Amidst a very congenial interview on ABC, former president George W. Bush made a jab at "Good Morning America" host George Stephanopoulos - and perhaps the media's treatment of his presidency generally.
Bush got a chuckle out of Stephanopoulos when he reminded the ABC anchor that "just because you're reporting it, as you might recall, doesn't necessarily mean" it's true.
Bush was on Wednesday's "GMA" to discuss the Warrior 100, a three-day, 100-mile mountain bike ride he is taking with wounded veterans in Texas. The first part of the interview focused on the ride itself, but then Stephanopoulos asked Bush to comment on news that Gen. David Petraeus will take over as CIA chief, and Leon Panetta will be appointed Secretary of Defense. Bush asked whether that was rumor or fact, and the following exchange ensued:
BUSH: Is this gossip or truth?
STEPHANOPOULOS: No, it’s truth, we're reporting it this morning. It is done. It’s being announced later this week.
BUSH: Well just because you’re reporting it, as you might recall, doesn’t necessarily mean…
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m fairly confident on this one this morning, Mr. President.
Laughter all around, but of course Bush was subjected to a number of sketchy or even outright false media reports during his presidency. It's unclear which exactly he was referring to.
In any case, it's nice to see that the former president can brush off the media's treatment of his presidency and policies with such congeniality.
