Who Knows Bush’s Mind Best?

Posted on Jun 13, 2006

According to Time magazine, it’s not Karl Rove, but 26-year-old Blake Gottesman, who became the president’s gopher-in-chief (body man) after dating Bush’s daughter Jenna in high school.

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Time:

The only words he ever says in public are, “This is the official two-minute warning for the press. Two minutes.” He delivers them with effortless authority to vast crowds after placing President George W. Bush’s note cards or speech text on the podium just so. His declarations sometimes cause networks to go live.

Blake Gottesman, a 26-year-old Texan who met the President when he was dating Bush’s daughter Jenna in high school, has the title of personal aide to the President. It’s a job that traditionally meant being “body guy” to the chief, the young aide who carries the souvenirs and dispenses the Purell. But Bush is uniquely sensitive about his personal ecology, and Gottesman has blossomed into a systems analyst, gatekeeper and diplomat who serves as the membrane between the President and the rest of the staff.

Gottesman, famous for remembering the names of volunteers, floats above all the political, military and advance-office silos and orchestrates each group’s interaction with the President, incorporating preferences and efficiencies learned from other days and other cities. On the road he’ll crack a joke if Bush is getting tense.

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