Whenever we hear grumbling about George W. Bush's verbal miscues, we like to recall the peculiar gifts of his predecessor. As quoted by Reuters, here's then-still-president William Jefferson Clinton on January 11, responding to questions from reporters about his intention to abandon Socks the cat. Note how the president marshals his defenses, numerically annotated by THE SCRAPBOOK:
Q: What about Socks? What's going to happen to Socks?
CLINTON: [1] Well, I don't know. [2] You know, I made more progress in the Middle East than I did between Socks and Buddy. [3] And I don't know that I've got enough space and enough help when I'm gone to keep them both away from one another and keep them both happy. [4] But I still haven't quite resolved what to do. I love that old cat. [5] You know, we picked him up as sort of a half stray in Arkansas, and [6] I hate to give him up. [7] But Betty loves him.
Twenty-four hours later, Clinton was again questioned by reporters on exactly the same trivial subject, and he stayed robotically on message:
Q: Are you really giving Socks away?
CLINTON: [1] Oh, I don't know. [2] I did better with the Arabs -- the Palestinians and the Israelis than I've done with Socks and Buddy. [3] And I won't have as much space or as much help in managing them, [4] so I'm trying to figure out whether I can do it. Because I've had that cat a long time. [5] You know, we took him in as a stray back in Arkansas, and [6] I hate to give him up, [7] although Betty and a lot of other people here in the White House really love him.
That's Clinton -- never an unscripted moment. Poor Socks. He must have tested poorly in the focus groups.