At this point in the presidency of George W. Bush, you might think you know just about everything worth knowing about him: his love of liberty, his rejection of the Eastern elitism that is his birthright, his irresponsible youth, his profound religious conviction, his tendency to see the world in black and white.
But there are certain colorful aspects of the president's life that have not been much explored, understandably overshadowed by war and a hard-fought election. That he listens to Creedence Clearwater Revival on his iPod, for instance. That he loves biographies and has recently dipped into Tom Wolfe's latest take on American culture. That he and his wife are enthusiastic art collectors. That he has no idea what's happening on Wisteria Lane.
These points may be light, but they are not entirely trivial. As the historian Douglas Brinkley put it, "The president and first lady have an immense pull on American culture." The Bushes are aware of this, said Laura Bush's press secretary, Gordon Johndroe. "There is a certain expectation that the president and first lady be consumers of American culture. They know people are interested in what movies they see and what music they listen to."
The president has owned the personal accessory of the moment for some time, said Johndroe. He's loaded his iPod with his favorite country singers: George Jones, Kenny Chesney and Alan Jackson. He also listens to Aaron Neville, Creedence and Van Morrison.
The first lady doesn't have an iPod but is a confirmed online shopper. "She buys everything online," said Johndroe.
But she has also begun shopping in the rarified aeries of 7th Avenue. Though she has always looked like a classy librarian, this year she has blossomed into a more chic version of herself, appearing at the inauguration last month in outfits by first-rank American designers Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera.
She knows what Googling is and has discussed the effect of EBay on the economy with its CEO, Meg Whitman. For privacy reasons, the Bushes do not use e-mail.
They also don't have much time for TV -- occasionally, they watch Country Music Television, said Johndroe. The president, a former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, told C-SPAN in an interview broadcast Jan. 30 that he mainly watches sports.
The couple have not caught "Desperate Housewives," said Johndroe, but their daughters are fans of the melodrama on Wisteria Lane. "Barbara and Jenna have talked to them about it, and they're worried that since they didn't start from the beginning it would be hard to jump in now."
