Finest Hour

See the news story below from Reuters: George Bush told a German newspaper last year that his best moment in office was catching a 7lb perch. This is apparently a true story and not a hoax; as we know Germans have no sense of humor.

Thanks to the magic of the tubes that run the Internet, I was able to find out what some other chief executives rated as the high points of their administrations:

William Howard Taft: “Getting that really big bathtub installed in the White House.”
Woodrow Wilson: “Beating David Lloyd George at whist during the Versailles Conference.”
JFK: “When Bobby tackled McGeorge Bundy during touch football and dislocated his hip.”
James Monroe: “The entire Era of Good Feelings was just a great experience.”

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Bush's best moment in office? Reeling in big perch

Sun May 7, 2006 11:01 AM BST

BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush told a German newspaper his best moment in more than five years in office was catching a big perch in his own lake.

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best," Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001.

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound (3.402 kilos) perch in my lake," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

Bush said the worst moment was September 11 when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

"In such a situation it takes a while before one understands what is happening," Bush said. "I would say that this was the hardest moment, once I had the real picture before my eyes."

Because Bild could not immediately furnish English quotes, Bush's comments were translated from the German. The paper said the White House planned to release an authorised English version of the interview on Monday.