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The Truth About Cats and Presidents

January 05, 2009 10:43 AM

Responding to the news of the death of the Bushes' cat India, ABC News' John Berman pens a missive. "The White House press release below eulogizes the now-dead-cat 'India,' saying 'she will be greatly missed," he writes. "The Bush family's affection for their pets is a heart warming story, if it is to be believed.  But there is ample evidence that their love is anything but unconditional. 

"Yes, the now-dead-cat India had been with the Bush family for nearly two-decades.  However, for much of that time, she was not alone.  While Bush was governor of Texas, they had another cat.  A cat named 'Ernie.'  Ernie was not some elite 'black American Shorthair' like India.  No, he was a six-toed stray that Bush found in a tree outside the Governor's mansion in Austin. 

"With the prospects of a national campaign ahead of him, Bush brought Ernie into the house, and began politicizing the unsuspecting feline.  It is no exaggeration to say that during the 2000 campaign, Bush talked about Ernie more than he did his own daughters.   He turned the story of Ernie into a sort of morality tale.  'Sometimes you may find yourself up in a tree,'  Bush would say, 'but if you just hang in there and never give up, things will get better for you, just like they did for Ernie.'

"And yes, things DID get better for Ernie for a time…until the election was over.  Because when the Bush family moved to the White House, they brought along the now-dead-cat India, but they did not bring Ernie.  Apparently Ernie was good enough for the campaign, but not good enough for the White House.  The Bush’s feared that Ernie would mistreat the furniture*.  Instead, Ernie was shipped out to California to live with Bush’s friend Brad Freeman.  The arrangement was clearly not to Ernie’s liking, because by the Spring of 2001, Ernie had enough of his surroundings and ran away; taking to the mean streets of Los Angeles.  He was eventually found, but his discontent was obvious.  Ernie’s life was no longer better.

"I do not know what happened to Ernie, or even if he is still alive.  If he passed away over the last few years, there was certainly no White House press release…like there was for the now-dead-cat India."

"(*Some observers might not the irony in the fact that the Bushes were worried about how their pets would treat a sofa, but seem to care little about how they treat reporters. Their dog Barney famously and viciously attacked a Reuters reporter in November…yet somehow still lives comfortable at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.)"

**

To Berman's note, I would only add that lest we forget, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a book called "Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids’ Letters to the First Pets," in which she wrote that it was only after the Clintons' cat Socks and his “toy mouse” arrived did the White House “become a home."

But after they moved out of the White House, the Clinton family -- who adopted Socks in 1991 in Arkansas -- gave Socks to Presidential secretary Betty Currie.
 
“In the annals of human evil, off-loading a pet is nowhere near the top of the list,” wrote Caitlin Flanagan in The Atlantic. “But neither is it dead last, and it is especially galling when said pet has been deployed for years as an all-purpose character reference.”

Socks is reportedly still alive, though suffering from cancer and in his last days.

Here's hoping the pending Obama puppy fares better than did Ernie and Socks.

-- Jake Tapper and John Berman

UPDATE: The First Lady's press secretary, Sally McDonough, called us to let us know that Ernie is alive and well and still living with the Freemans in California.

January 5, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (25)

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Joe M., you missed the incorrect use of the apostrophe:

"The Bush’s feared that Ernie would mistreat the furniture*."

Posted by: Bridget | Jan 6, 2009 8:56:19 AM

Barney suffers from little dog syndrome-common aggresiveness-little dogs bite more than big dogs-they just don't do as much damage-so get less press-and the white house is a public domain-and when you invite the public in,you are responsable for the actions of your pet. For all the loathing i feel for president bush-I can see him as a person who would be a friend to animals, and consider they were acting responsably by finding ernie a new home-instead of destroying the furniture in the white house. And by the way-isn't it about time we shelved the republican versus the democrat-ways of the past and focus on giving the media, and the maddows of the world what they so richly deserve-our anger???

Posted by: cowgirlblues | Jan 6, 2009 7:00:32 AM

Ask any humane society worker, most pets are cute pups and kittens. When they grow up and assert their adult personalties, they are abandoned. Dogs are some sort of masculine symbol and aren't neutered if male. Most female animals are spayed because it costs so much. The result, more cute babies that are abandoned. Don't take a pet if it doesn't truly become part of your life and accept their personality as they accept yours.

