Andy Card says that the public was plagued by misconceptions about the former president. Card: Bush term mischaracterized

Andy Card, the former chief of staff to President George W. Bush, said Thursday that the public was plagued by misconceptions about the former president, particularly in regards to his intelligence and openness to information.

“First off, President Bush does know how to read. He is very well-read,” Card said. “And he received information from a lot of people, not just Dick Cheney.”


Card made the remarks as part of panel discussion on presidential transitions sponsored by Georgetown University and Politico.

In addition to Card, the speakers included Obama Transition Director John Podesta, former Clinton Chief of Staff Thomas “Mack” McClarty and Dina Habib Powell, the director of presidential personnel under Bush.

Each panel member addressed the challenges faced by incoming administrations when transitioning from campaigning to governing.

Podesta credited the Bush White House for easing the Obama team’s transition to power. “The people in the White House were terrific,” he said. “There were a few occasions where access to information was blocked at the agency level, but we would just call the White House and they would get it fixed.”

McClarty confirmed Podesta’s account, saying that from his perspective it seemed that “President Bush and [Chief of Staff] Josh Bolton were really focused on the transition.”

“It’s an excruciatingly short period of time,” he said, comparing it to a major corporation swapping its entire executive structure.

Card added that while the switch in staff is difficult, the pivot a president must make from campaigner to executive can be even more taxing. “When you’re running, you’re running as a love magnet,” he said. “But the job itself is a lonely responsibility.”



Card and McClarty both wished current White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel luck and expressed confidence in his ability to handle the job.

“Rahm is one of the smartest people I have worked with,” McClarty said. “He can message better than anyone I have been around.”

While all spoke highly of their time in the White House, each also expressed some relief that it was over.

Looking back on his time as Bush’s top aide, Card said his old office “looks better from the outside than it does from the inside.”