George W. Bush is not a "Texas rancher"

It's sad how easily the press gets taken in by biographical spin. Time describes President Bush as a "Texas rancher" dispensing homespun wisdom in an article this week:

White House officials contend that Bush quickly realized the ports affair was a fiasco. "I know a prairie fire when I see one," the Texas rancher told an aide.

Bush is not, and was never, a Texas rancher. He bought the property in 1999 when he was running for president, and he does not raise animals on it (the word ranch means "a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle, or sheep" or some other kind of animal). Mostly, he clears brush for the television cameras. (Has Bush ever actually seen a prairie fire?)

To illustrate how ridiculous this is, let me offer a comparison. Ted Turner owns 14 ranches across the United States and actually raises livestock (bison) to sell for commercial use. Yet no one calls Turner a "rancher." He's a media mogul who owns some ranches, just like George W. Bush is a politician who owns a property in Texas.

(Also, note the origins of Bush's alleged statement: a aide provided it to Time. That means it was strategically chosen at a minimum. Less generously, Bush may never have said it. But who cares if it gives you a juicy-sounding insider quote?)

Comments

[oliver]

Another note; President Bush's estate comprises nearly 1,600 acres. I'd had no idea until last summer that the "ranch" was of such proportions. (I'm no expert, but that size seems on the large side, even for Texas.) While "ranch" is a convenient locution, it's striking how gauche details like the sheer, feudal scope of the president's property escape media notice (maybe it got some Texas coverage in 1999 and national coverage after the 2001 inauguration, I can't remember) while the little inaccuracy you note seems widespread, which may help the president politically a bit. (Admittedly, I don't imagine many people assumed there were lots of animals being raised on this land.) (Recall too that the Clintons' purchases of homes in Chappaqua and Cleveland Park were the object of considerable gossip and coverage.)