Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told NBC's David Gregory that there are some differences of note between President Obama and President Bush.
GATES: I think that probably President Obama is somewhat more analytical, and he makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue. And if they don’t speak up, he calls on them.
GREGORY: A marked difference from his predecessor?
GATES: President Bush was interested in hearing different points of view but didn’t go out of his way to make sure everybody spoke if they hadn’t spoken up before.
John Amato: Gates takes a measured swipe at Bush's overall governing abilities. More analytical means a much more intelligent look into the issues and President Obama demonstrated that on the campaign. Former Bushie Dan Bartlett had to make a DVD about the horrors occurring during Hurricane Katrina so he knew what was going on because his own people weren't telling him.
And as Bob Somerby put it:
What actually happened after Bartlett made that DVD on the first Thursday night? Bush showed up in Mississippi and New Orleans the next day, telling “Brownie” how well he was doing, jesting about fixing up Trent Lott’s house, and joking about how he used to get wasted when he would go to New Orleans to party. This odd conduct was apparently too much for Thomas, so he simply invented a new story element; he simply pretended that Bush had been “shocked” when he watched the news Thursday night. And this morning, Meacham couldn’t wait to repeat the simplified tale.
