Former Bush adviser to Rove: "I didn't know we were supposed to BS the president"

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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texass...

Inner circle swayed George W. Bush, says friend and former Texas state Rep. Paul Sadler

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Former Bush political strategist Matthew Dowd says the culture inside the Bush White House invited agreement and discounted dissent.

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Dowd recalls how, early in the 2004 re-election, he was in the residence at the White House for a campaign briefing. Bush opened by telling the staffers that he was confident, based on everything he'd been told, that he was going to win, possibly by as big a margin as Ronald Reagan's victory in 1984.

"I'm sitting on the front row with this total look on my face like, 'What are you talking about?' " Dowd said. "And he looks at me and he says, 'Matty, what's that face?' "

Dowd said he told Bush he was wrong, that his numbers weren't nearly as good as Reagan's at that point in time, and that the re-election race likely would be very close.

"If we win this – and I emphasize if – we're going to win this by 2 or 3 points," Dowd said.

Bush turned to Rove. "Karl, you told me yesterday ...," said the president, clearly blindsided by the countervailing view.

"I turned around to Karl and said, 'I'm sorry. I didn't know we were supposed to BS the president,' " Dowd said.