George H.W. Bush Oral History Excerpt

George H.W. Bush Oral History Excerpt


John Sununu on Clarence Thomas's sense of humor and his role in the Court.
 

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(John H. Sununu): There was almost no controversy in that. After having gotten a smooth confirmation with... David, the President didn't have that albatross hanging over, and so nobody ever thought there would be a controversy in confirming Clarence Thomas. I told another story last night that I'll tell again. Clarence really has a wonderful sense of humor and we flew him up to Portland because the President was at Kennebunk. And, I drove up in a car to pick him up and we were coming back down, and I told Clarence... we're talking about what the President might say. I was trying to relax him and he was really as tight as I have ever seen him. And we get very close to the entrance of the compound and I say, "Clarence, there's going to be about two dozen, three dozen, five dozen, a hundred reporters there, you know, 'cause they know something is up and we want to get you in without them recognizing you." So I took off my glasses and I said, "Put my glasses on so when they look in the car they'll think you're me." He looks at me, for about a minute, and bursts into this huge laugh, and he was relaxed from then on in. But you know, of all the appointments a President or a Governor has every made to the Court that I have been intimately aware of, I have to tell you, that Clarence Thomas has performed on the Court exactly as his appointer thought he would perform on the Court.