“Journeys With George” started as a decidedly offhand documentary. Pelosi brought her Sony minicam on the campaign trail as something of an extracurricular distraction. She filmed Bush on the stump, but, more tellingly, she caught him in those unguarded moments when he’d saunter to the back of his airplane and jawbone with those of us who were covering him. Bush and Pelosi (the daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority whip) were more alike than anyone would guess–witty, privileged rebel kids of political dynasties, possessed of malfunctioning internal editors and fond of round-the-clock revelry. The relationship provided Bush with a foil, and he became even more charming before Pelosi’s handheld camera. He came on strong when he needed us, and won over men and women alike by playing the flirty friend, inserting himself into our lives by becoming a drinking buddy (albeit nonalcoholic drinking). He spent so much time in the back of the campaign plane–conversation revolved around baseball and his ranch as much as Latin American diplomacy–that we sometimes acted busy when we saw him coming.
There was one other topic of conversation: me. The upside of the candidate’s paying so much attention to you is access. My face time was unrivaled, and I got a classic Bush nickname, “NEWSWEEK Man.” The downside of Bush’s attention? My flirtation with Pelosi became a “Journeys” subplot. In 2002, it is bizarre hearing the president of the United States trying to play Cupid, constantly asking Pelosi, “Where’s NEWSWEEK Man?” (Bush’s suggestion of a romance, it’s entirely strange to write, was greatly exaggerated, and I’m happy to report that I’m engaged to another woman.) But that’s what makes “Journeys” so fascinating–the way it gets behind even the most cautious of campaigns and shows how easily Bush made connections in the carefree days before he was elected. Maybe that’s why my relationship with Bush continues. Just last year at the White House Christmas party, I introduced my fiancee to the president. The first thing he said was, “Are you two married yet?” Maybe I should invite him to the wedding.