Posted by: clancy49 | Jan 6, 2009 5:49:47 AM

Bush an animal lover?...it's too bad the weasel doesn't have the same kind of compassion for people...

Posted by: Ramage | Jan 6, 2009 2:24:19 AM

Leave no kitty behind!

Posted by: Phil the machinist | Jan 6, 2009 12:51:03 AM

You forgot to add that once the Clintons moved to New York they let their dog Buddy get hit by a car. We all know about leash laws but I guess Bill doesn't think he needs to follow them. Buddy was the biggest PR move in any White House.

Posted by: Joy Lang | Jan 5, 2009 10:51:48 PM

"UPDATE: The First Lady's press secretary, Sally McDonough, called us to let us know that Ernie is alive and well and still living with the Freemans in California."

Update: all of John Berman's editorializing has proven to have been factually incorrect and mean spirited. He will now be reassigned back to the Palin beat.

Posted by: BertieW | Jan 5, 2009 8:45:58 PM

I love all animals, and I think it is fun to read about the White House cats and dogs, rabbits, etc. I think Teddy Roosevelt had a whole menegerie when he was president. It beats reading about their gall bladder surgery or how much they spend on haircuts.

Posted by: AddieB | Jan 5, 2009 8:16:58 PM

Six words: What a waste of good bandwidth!

Posted by: Donald from Hawaii | Jan 5, 2009 6:37:31 PM

Can't writers or editors catch simple typos? It is "note" not "not" in the sentence below... I lost interest in the article after reading such a bad typo.

"Some observers might not the irony in the fact that the Bushes were worried about how their pets would treat a sofa, but seem to care little about how they treat reporters."

Posted by: Joe M | Jan 5, 2009 6:20:11 PM

Just like human, sometimes we have a good day and a bad day.
That happen with animals too!
Maybe that day Barney just had enough with those reporters and did not want to be bothered.

I feel bad though to Ernie.
Maybe somebody owns him now.
Hopefully he gets a good life.

Posted by: catleya | Jan 5, 2009 5:38:57 PM

The lasr vestiges of Bush Derangement Syndrome...

Posted by: Roxie | Jan 5, 2009 4:19:48 PM

Typo: Cat- ostrophic.

Posted by: kat | Jan 5, 2009 3:33:44 PM

There was entirely too much cattiness with the quote from Caitlin Flanagan and especially in her Atlantic article. Though catty, her writing is quite lacking in feline precision. Furthermore, with all the cat-ostrohic events taking place, it is very petty of the other journalists involved to attempt swipes at Hillary Clinton.

Posted by: kat | Jan 5, 2009 3:21:14 PM

OMG, this is purely a tongue-in-cheek piece. i can't believe (well, I can; I just dont wnat to) that so many people are taking it as an attack on the outgoing President's character. Get a grip!

Posted by: alice | Jan 5, 2009 1:57:55 PM

Seems like “blaming Bush” for stray cats and aggressive dogs is a bit over the top

Posted by: smith | Jan 5, 2009 12:54:12 PM

Unbelievable! Jake, you reporter types have called Bush a liar, war criminal, Nazi, dictator, thief, murderer, usurper, dumb, dimwited, unable to speak in English, drug addicted, boozer, bible thumper and thats not enough. As a parting jab "Bush miss treat animals as well!!!!!". Give it a rest will ya...for Pete sake. Inciteful reportage there.

Posted by: Tired of it all | Jan 5, 2009 12:48:32 PM

Interesting article but I disagree about the Barney attack comment. That reporter clearly did not know how to approach a dog if you watch the tape - especially one that he doesn't know. It's no surprise the dog went after him at all.

Posted by: Hal9000 | Jan 5, 2009 12:34:13 PM

It is not so hard to imagine that the Bush family loved their pets!
"Ernie" was a Hemmingway, the name given six-toed felines. hence his name "Ernie", and perhaps a comment on his "get-about" personality to boot!

Posted by: DogGoneit | Jan 5, 2009 12:06:27 PM

I do not think Bush ordered Barney to attack a Reuters reporter.

The reporter had no clue how dogs should be treated.

Barney deserves to continue enjoying the White House atmosphere until Jan. 20

Posted by: Rosie | Jan 5, 2009 12:06:12 PM

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