The hallmark of President Bush’s communication style is numbing repetition of the same anecdotes, jokes and misleading spin. So it’s not surprising that he’s even on message about the (apparently fascinating) Oval Office rug:
For whatever reason, Bush seems fixated on his [Oval Office] 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.
…"He loves his rug," said Nicolle Wallace, the White House communications director. "I’ve heard him describe it countless times."
Sometimes Bush describes it as a metaphor for leadership. Sometimes he relates how Russian President Vladimir Putin admired the carpet. Sometimes he seems most taken by the lighting qualities.
…Not only does the president describe the rug to journalists and foreign leaders, he does so to virtual visitors. During "An Oval Office Tour With President George W. Bush" on the White House site ( http://www.whitehouse.gov ), he wastes no time pointing out the carpet…
Some visitors have the impression that the rug story is revealing. In his new book, “Rebel-in-Chief,” Fred Barnes recounts how Bush told him about the carpet…
But if Barnes or other visitors had the idea that Bush was sharing an intimacy just with them, they should listen to his speeches. Bush doesn’t need the Oval Office to talk about the Oval Office carpet. Lately he’s been taking the story on the road, sharing it with workers at a moving company in Sterling on Jan. 19, then with students at Kansas State University on Jan. 23, and again with supporters at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on Feb. 1.
Here’s a Google search that yields seven versions of the story on the White House website.
PS How sad is it that the President has to use this story to illustrate his leadership style?