The press was loathe to let a good scandal alone, though. John Edwards had mostly shut up once it became obvious he was staying in the Senate, and neither Petrelli, DeSantos, nor I were talking. Nature abhors a vacuum, however, so reporters began reporting on the lack of anything to report. It came to a head the first week of December. Brian Williams had just taken over the NBC Nightly News from Tom Brokaw, and had managed to finagle a one-on-one interview with the President as a big and flashy intro. It was big and flashy, all right, but not perhaps in the way he imagined.
We were set up in the Map Room, like on some previous interviews, but it was just me and Williams, without Marilyn or any other members of the family. It was supposed to be a discussion of my plans for a second Buckman administration, both personnel wise and about future legislation.
Williams: "First off, Mister President, congratulations on your victory in the election. Does it feel good to know you won't have to ever run for office again?"
Me: (Chuckling.) "I think that's a little premature, Brian. I might not be running for office, but there are certainly going to be plenty of elections coming up where I might be called upon for some influence. If I do my job right, maybe I'll be able to help a few fellow Republicans."
Williams: "And if something goes wrong?"
Me: (Smiling.) "Then maybe my fellow Republicans won't want my help. We'll just have to see, won't we?"
Williams: "Do you consider the Petrelli scandal one of those things that can go wrong?"
Whoa! Where did that come from!? I was sure it showed on my face, because I stopped smiling or laughing and gave Williams a hard look.
Me: "That's really not something I intend to discuss, Brian."
Williams: "Mister President, you must admit that some voters were influenced by the scandal."
Me: "I wouldn't agree with that, and I think the final election results speak for themselves."
Williams: "You have refused to discuss the scandal until now. Why is that?"
Me: "I have no intention of discussing anything of the sort, Brian. I am here to discuss the changes coming in the next four years."
Williams: "Mister President, why haven't you discussed what happened, and explained it to the American people? Isn't it unrealistic to expect it to remain hidden after all these years?"
Me: "Let me put this to rest, then. I think it is painfully obvious that the American public has the ability to differentiate between my performance as the President of the United States and whatever occurred with a couple of teenagers thirty years ago. It was never anything more than a personal issue to the people involved. No laws were broken. There was no scandal and no cover-up. Since then the issue has been resolved and we have all put it behind us and moved on with our lives. There will be no more discussion of it than that."
Williams: "What about the diaries? Was there a payoff?"
Me: "Move it along, Mister Williams. The topic is getting old."
Ari Fleischer was leaving, effective January 1, with Will Brucis taking over his job. Once we were off camera, I told Ari that as a Christmas present NBC was losing their White House press privileges until further notice. He was alarmed and argued against it, but I didn't much care. Williams had knowingly violated our pre-interview agreement. "An NBC reporter lied to the President of the United States! Actions have consequences, Ari, and not just for me. Maybe it's time for a few reporters to learn that, too."
I had won reelection (or election, depending on how you looked at it), but things were changing. Several top people had told me that if I won, they would be leaving sometime in 2005. In a way I was somewhat dismayed, but working at that level is incredibly wearing. Forget about having a family or a life outside of the White House. You are on call 24 hours a day, each and every day, and might be here today and around the other side of the world tomorrow. Ari was only the first to announce he was leaving.
Colin Powell told me he would stay until the summer, but he would be gone after the July 4th holiday. He thought Condi Rice would be a good choice, and I thought so, too. She wasn't incredibly high profile, and despite being a big fan of George Bush, had been relatively smart and moderate. She agreed to move over, and said she would think about a new National Security Adviser.
Mike Gerson was planning on leaving as my chief speechwriter. Technically he had been George's speechwriter, while Matt Scully was mine. Matt was staying put, and Mike was leaving. He had proposed a replacement named Marc Thiessen, who used to be an aide and writer for Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. That made me really wonder. Mike was much more conservative than I was, and he had only stayed with me out of loyalty to Bush. When he mentioned Helms, I immediately got nervous. Jesse Helms was about a billion years old and was so conservative that he thought Abe Lincoln had been more than a little premature in freeing the slaves, that AIDS was God's punishment on the faggots and queers, and that being a Democrat was akin to being an atheist. I told Mike I would meet with Thiessen, but that I was going to look at a few other candidates as well. Then again, a link to the conservative wing of the party might not be a bad idea. I was going to have to give that one some thought.
One of the toughest jobs in the White House is that of Chief of Staff. He travels everywhere with the President, works ludicrously long hours, and has no personal life. Josh Bolten had stepped up to the plate when Andy Card had died on 9-11. He told me he was leaving right after the inauguration. He also recommended that Frank Stouffer move up from assistant. Frank had been with me since the 2000 campaign, and was only 30 years old, incredibly young for such a senior position, but he had managed to impress Josh. I was happy with that choice. For a guy who started out as my body man, this was an incredible rise in just five years. By the time he left the White House, Frank was going to have his pick of Republican Party, K Street, or private sector jobs.
I made a major change in the Inauguration this time. I told people that I didn't care how many Inaugural Balls there were, Marilyn and I were attending just one! I told John that if he and Cindy wanted to make the rounds, they were free to do so, but eight Balls in one night, which is what happened the last time, was simply ludicrous. I would be happy to speak to each Ballroom via closed circuit television, but driving from one to another was insane. John, on the other hand, told me he was going to use this as another chance to shake hands and line up supporters for 2008. Fair enough. If we did the closed circuit thing, I would make sure I mentioned the help he had been and how he was making the rounds.
As always, we invited my family (what there was of it) and Marilyn's family (as many as wanted to come), along with some of my friends from back home. Tusker and Tessa came down, as did Bucky, who escorted both the girls. Charlie brought a blonde model he had met at a bike race. Jake Eisenstein, Jr. came with his wife. Marilyn and I attended a combination Maryland and National Ball, and Cheryl Dedrick was there with her husband, proudly representing the Maryland Ninth. She had won reelection twice now, and remained a loyal supporter. Maryland may have voted for Kerry, but the Maryland Ninth had voted Buckman by a landslide!