Andrew Card offered insight at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.
HEBRON – The gatekeeper to the most powerful man in the world told Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce members Thursday night what it’s like to watch over President Bush.
“My job is to pay attention to everything that’s going on in the president’s life” from the time he gets up at 6:45 a.m. until he retires for bed, said White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
A capacity crowd of more than 300 members listened; one heckler was ushered out by Secret Service agents.
Card said he decides who gets to meet the president and what memos and messages, out of the hundreds clamoring for attention, will be addressed that day. In between time, said Card, “there are three things that are very important to him. The president needs to eat, sleep and relax. I don’t want a president making a hungry decision, or a tired decision.”
He takes care of the president’s wants and needs, not always in that order, he said. There are times, Card said, when Bush may have other matters pressing but wants to see the Texas Rangers play.
“Does he need to see the Texas Rangers? I’d rather have him see the Boston Red Sox,” said Card, a native of Holbrook, Mass.
Card remembers the first time newly-inaugurated President George W. Bush walked into the Oval Office. Card had already entered, making sure all was in order.
The presidential seal dominated the room. It was on the ceiling, on the rug and on the door of the desk. Bush looked at the ceiling, then the floor, not saying a word.
A third man entered and faced Bush. “Mr. President?” Bush said. “Mr. President,” his father, former President George Bush, answered.
It was father and son, standing on top of the seal of the president.
“Tears were in their eyes,” Card said, as they exchanged a deep level of mutual respect not for themselves as father and son, but for the office of the president.
Card said his most memorable day with the president was when the Twin Towers in New York City went down on Sept. 11, 2001.
“It’s a day I hope none of you will ever forget.”
After a morning jog on the beach, Bush was driven to talk to some elementary school children. Just as the president was about to walk into the classroom, he was told a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
“His first reaction was “What a horrible accident. The pilot must have had an accident.” Then he walked into the classroom. When the second plane hit, Card leaned over and whispered in Bush’s right ear: “A second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack.”
That was the day, Card said, when he saw Bush recognize the meaning of the oath of office he took: “To protect and defend the United States, so help me God.”
Card said in the time since Sept. 11, “Bush’s priorities are the right priorities for America. We need to defend against those who would do us harm.”
ggeraghty@sunjournal.com
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