr. Bush had pledged not to hire gay people, Mr. Bush said sharply: "No, what I said was, I wouldn't fire gays."

[SacTown Chronic]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

No, I was surprised by the fact that he stood up to the evangelists and refused to be a part of their attacks.

When it comes to political capital, there is no difference to Bush between gays, criminals, terrorists or even the corpses of 9/11. He'll use them all to his advantage. There's no need to discriminate against gays -- they are a political goldmine.


1994:

PBS Frontline (If you have time, read the entire transcript. Interesting stuff regarding both Bush and Kerry.)


NARRATOR: At one point, the campaign turned ugly. Bush's east Texas campaign chairman accused Richards of hiring "avowed and activist homosexuals" to high state offices.

ANN RICHARDS: The issue of homosexuality was very much an issue. In fact, there were flyers placed under the windshield wipers of parked cars at religious fundamentalist churches on Sundays that showed two men kissing. It was very much involved.

NARRATOR: The flyer attacked liberals for encouraging homosexuality in the schools. It had no connection to the governor's race, but some observers suspected it was part of a coordinated attack.

NICHOLAS LEMANN, FRONTLINE Reporter: The pattern, when you look at President Bush's career, is one of very, very, very aggressive campaign tactics. There's a pattern of groups popping up who spread basically dirty rumors about the opponent, and do it in a way that serves the interest of the Bush campaign but enables the Bush campaign to say, "We have nothing to do with these people." And it's happened over and over and over again. He clearly has said to himself, "I am not going to lose an election for being too gentlemanly and nice."

NARRATOR: He didn't lose. Social conservatives and the religious right liked what they saw in Bush. Many years before, he had watched his father lose in this once heavily Democratic state. In 1994, Republican George W. Bush was elected governor of Texas.


And again in 2004:

State of the Union 2004


"...the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage."




I don't see where Dubya has a problem with attacking homosexuals. There seems to be a large chasm between the (allegedly) private citizen George Bush and the politician George Bush. Will the real George Bush please stand up, please stand up?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I know in California, it's illegal to record a phone conversation without consent. I do not know if it applies to in-person conversations.

[Prudence]

In WA it's illegal to record conversations without all parties' consent. (RCW 9.73.030, for those of you keeping score at home.) In fact, before they had applicable state voyeur laws, they used to prosecute video voyeurs under laws prohibiting recording conversations without consent. But that's easily thwarted by not recording sound, so new laws were required.