Jul 8, 2004

warmest regards

Bush and Lay's chum-chum correspondence.
...The letters, released by the Texas state archives in response to Freedom of Information requests, touch on personal matters like Bush's knee surgery, Christmas gifts, birthday greetings, and even a Lay heads-up regarding a Thomas Friedman story about globalization. Enron, in case anyone forgot, was Bush's biggest Lone Star political contributor.
Scariest moment: when Lay urges Bush to restructure Texas's electricity structure, because "...Historically, deregulated industries see savings in the 20 to 40 percent ranges over time. There is no reason to expect this industry to behave differently."

Well, if you consider Enron's fiscal fraud-mongering "normal" for the industry, okay.

The weirdest letter is the first:

Dear Ken:

One of the sad things about old friends is that they seem to be getting older--just like you!

55 years old. Wow! That is really old.

Thank goodness you have such a young, beautiful wife.

Laura and I value our friendship with you. Best wishes to Linda, your family, and friends.

Your younger friend,

George W. Bush
Such depth of feeling! Such humor and verve!

In the last pair of letters, both Lay and Bush misspell the author's name, writing "Freidman." D'oh.

[big shout-out to The Smoking Gun]

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