George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

the liberal Teeley, who sent James Baker to talk with Sears. Sears said it was time to have
an open debate. Baker passed the buck to the Nashua Telegraph.
From the room behind the stage where the candidates were meeting, the Reagan people
sent US Senator Gordon Humphrey out to urge Bush to come and confer with the rest of
them. "If you don't come now," said Humprhey to Bush, "you're doing a disservice to
party unity." Bush whined in reply: "Don't tell me about unifying the Republican Party!
I've done more for this party than you'll ever do! I've worked too hard for this and they're
not going to take it away from me!" In the back room, there was a proposal that Reagan,
Baker, Dole, Anderson, and Crane should go on stage together and announce that Reagan
would refuse to debate unless the others were included.
"Everyone seemed quite irritated with Bush, whom they viewed as acting like a spoiled
child," wrote an aide to Anderson later. [fn 22] Bush refused to even ackowledge the
presence of Dole, who had helped him get started as GOP chairman; of Anderson and
Crane, former House colleagues; and of Howard Baker, who had helped him get
confirmed at the CIA. George kept telling anybody who came close that he was sticking
with the original rules.
The audience was cheering for the four excluded candidates, demanding that they be
allowed to speak. Publisher Pouliot addressed the crowd. "This is getting to sound more
like a boxing match. In the rear are four other candidates who have not been invited by
the Nashua Telegraph," said Pouliot. He was roundly booed. "Get them chairs," cried a
woman, and she was applauded. Bush kept staring straight ahead into space, and the
hostility of the crowd was focussing more and more on him.
Reagan started to speak, motivating why the debate should be opened up. Editor Breen, a
rubbery-looking hack with a bald pate and glasses, piped up: "Turn Mr. Reagn's
microphone off." There was pandemonium. "You Hitler!" screamed a man in the front
row right at Breen.
Reagan replied: "I'm paying for this microphone, Mr. Green." The crowd broke out in
wild cheers. Bush still stared straight ahead in his temper tantrum. Reagan spoke on to
ask that the others be included, saying that exclusion was unfair. But he was unsure of
himself, looking to Nancy Reagan for a sign as to what he should do. At the end Reagan
said he would prefer an open debate, but that he would accept the bilateral format if that
were the only way.
With that the other candidates left the podium in a towering rage. "There'll be another
day, George," growled Bob Dole.
Reagan and Bush then debated, and those who were still paying attention agreed that
Bush was the loser. A staff member later told Bush, "The good news is that nobody paid
any attention to the debate. The bad news is you lost that, too."