One might think the opening of George W. Bush’s presidential library in Dallas was an occasion for dignity. But Bill Clinton didn’t think so. On CNN yesterday, Jake Tapper asked former Bush chief of staff Andy Card about “an interesting moment” in Clinton’s remarks.
“Your mother showed me some of your landscapes and animal paintings, and I thought they were great. Really great,” Clinton said. “And I seriously considered calling you and asking you to do a portrait of me until I saw the results of your sister's hacked e-mails. Those bathroom sketches were wonderful, but at my age I think I should keep my suit.”
Bush made several paintings of a man in the bathtub and the shower. Isn’t Clinton the last guy who should be making think-of-me-naked jokes?
Tapper asked Card “Is President Bush comfortable with all this very public talk about his paintings?"
Card pushed Bush as quite the artist: “Well, I don't know how comfortable he is but President Clinton kind of spoke the truth. I've seen many of his paintings and his paintings of animals are phenomenal. His painting of landscapes really do define - I think they're great art. But I understand the portrait that he painted of his dad wasn't very good. I think his father was polite when he kind of said, okay but crimped his mouth to kind of reflect the vision that he saw in it. I don't think First Lady Barbara Bush thought it was very good at all. So probably President Bush should not think of himself as a portrait artist.”
