Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho

I was reading this article over at Hugh Hewitt's blog, about, of all things, the rug in the Oval Office. Mary Katherine Ham points out a story in the WaPo called, 'Bush Weaves Rug Story Into Many an Occasion'. From the article:

And then there's the rug. Don't forget the rug. President Bush never does.

For whatever reason, Bush seems fixated on his rug. Virtually all visitors to the Oval Office find him regaling them about how it was chosen and what it represents. Turns out, he always says, the first decision any president makes is what carpet he wants in his office. As a take-charge leader, he then explains, he of course made a command decision -- he delegated the decision to Laura Bush, who chose a yellow sunbeam design.

Ok, just my opinion but the article is kind of snotty, and misses the point, choosing to focus on a snide comment instead of the meaning of the story. The WaPo's focus of the story - "Bush seems fixated on his rug."

Mary K Ham digs a little deeper in the story and has this to say:

Now, I think it's interesting that Bush tells everyone about the rug. This is an interesting story. It offers some clues to his character, a little window onto what the President believes is important about himself. It shows his optimism is important to him-- that's the way he wants to be seen. By choosing furnishings for the Oval Office that reflect that optimism, he shows he wants to impart optimism to visitors and world leaders.

I however, instantly had a slightly different take. From the WaPo story again, a little further down:

Elizabeth Vargas, the ABC News anchor, was the latest to get the treatment. She went by last week to interview Bush before his trip to Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Sure enough, she wasn't in the room but a minute or two before he started telling her about the carpet.

"You know an interesting story about the rug?" he asked. "Laura designed the rug."

"She did?" Vargas said.

"Yeah, she did. Presidents are able to pick their own rugs or design their own rugs."

Bush went on: "The interesting thing about this rug and why I like it in here is 'cause I told Laura one thing. I said, 'Look, I can't pick the colors and all that. But make it say 'optimistic person.' "

I agree with Mary that is says something interesting about Bush's character, but I think the focus is not the word 'optimism', but 'Laura'. What does this story tell me about my President's character? Unlike past presidents, this President loves and respects his wife. He trusts her judgement and he's proud of her. Look again at the story. "Virtually all visitors to the Oval Office find him regaling them about how it was chosen and what it represents." Not, what it represents and how it was chosen, but how it was chosen and THEN what it represents.

More - "Sure enough, she wasn't in the room but a minute or two before he started telling her about the carpet. 'You know an interesting story about the rug?' he asked. 'Laura designed the rug.'" Notice, his first emphasis is on his wife, not on what the rug represents in his presidency. He's proud of his wife, and tells every visitor to his office a story of his wife. That's character, that's the kind of President I admire. The rug, it's meaning, is secondary. It's merely a means to tell every visitor about his wife.

It tells me something else, besides the fact that she is often on his mind. Continuing on further in the story:

Bush went on: "The interesting thing about this rug and why I like it in here is 'cause I told Laura one thing. I said, 'Look, I can't pick the colors and all that. But make it say 'optimistic person.' "....

...Bush has his own touches in the Oval Office -- some Western-themed paintings and an on-loan bust of Winston Churchill courtesy of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. But it is the rug that animates the president.

"He loves his rug," said Nicolle Wallace, the White House communications director. "I've heard him describe it countless times."...

..."If you walk in that Oval Office," Bush said in Sterling, "I think you're going to say, just like you know it, 'This guy's optimistic.' "

That story tells me something else. He knows just by looking at the rug that his wife designed that she knows him best. She shines in his life more than the sun on his rug. He needed someone who saw his goals clearly, someone who knew him best, someone who wanted him to feel confident and be at his best, to design that rug. His wife designed it perfectly, absolutely to a tee, and he's proud of her for loving and understanding him so well.

It's not a 'rug' story, it's not a 'symoblic president story'. It's a love story, and one that says character.