INVOLVED
INVOLVED IN LOBSTER DIP TO BENEFIT SPECIAL OLYMPICS. >> ONE OF THE BASIC RULES FOR
TELEVISION INTERVIEWS IS IT
HELPS TO TALK TO PEOPLE IN A
PLACE WHERE THEY ARE
COMFORTABLE.
IN OCTOBER OF 2004, 207 GOT TO
TALK TO FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE
H.W.
BUSH, AND WHAT HIS DAUGHTER
CALLED THE PLACE IN WHICH HE
WAS HAPPIEST, HIS SUMMER HOME
IN MAINE.
HE HAD BEEN IN MAINE FOR
MONTHS, HE WAS RELAXED AND
TALKATIVE AND NOT RELUCTANT TO
SPEAK HIS MIND.
>> A PERFECT OCTOBER MORNING AT
WALKER'S POINT, OUT ON THE
WATER IS A RIPPLE THAT HAS
CAUGHT THE EYE OF THE FORMER
LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD.>>
THESE FISH WERE RIGHT UP ON THE
SURFACE THERE.
>> A MOMENT LATER ANOTHER FLASH.
>> YOU WANT TO GO CATCH ONE?
>> THE INTERVIEW WILL HAVE TO
WAIT.
>> 479 OF HIS 80 YEARS, GEORGE
BUSH HAS COME TO THIS HOME, HIS
LOVE FOR THIS PLACE IS DEEP AND
ABIDING.
>> YOU GOT TO FIND THE FISH. I
DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT,
DARN IT, THEY WERE RIGHT HERE.
>> ARE THEY SMART ENOUGH TO
FLEE WHEN THE CAMERA CREW SHOW
UP?
>> I DON'T THINK THEY'RE QUITE
THAT SMART.
>> FOR WHATEVER REASON THE FISH
WEREN'T BITING, SO EVENTUALLY
WE SAT DOWN TO TALK ABOUT WHAT
IT'S LIKE FOR HIM TO WATCH SUCH
A HARD FRAUGHT -- THOUGHT
PRESIDENTIAL RACE.>> WHEN IT'S
YOUR SON RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT,
IT'S PRETTY HURTFUL.
I USED TO HAVE BLEEDING ULCERS
BACK IN 1960, A COUPLE OF MORE
WEEKS OF THIS STUFF, THE
DEBATES AND ALL THAT, I'LL GET
THEM BACK.
I'M NERVOUS, IT HURTS MUCH MORE
WHEN YOUR SON IS CRITICIZED
THEN WHEN I USED TO BE.>> I
THINK IT'S THERE TO SAY THAT
YOUR SON, THE PRESIDENT, IS A
MORE POLARIZING PRESIDENT THAN
YOU WERE, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT
IS?
>> I'M NOT SURE I AGREE WITH
THAT, BUT OUR COUNTRY IS AT
WAR.
AND THAT MAKES IT
EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT.
I'M NOT SURE THAT I BUY INTO
THIS THAT THE COUNTRY IS WHOLLY
DIVIDED.
WHEN YOU HAVE A WAR THAT IS
CONTROVERSIAL, AND THIS ONE IS,
I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO SEE
DIVISION.
>> I GAVE THE PRESIDENT SOME
NAMES AND ASKED FOR HIS QUICK
TAKES ON THEM.
>> BILL CLINTON?
>> GREAT POLITICIAN, GREAT
POLITICAL LEADER.
GREAT POLITICIAN.
HOUDINI WHEN IT COMES TO
GETTING OUT OF TROUBLE.
>> ROSS PEROT?>> NO COMMENT.
YOU NEVER WANT TO BLAME PEOPLE,
BUT I THINK ROSS COST ME THE
ELECTION.
WE USED TO BE FRIENDS, HE USED
TO COME IN HERE AND STAY WITH
BARBARA AND ME.
I DON'T LIKE TO SAY THAT STUFF
SO I WON'T, I DON'T HAVE MUCH
GOOD TO SAY ABOUT THE MAN.
>> MICHAEL MOORE?
>> TOTAL -- SLIMEBALL,
OUTRAGEOUS IN HIS LIES ABOUT MY
FAMILY.
IF YOU WANT A STRONGER
STATEMENT, WHEN I SAW HIM
SITTING AT THE DNC WITH JIMMY
CARTER, AND THEN ON A THING
WITH RON REAGAN, I SAID WHAT
DEPTH WILL THEY GO TO TO
DISHONOR THE TRUTH?
