Bush trying to get out of Daddy’s’ shadow

WASHINGTON, SEPT 20: Republican Presidential nominee George W Bush acknowledged on Tuesday that he is still dogged by the misconception &q...

WASHINGTON, SEPT 20: Republican Presidential nominee George W Bush acknowledged on Tuesday that he is still dogged by the misconception "that I’m running on my daddy’s name." "I have lived with this all my life," Bush told talk show host Oprah Winfrey in a wide-ranging interview. "I have unbelievably loving parents. I was raised in a household full of love," he said. "I have been dealt a pretty darn good hand in my life."

But it had not always been easy living in his father’s shadow, and he had keenly felt his father’s defeat to Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election. "I have been the son of a President and a presidential candidate and it’s not a pleasant experience … It’s much easier to be the candidate than it is to be the son," he said. Bush’s appearance on the popular daytime talk show — which reaches an estimated weekly audience of 22 million — was seen as an effort to shore up his flagging support among women voters. He admitted that the November 7 presidential contest will be a "tough race" against a "formidable opponent," but "I think I’m going to win when all is said and done."

Bush trails Vice President Al Gore, his Democratic Presidential rival, by 43 to 48 per cent, according to the latest four-way Gallup tracking poll, published on Tuesday. And among likely women voters, the Texan Governor lags Gore by 36 to 52 per cent, according to Gallup. During his live interview with Oprah, the Republican Presidential candidate sought to reach out to those voters with an uplifting vision of America, as he showed off his most affable side. "I see America as a land of dreams and hopes and opportunities," he told Oprah. "I decided to run because I wanted to make sure this American experience is available for everyone … I don’t want people left behind."

It was not always his ambition to lead the country, he conceded. "Maybe I would have behaved a little better," in college if that had been the case, he quipped, in a reference to his party boy reputation at Yale — a past that came back to haunt him in the early days of his candidacy. But it was a "deep calling" now, he insisted.

Life would be so much simpler sitting in Texas with my wife and not putting myself and my wife through the meat grinder of public opinion." The queen of the US talk show circuit also probed Bush on his hard-drinking days and his religious epiphany late in life — both well-documented chapters of the Bush biography. "I said I’m a sinner who sought redemption and found it," said Bush, refusing to elaborate on what those sins might be, because, as he quipped: "I’m running for President."

As to drinking, Bush downplayed reports that his wife, Laura, had given him an ultimatum: her or the booze. But he conceded he decided to quit after a 40th birthday bash with a group of friends in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when he realised the damage it was doing to his family life. "She said you need to think about what you are doing," he remarked cautiously, adding "alcohol was beginning to compete for my affections for my wife and my family. It was beginning to crowd out my energy."

On the subject of family, Bush said the birth of his twin daughters Jenna and Barbara, while he and Laura were going through the process of filing adoption papers, was a "defining moment." "It was an unbelievable moment in our lives," said the 54-year-old, struggling with the emotion, and choking back tears. "I realised I was responsible for these little girls coming into the world." "They will still probably be humiliated that we are talking about them on national television," he said later as he talked about their teenage years, which he said ruefully were "disruptive." "It was an unusual experience. I wasn’t well prepared for it."