He cried and a lot of us cried!

In case you missed this,
Book says Bush given to tears
'I do a lot of crying in this job,' president told author. He plans to 'replenish the coffers' once he's out of office.

By Calvin Woodward
Associated Press
Published on: 09/05/07
Washington —- Under that famously self-confident exterior is a president who weeps —- a lot.

President Bush told the author of a new book on his presidency that "I try not to wear my worries on my sleeve" or show anything less than steadfastness in public, especially in a time of war.

"I fully understand that the enemy watches me, the Iraqis are watching me, the troops watch me, and the people watch me," he said. Yet, he said, "I do tears."

"I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president. I'll shed some tomorrow."

Bush granted journalist Robert Draper several extended interviews in late 2006 and early 2007, as well as unusual access to his aides, for the book "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush," which went on sale Tuesday.

Draper's account of the bulk of Bush's presidency sheds light on a loyal and secretive inner circle that, at least privately, was not always on the same page. Draper tells of an April 2006 dinner at which Bush asked aides for a show of hands on whether his divisive defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, should be fired.

The vote: 7-4 to get rid of him, with Bush siding with those who wanted him kept on for the time being. Rumsfeld was replaced after the elections that fall switched control of the House and Senate to Democrats.

White House aides who wanted Rumsfeld out were privately dismayed when retired generals called publicly for his ouster, fearing that would steel Bush's resolve to keep his defense chief, the book says.

Bush, without addressing that meeting, suggested to the author that the ex-generals did get under his skin.

"My reaction was, 'No military guy is gonna tell a civilian how to react,'" he said.

Also in the book, Bush:

> Acknowledged that sectarian violence after the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein was "something we didn't spend a lot of time planning for. We planned for what happens if Saddam and his people dug into Baghdad."

> Said he wants to make money —- "replenishing the ol' coffers" —-