The helper who knows what Bush will do next

[kskiska]

Elisabeth Bumiller International Herald Tribune

When President George W. Bush shakes 1,000 hands, Blake Gottesman is ready with a hand sanitizer. When Bush is in his daily intelligence briefing in the trailer on his ranch, Gottesman is on site to dog-sit Barney, the president's Scottish terrier. When a member of the White House senior staff wants a word with the boss, Gottesman is there to recommend yes or no.

(snip)

Part Sherpa, part butler, part air traffic controller, Gottesman, 25, is the president's personal aide. It is a job steeped in the minutiae of carrying Bush's Altoids, Sharpie markers and the Purell hand sanitizer, and in the delicacy of handling the check on the rare occasions when the president eats out. Gottesman also keeps track of the paper flow to the president, logs all his meetings and phone calls and questions senior aides about grammar and phrasing in Bush's speech texts.

"He'll say, 'You probably ought to take a look at this word,"' Hagin said.

Gottesman, who dated the president's daughter Jenna in high school, provides a glimpse into the prosaic behind-the-Oval Office-doors daily life of the modern White House and the needs and habits of Bush. Few people spend more waking hours with the president, and almost no one is better, senior aides say, at anticipating his next move. Hagin compares Gottesman to Radar O'Reilly, the clerk in the movie and television series "M*A*S*H" who knew what the colonel was going to say before he said it.

(snip)

Still, Gottesman usually has the room next to or close to Bush on presidential trips, be it at Buckingham Palace, in President Vladimir Putin's dacha outside Moscow or aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

more…
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/29/news/letter.php#

[aquart]

1. What is the translation of that name: Gottesman?

Please tell me it isn't god's man.

[Fridays Child]

5. More or less, yes, it is.

God's man, in German is "Mann des Gottes."

:puke:

It wouldn't surprise me if the name was assigned to him.

[Jackpine Radical]

22. Well, "Guckert" and "Gannon" were already taken.

[Edgewater_Joe]

23. I Believe It's German For "Cabana Boy"

Kind of creepy, isn't it? Reminds me of the piss boy from HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART 1 -- or Hank Azaria in THE BIRDCAGE.

Somebody takes this the-President-is-American-royalty thing WAAAAAAY too far.

[magellan]

2. Gottesman is Radar

...to Bush**'s Colonel Blake.

[Javaman]

21. More like Smithers to Mr. Burns...

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[goclark]

4. He dated Jenna!

That shows how low in the barrel the Chimp has reached.

[Eloriel]

16. I'm tellin' ya, do these jerks give jobs to ANYbody they don't

already know? Sheesh.

And the funny thing is, the Repugs are real big on "the meritocracy," except it never applies to them, just the other guy. THEY seem to get by better on who they know.

[kskiska]

6. NYT Title: From Jenna's Ex to a Presidential Jeeves

Same article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/30/politics/30letter.html?

[Technowitch]

7. Having watched enough West Wing, this hardly seems unusual

Bartlett has Charlie, Shrubbie has this guy.

*shrugs* Not exactly what I'd call earth-shattering news.

[Straight Shooter]

8. Is he bald?

Just askin'

[symbolman]

9. This guy is a lousy Chimp Trainer.

I wouldn't let HIM train any Chimp of mine, look what he lets his monkey get away with, killing innocent people, stealing, lying - then on the other hand maybe the guy is doing a decent job, at Least Bush doesn't shit on the lawn or bite people :)

[truthisfreedom]

10. "The helper who knows what Bush will do next?" what, are they suggesting

that the poor kid can actually tell us what dastardly deeds this lurching imbicile has up his sleeves?

[goclark]

20. If he dated Jenna he probably loves to DRINK

and that is probably what he does best- carries the bottles for Daddy Bubba the Chimp.

What classless scum they are, the whole bunch of them.

[Swamp Rat]

11. Most importantly, is he a "top?"

:D

[meg]

18. That's exactly what I was wondering.

Good question.

[cornermouse]

12. Is the hand sanitizer for Bush or the handshake recipient?

:eyes: Because I think the recipient would need it more.

On edit: They allowed Jenna to date at 14? Where were their brains?

[Eurobabe]

13. it's WE the PEOPLE who should be sporting the ANTI-BAC

if ever coming into contact with that cretin Bu$h!!

[devinsgram]

14. And I suppose

he wipes his tushy when he is done in the bathroom. I knew it, the village idiot can't do a thing for himself. My apologies to all village idiots out there.

[Pharlo]

15. Question...

Am I the only one here with a timeline issue?

"Dad!" objected Jenna Bush, according to People. "I was 14 when I dated Blake. We've been broken up for 12 years!"

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/29/news/letter.php#

14 + 12 = 26

They graduated from college approximately one year ago.

Which, in turn, raises the following series of questions....

EXACTLY how long did it take them to complete a four year college degree (or, perhaps, the question should be how long did it take them to complete the original '12 year' program to get to college)?

Or, do they have advanced degrees?

Or, based upon their math skills, are their degrees not worth the paper upon which they are written?

[Neshanic]

17. The "G" Men...Gottesman is July on the official paramour calendar.

"Part Sherpa, part butler, part air traffic controller"...part house boi more like.

[catzies]

19. * is old enough to be this guy's dad. Doesn't this 25 year old have

any friends his own age?

Why would he WANT this job???

Satan's chambre de valet?