list" practices. Bush said that there were "gray areas in determining what was in good taste." Bush
has never been noted for his sense of self-irony, and it appears that he was not aware of his ownpunning reference to L. Patrick Gray, the acting FBI Director who had "deep-sixed" Howard Hunt's (^)
incriminating records and who had then been left by Ehrlichman to "hang there" and to "twist
slowly, slowly in the wind." Bush actually commented that Ehrlichman's comments on Gray had
been in questionable taste. At this conference, Bush rubbed shoulders with Georgia Governor
Jimmy Carter. [fn 42]
The next day Bush was at it again, announcing that he was re- opening an investigation into alleged
courses in political sabotage and dirty tricks taught by the GOP to college Republicans in weekend
seminars during 1971 and 1972. Bush pledged to "get to the bottom" of charges that the College
Republican National Committee, with 1000 cprovided instruction in dirty tricks. ""I'm a little less relaxed and more concerned than when youampus clubs and 100,000 members listed had (^)
first brought it to our attention," Bush told journalists. [fn 43]
Bush had clearly distanced himself from the fate of the Nixon White House. By the time Spiro
Agnew resigned as vice president on October 10, 1973, Bushis "great personal courage" while endorsing the resignation as "in the best interest of the country."h was in a position to praise Agnew for (^)
[fn 44]
Later the same month came Nixon's Saturday night massacre, the firing of Special Prosecutor Cox
and the resignation of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus. Toplacate public opinion, Nixon agreed to obey a court order compelling him to hand over his White
House tapes. Bush had said that Nixon was suffering from a "confidence crisis" about the tapes, but
now commented that what Nixon had done "will have a soothing effect. Clearly it will help
politically...Hopefully, his move will cool the emotions and permit the President to deal with
matters of enormous domestic and international concern." [fn 45] Lout of a possible candidacy in the 1974 Texas gubernatorial race. Speculation was that "the specterater, in November, Bush bowed
of Watergate" would have been used against him, but Bush preferred sanctimonious explanations.
"Very candidly," he said, being governor of Texas has enormous appeal to me, but our political
system is under fire and I have an overriding sense of responsibility that compels me to remain in
my present job." Busrace. "Corruption and clean government didn't show up very high at all," he concluded. [fn 46] h said that Watergate was "really almost...nonexistent" as in issue in the Texas
By the spring of 1974, the impending doom of the Nixon regime was the cue for Bush's
characteristic reedy whining. In May of 1974, after a meeting of the Republican Congressional
leadership with Nixon, Busresigning from the RNC. Conah told his friend Congreble did not urge him to stay on. A few days later, John Rhodessman Barber Conable that he was considerings, who (^)
had replaced Gerald Ford as House Minority Leader when Ford was tapped by Nixon for the vice
presidency, told a meeting of House Republicans that Bush was getting ready to resign, and if he
did so, it would be impossible for the White House to "get anybody of stature to take his place." [fn
47]
But even in the midst of the final collapse, Bush still made occasional ingratiating gestures to
Nixon. Nixon pathetically recounts how Bush made him an encouraging offer in July, 1974, about a
month before the end: "There were other signs of the sort that political pros might be expected to
appreciate: NC Chairman George Bush called the White House to say that he would like to have meappear on a fund-raising telethon." [fn 48] This is what Bush was telling Nixon. But during this
same period, Father John McLaughlin of the Nixon staff asked Bush for RNC lists of GOP diehards
across the country for the purpose of generating support statements for Nixon. Bush refused to
provide them. [fn 49]