PRESIDENT, KNOW THYSELF:

Manning Stands Up to Heavy Pressure (DAMON HACK, 11/16/03, NY Times)

In the springtime before football season, a limousine pulled onto the Indiana state fairgrounds carrying a hidden figure to a receiving line of officials and celebrities, among them Peyton Manning, the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts.

The back door opened and out stepped President Bush, who spotted Manning and stuck his arms out, in the manner of a receiver calling for a touchdown pass.

It disarmed Manning, who was nervous and not even sure what to call him until Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson told him "Mr. President" would do. Bush, in a private moment later on, leaned in and spoke to him.

"The difference between you and me," Manning recalled Bush saying, "is that if some guy rips you, you have to face him in the locker room the next day and be cordial to him. Me? They don't get close to me."

you can hear the Bush haters howling about that one already, but it shows a refreshing degree of self-knowledge. A Bill Clinton is no less protected from the press, but imagines himself to joust with his critics daily.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 16, 2003 2:03 PM