White House officials knew there was wide disagreement in Europe with Bush’s policies. But they hoped they could at least counter the cowboy caricature that the protesters–and even the royals–expected. Bush tried to use his keynote address at Whitehall to acknowledge and deflect their criticism. A week before he left Washington, Bush sat down with his speechwriters to outline the speech. Head speechwriter Mike Gerson suggested that rather than reiterate his rationale for war with Iraq, Bush should demonstrate that his policies represent the “best traditions” of Britain itself, according to one senior administration official. So when Bush took to the podium, he said that America’s faith in liberty stems from British writers Adam Smith and John Locke; its religiosity, he declared, is derived from the Good News “translated by Tyndale, preached by Wesley, lived out in the example of William Booth.”
Bush also knew he “had to be funny and self-deprecating,” according to the senior official. It was a senior staffer, and not the president (who is proudly not up to date on popular culture), who came up with the winning line of Bush’s speech. “It was pointed out to me that the last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames,” the president said, referring to the magician David Blaine. “A few might have been happy to provide similar arrangements for me.” The president’s staff was ebullient after the speech and hoped it had changed the minds of critics–including the 37 percent of Britons who, before the presidential trip, rated Bush as “stupid.”
The president “likes to get up for the big game,” remarked one top aide; another staffer said that he takes particular pleasure in besting his critics. Even Laura Bush–often her husband’s toughest reviewer–sneaked up to him in the receiving line and told him, “You did good, Bushie.” Once his big speech was behind him, President Bush took full advantage of Queen Elizabeth’s royal treatment, especially enjoying the little-known swimming pool inside Buckingham Palace. Bush joked to Tony Blair that he’s still “a boy from Midland.”
