Thursday, October 29, 2009

Misunderestimated George Bush makes his debut as 'motivational speaker'


Eloquent? George Bush has signed up with Washington Speakers Bureau, one of America's top lecture agents that represents Tony Blair



George Bush is better known for mangling the English language than for his eloquence.

Even his biggest supporters would have to concede that the former president’s speeches didn’t hold a candle to his successor in the White House.

But that hasn’t stopped Mr Bush from launching his return to public life - as a motivational speaker.

He has signed up with Washington Speakers Bureau, one of America’s top lecture agents that represents Tony Blair and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Nearly 15,000 Americans paid £140-a-ticket to hear the 28-minute speech in a Texas stadium that marked his return to the spotlight on Monday night after nine months of self-imposed exile at his Dallas home.

He is writing a book about the twelve toughest decisions he had to make in office.

But he stuck to lighter fare for his first speech, for which he was reportedly paid £60,000.

He dismissed his rock bottom approval ratings in his final years as president, saying that ‘popularity is fleeting. It’s not real.’

For the most part, he tried his best to fit the bill at the ‘Get Motivated!’ seminar in Fort Worth, Texas.

His speech came after the crowd sang along with the Beach Boys song Surfin’ USA and batted around beach balls.

Mr Bush told how he picked out a rug design for the Oval Office that reflected his ‘optimism.’

His best received story was about taking his Scottish Terrier, Barney, on a walk near his home carrying a plastic bag to pick up dog mess.

That was a moment, he said, when he realised, ‘Man, my life has changed.’

The most serious he got was when talking about his faith. ‘I don’t see how you can be president without relying on the Almighty,’ he told the cheering crowd.

‘Now when I was 21, I wouldn’t have told you that, but at age 63, I can tell you that one of the most amazing surprises of the presidency was the fact that people’s prayers affected me. I can’t prove it to you. But I can tell you some days were great, some days not so great.

‘But every day was joyous,’ he added, saying that was because of the prayers of others.

Speaking without a tele-prompter, Mr Bush didn’t make any of the verbal gaffes for which he has become famous.

Other speakers at the event included former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and ex-Secretary of State Colin Powell.

He is scheduled to make another motivational speech next month in San Antonio, Texas and, according to former presidential adviser Karen Hughes, he has more speeches planned for the autumn.


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