Bush: Ken Blackwell is a nut

Crossposted at Daily Kos and My Left Wing.

From Buckeye State Blog, which excerpted this from Bob Woodward's new book:

"At 2:43 a.m., someone noted that Bush was ahead in the popular vote nationwide, prompting the President to sneer, "If the popular vote made it, I wouldn't be here."

The campaign was left to anxiously wait for a statement from Kenneth Blackwell, a former black power student leader who had morphed into Ohio's gadfly Republican secretary of state.

"I'm the President of the United States," Bush fumed, "waiting on a secretary of state who is a nut."

As I already noted in the comments at BSB, I'm aware that peanuts are legumes and not technically nuts. I live with the sort of know-it-alls who would quickly point that out. :) But I still had to do this...

Bear in mind that it's Demetrius who is the artist in our family. I'm just learning to do a few things in Photoshop. So I realize the image is a bit crude. But it was fun to do. :)

Update: I found this link to an article about the Bush remarks.

And another update, from Cincinnati Politics Extra:

Blackwell's gubernatorial campaign was shrugging off the quote Monday.

"It must have been a pretty tense time at the White House,'' said Blackwell campaign spokesman Carlo LoParo. "I don't know what the president said or even if he said it.''

During that campaign, LoParo said, the Bush/Cheney campaign was not very pleased with Blackwell, especially after he ruled independent Ralph Nader off the Ohio ballot, which was thought to be a big boon to John Kerry.

LoParo pointed out that Bush, even though he may have called Blackwell a "nut," thought enough of him to come to Ohio in August and raise $1.5 million for Blackwell's gubernatorial campaign.

And yet another update. Progress Ohio has posted the relevant portion of page 347 from Woodward's book.

...and Blair had gone to bed thinking Bush was going to lose. He was frankly stunned that Bush was still in the race, let alone the likely winner.

"Latest I've been up since college," Bush told Blair. "I need one more state."

Rove reported that they would get a proposed statement from Blackwell in Ohio within the next half hour. Blackwell, a former black-power-saluting student leader who had shifted to the Republican party, was a lone ranger who shunned party discipline.

"I'm the president of the United States," Bush said fuming, "waiting on a secretary of state who is a nut."

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