/ 2 November 2005

George Bush travelling light

United States President George Bush may be burdened with many problems, but his pockets are pretty light.

Bush revealed the contents of his pockets on Tuesday to an Argentine newspaper reporter who was interviewing him in advance of a presidential trip to Latin America later this week.

When the reporter from La Nacion asked Bush to show him what he carries, the president stood up, fished in his pockets and then dramatically pulled his hands out, holding nothing but a white handkerchief that he waved playfully in the air.

Es todo,” Bush told the Spanish-speaking reporter, meaning the handkerchief was all. ”No dinero, no mas. No wallet.”

He doesn’t need any cash, since his staff takes care of buying anything he might need. He carries no cellphone, either, since he is surrounded by aides who take care of dialling his calls. And why would he need keys since every door is held open for him and his car comes with a driver trained by the Secret Service?

The Argentine reporter, who interviewed Bush at the White House with other journalists from the Latin-American media, asked the president if he even had a watch.

Si, Timex,” Bush said, thrusting out his wrist to show off a timepiece that had his middle initial, ”W”, on the face. ”But I’m not supposed to be endorsing products.” — Sapa-AP