And the Good News Is... by Perino Dana

Author:Perino, Dana
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers, Biography & Autobiography / Women, Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs
ISBN: 9781455584895
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Published: 2015-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

Family Ties

Working for the President is amazing not just for the staffers but also for their families. My mom, sister, brother-in-law, aunt, and uncle all got to meet President Bush in chance-of-a-lifetime encounters they’ll never forget. The President had an amazing talent to recall stories about our families, because he was very interested in the people who worked for him. And it was because of his interest that he helped repair a relationship in my own family that was very important to me.

I’d personally come to know the President very well because of the travel we did together. As the deputy press secretary, I handled a lot of the evening, weekend, and holiday trips, and that was when we’d talk more casually. The other deputies and I called ourselves the “B team” though he assured us we were his favorites.

One of my first trips was on Marine One when we traveled to an event in rural Virginia for the Boy Scouts Jamboree. Bad weather had kept the President from attending for two days, but on the third night, he insisted he was going and the Secret Service acquiesced and said he could depart.

On the way home, he wanted to share his peanut butter and honey sandwiches with the chief of staff, Andy Card, and me. I declined, not wanting to eat his dinner. But the President said, “Oh come on—have a sandwich.” So I took half and a handful of Sun Chips (no cheddar—he doesn’t like those) and we munched during the ride. The sun began to set as we left to return to the White House, and we talked just like friends. I loosened up and started chatting. I remember every moment of that ride—including the orange and pink sunset that lasted the entire flight.

The President liked hearing about my family’s Western ranching roots and asked me about my mom, my dad, and my sister. Being an animal lover, he even asked about my family pets, especially my dog, Henry. He was the kind of person you could open up to, dropping any formalities even though he was the Commander in Chief.

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