To: Hillary Clinton <secretary@state.gov> Subject: Re: Chinese state visit FAQs



Hi. No, not a complaint as such – it's just that my top-secret briefing notes from State have Bush's scrawl marks all over them. Every time it says "Hu Jintao" he's crossed it out and written "Huge in Tahoe". It's kind of distracting. Can I get a clean copy, please? I don't want some photographer with a long lens catching me with this in my hand. B

To: John Boehner <john.boehner@mail.house.gov> Subject: Re: Fw: state dinner RSVP



Hey, John. Sorry you couldn't make it to the big dinner – we missed you. I understand you've got lots of human rights "issues" that prevent you from eating with Chinese leaders, but still, too bad. Hu had lots of questions about why Guantánamo Bay is still open for business which you might have been able to answer – I couldn't. Anyway, just wanted you to know that the food was fantastic, the wine was exceptional and I gave Barbra Streisand your goody bag. Best, Barack.

To: Jon Favreau <speechwriterman@aol.com> Subject: state of the union speech – last-minute stuff



The draft is OK – really, we're nearly there – but this could be my most important SOTU speech ever, a last chance to really shake things up, so I don't want to be too conciliatory. I'd rather come out fighting, make a few barbed points, throw everybody off guard. Basically I want to leave the Republicans not knowing whether they should applaud or sit on their hands, with lots of close-ups of Boehner looking shifty. Did you see Ricky Gervais on the Golden Globes? Do you have a number for him? Barack.

To: George W. Bush <george@georgewbushlibrary.org> Subject: Re: if you get confused, just remember it's pronounced "huge in Tahoe"



Thanks for that, I'll bear it in mind. You know he left yesterday, don't you? BHO.