Slipper Tongue - The Ironic Story Behind Bush's Favorite Painting

George W. Bush associated the title of his 1999better had George W. Bush been a little less
autobiography, A Charge to Keep, with a favoritecertain of his own point of view and a little more
work of art loaned to him by a childhood friend,inclined to include a touch of intellectual curiosity
Joseph I. O'Neill III, shortly after his inauguration asand deliberate reflection in his decision making
governor of Texas. Joseph 'Spider' O'Neill said theprocess. For what George W. is so sure is a
lead cowboy in the painting reminded him of Bushdepiction of a Methodist preacher resolutely
and 'W' happily accepted the identification.'leading a charge up a steep hill' that he would
George Bush brought the painting with him toproudly announce,
Washington and it occupied a prominent place in"When you come into my office, please take a
the talking points the he gave visitors to the Ovallook at the beautiful painting of a horseman
Office during his years in the White House.determinedly charging up what appears to be a
Bush loved to identify with the determination hesteep and rough trail. This is us". The painting,
saw in the illustration which, to him representedhowever, is actually an illustration of a
the resolute circuit riding preachers who spreadsmooth-talking horse thief on the run, risking the
the Methodist faith across the Allegheny region ofwelfare, and perhaps the life, of the horse he
nineteenth century America.rides in a mad dash up a rugged slope, trying to
The painting was originally commissioned in 1916escape the justice following close behind.
by The Saturday Evening Post which gave theBush's perspective on the painting exemplifies the
job to William H.D. Koerner, a popular illustrator ofdecision making style that characterized his
magazine short stories in early twentieth centuryleadership of our country. Starting from little
America. In 1912, Koerner had illustrated authorresearch and continuing through little examination,
Zane Grey's famous 'Riders of the Purple Sage'. Inhe associated his work in public life with the
later decades, W.H.D. Koerner explained that thereckless attempt of a smooth talking horse thief
inspiration for his work came directly from andesperate to escape from justice.
immersion in the characters and story for which"This is us," said George W. Bush claiming a
the illustration would be used, and that he tried tosemblance to the illustration originally titled, 'Had His
draw the man the author describes while he wasStart Been Fifteen Minutes Longer He Would Not
concentrating on the character until it comes aliveHave Been Caught'.
and can see him in his mind's eye.It seems a fitting marker for the Bush
The painting was later used in other stories,presidency. Bush has consistently exhibited what
including, in 1918, 'A Charge to Keep' in Countrypsychologists call the "Tolstoy syndrome." That is,
Gentleman magazine, a tale about a timberlandhe is completely convinced he knows what things
inheritance and the responsibility that came with itare, so he shuts down all avenues of inquiry about
to protect the land from capitalist robber baronsthem and disregards the information that is
who aggressively sought to exploit its lumberoffered to him. This is the hallmark of a tragically
assets. But the character that lived in Williambad executive. But in this case, it couldn't be more
Koerner's 1916 illustration was the one that rodeprecious. The president of the United States has
in the 1916 Saturday Evening Post story, a taleidentified closely with a man he sees as a mythic,
called 'The Slipper Tongue'.heroic figure. In fact that man is a wily criminal
As with so many other positions embraced byone step out in front of justice.
our forty-third President, it might have been