"George is my friend" (and a funny guy)

Surely you recognize the quote from the old cartoon...

One of the funnier and more memorable stories from David Brooks's book 'How to Know A Person' was this piece about former President George W. Bush. It comes in chapter 13 "Personality: What Energy Do You Bring into the Room," and is evidence that W brought a lot. This is from pages 175-176:

When Bush was the Republican governor of Texas, the most powerful Democrat in the state was a man named Bob Bullock. Bush and Bullock got along famously, but from time to time, partisan divides still got in the way. Once, in 1997, Bush, Bullock, and the leading officials from both parties were attending a breakfast to talk about a piece of legislation the Republicans had proposed.

The Democrats had decided they couldn't support it. "I'm sorry, Governor," Bullock said at one point, "but I'm going to have to fuck you on this one." The room fell silent, the atmosphere tense and awkward. Bush stood up, walked over to Bullock, grabbed him by the shoulders, and kissed him on the lips. "What the hell did you do that for," Bullock asked, wiping off his lips. "If you're going to fuck me," Bush replied, "you'll have to kiss me first." The room erupted in laughter.

One biographer wrote that Bush's particular genius was the ability to eliminate, in milliseconds, any distance between him and another person. He wrapped his arms around people, gave them nicknames, treated them with instant familiarity... People, even those who might detest him politically, are happy to be around the guy.

Yes, I count myself among those who didn't look favorably on him as President, but I always liked him and thought he'd be a great person to hang out with.

I've also always thought - wouldn't it be great to be like that!?! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we aren't all like that though. But I appreciate those who are, and even though it will never come naturally, I can still try to learn something from people like George. I think the world would be a better place if all of us did.