[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
United States News Title: Nephew takes stand in support of Bush Letter to the editor offers sharp defense of the Dubai ports deal WASHINGTON - He refrained from working on his uncle's presidential campaigns, and he confesses to being a bit fed up with the squabbling on Capitol Hill. But if his e-mail outbox is any indication, Pierce G. Bush is one of the Bush dynasty's more politically vocal members these days. When the political firestorm over Dubai Ports World broke out last month, President Bush's nephew sent the Houston Chronicle an electronic letter to the editor, defending his uncle's drive to allow the United Arab Emirates company to buy a firm that helps run six U.S. ports. To the University of Texas at Austin student, opposition to the deal — it had been approved by the administration before being scuttled Thursday — sent an "ignorant and offensive" message that the owners were being discriminated against because they are Arab. The protests of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and other congressional leaders seemed "racially prejudiced," he said in the letter, which the Chronicle published. Pierce, a graduate of the Kinkaid School of Houston, which President Bush attended, is the son of presidential brother Neil Bush and Sharon Bush of Houston. Going public The letter, his second published by the Chronicle, marked one of the sharpest public defenses of the president by a member of the Bush family. The president's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, and the other family members who have never resided in the White House, have markedly stayed away from public stances on political issues, with the exception of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "I'm not writing them because the president's my uncle," Pierce Bush, who turns 20 this month, said in a telephone interview. "It's kind of my own opinion separately. I'm a strong supporter of my uncle's values." One of his family's strengths, he said, is that it accepts differing points of view. If he disagreed with one of the president's decisions, he said, he would be free to voice his opposition. But would he be dashing off letters to the editor if they were critical of his uncle? "In terms of him being pissed at me, I don't think it would be a good idea. In fact, I guarantee it wouldn't be," said the collegiate Bush, who's unsure if the president is aware of his letters. "If he was against the ports deal, I don't know if I would've written the letter." The White House refused to comment on the letter writing. The president's nephew is familiar with Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. His father's company, Austin-based Ignite Learning, has investors in the UAE, and Neil Bush has taken his son there. Pierce Bush insisted his latest letter had nothing to do with his father's business interests. His other letter to the Chronicle, published in April, centered on reforms he thinks Pope Benedict XVI should carry out in the Roman Catholic Church. Family has mixed response Family members have different views of Pierce Bush going public with his opinions. "I am proud that Pierce cares enough to weigh in, and have confidence that he will use good judgment as it relates to family," Neil Bush wrote in an e-mail. His grandparents are a different matter. Former first lady Barbara Bush (her maiden name is Pierce) suggested that he use a pen name, and Pierce thinks former President George H.W. Bush might feel similarly. "Knowing my grandfather, his approach to these things has always been not to interfere with my uncle," Pierce Bush said. The Chronicle calls letter writers to verify their identities and does not allow the use of pen names. Though interested in politics, the president's nephew emphatically said he won't become a politician. Three semesters at Georgetown University in Washington were enough for him. "Half the reason I wanted to leave Georgetown is that I was kind of burnt out by politics," he said. "Living in Washington for a year and a half, you kind of see what kind of BS it is. "My uncle is this guy with all this power and he gets blamed for everything," he added. Another factor in Pierce Bush's decision to leave Washington, he said, was his status as the president's nephew. "I got a lot more attention there than I did in Texas," he said. "I'd rather be known for something I did and not be known for the family situation I was born into."
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: All (#0)
I wonder if the little puke will be sucking skull and bones dick like his POS uncle.
|
|
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|