>> HIS DESCRIPTION OF BILL
CLINTON AS A POLITICAL HOUDINI
WAS INTERESTING.
IT WAS JUST AFTER THAT THAT
FORMER RESIDENT BUSH AND
CLINTON BECAME MUCH CLOSER AND
THEIR FRIENDSHIP REALLY
BLOSSOMED.
THEY BECAME TIGHT, VERY SOON
AFTER.
>> AS WE MENTIONED THAT
INTERVIEW WAS DONE IN OCTOBER
2004 WHEN GEORGE BUSH WAS 80
YEARS OLD.
THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER GEORGE
BUSH WAS FAMOUS FOR NOT WANTING
TO TALK ABOUT HIMSELF, BUT HE
DID SPEND SOME TIME WITH US,
REFLECTING ON HIS LIFE.
>> RIGHT NOW WOULD BE THE 40th
ANNIVERSARY OF YOUR FIRST
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
40 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH YOU ARE
RUNNING FOR THE UNITED STATES
SENATE IN TEXAS.
40 YEARS AGO, DOES THAT SEEM
LIKE A LONG TIME AGO OR NOT SO
LONG?
>> IT DOESN'T SEEM AS LONG AS
YOU MIGHT THINK, TO SOME PEOPLE
IT WOULD SEEM LIKE ANCIENT
HISTORY, IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT
LONG.
BUT I TELL YOU WHAT'S HARD FOR
ME, WHEN I FLY WITH BARBARA
ACROSS THE COUNTRY NOW, I SAID
DID WE REALLY GO THERE?
HAVE WE REALLY BEEN TO ALL OF
THOSE DINNERS, HAVE WE REALLY
DONE ALL THESE THINGS, THAT'S
WHAT I FIND HARD TO BELIEVE
NOW.
>> YOU WROTE IN THE BOOK, WHEN
YOU WERE 74, THE SENSE OF THE
SAND RUNNING THROUGH THE GLASS
HAD KIND OF INCREASED FOR YOU,
AND JUST THE LAST YEAR. WHAT'S
YOUR SENSE OF THAT NOW?
>> YOU'VE HEARD THE EXPRESSION
TIME FLIES, WHEN YOU GET OLDER,
IT FLIES FASTER, MAYBE THAT'S
BECAUSE YOU HAD A LONGER SPAN
OF LIVING AND ENJOYING LIFE, I
DON'T KNOW.
BUT IT GOES SO FAST.
IT'S NOT SCARY, IT'S JUST A
FACT OF LIFE.>> ONE OF THE
THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT THAT
DAY IS JUST HOW UTTERLY RELAXED
HE WAS, IT WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY.
YOU COULD NOT ASK FOR A NICER
DAY.
AND AFTER THAT CONVERSATION,
YOU WILL LOVE THIS, WE WALKED
AROUND THE YARD, HE SHOWED US
THE CEMETERY ON THE PROPERTY
WHERE THEIR DOGS WERE BURIED.
THE BUSHES ARE GREAT DOG
LOVERS, THEY'VE ALWAYS HAD DOGS.
THEY HAD A BURIAL AREA FOR ALL
THE DOGS.
>> THAT'S VERY SWEET.
>> ONE OF THE MANY SWEET THINGS
ABOUT THE MAN.
>> YOU LOOSEN HIM UP BY LETTING
HIM FISH.
THEN HE GOT ALL FIRED UP
BECAUSE HE COULDN'T CATCH ONE.
>> IT WAS INTERESTING, ONE OF
THE THINGS I DID WAS ASK HIM
ABOUT THIS, ONE OF THE FEW
PRESIDENTS NEVER WROTE A
MEMOIR, BUT HE DID WRITE THIS
BOOK OF LETTERS CALLED ALL THE
BEST, GEORGE BUSH.
HE INSCRIBED IT WITH THIS, TO
ROB, ALL THE BEST FROM THIS
POINT I LOVE SO MUCH GEORGE
BUSH, 10 704.
>> HE REALLY LOVE THAT PLACE.
ONE MORE ANECDOTE, AFTER WE DID
THE INTERVIEW WHICH IS A BIG
DEAL, THAT NIGHT FROM THE
FREIBURG FARE, IN THE MORNING I
WAS TALKING TO THE LEADER OF
THE FREE WORLD, THEN IN THE
EVENING I'M IN A FRIED DOUGH
BOOTH.
>> REALLY GREAT INTERVIEW.
IT'S SO NICE WE CAN