"George W. Bush may have learned one important lesson from his father -- that their powerful family connections allow them to skirt the truth and lie with a confidence that most politicians don't enjoy."
[...]
The Bushes have asserted themselves as a kind of American royalty. When the rare question about their truthfulness penetrates the outer defenses, aides step in to spin the facts, or a cowed news media minimizes the offense, or if necessary, some subordinate takes the fall.
"He was Gods own original fool... And he was arrogant as no other man I've ever met, and as sure of his own unshakeable rightness as any man could be-even when his wrong-headedness was there for all to see. That was his great point, the key to his character: he could never be wrong."
"They say that at least he was brave. He was not. He was just stupid, too stupid ever to be afraid. Fear is an emotion, and his emotions were all between his knees and his breast-bone; they never touched his reason, and he had little enough of that." - Harry Flashman, from "Flashman"
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