Baby-faced Bush spokesman a seasoned staffer
He still has the baby face.
But eight years after he came to Washington with George W. Bush, 33-year-old Gordon Johndroe has seen the world.
A native of Fort Worth who attended the University of Texas at Austin, Johndroe volunteered to work for George W. Bush's re-election bid for governor of Texas in 1998. He's been a Bush loyalist ever since.
And what a fun-filled eight years it's been.
When Texas Gov. Bush flew in to Philadelphia in 2000 to accept the GOP nomination for president, Johndroe was at his side. The governor, according to the Houston Chronicle, looked out the plane window and asked who was on the tarmac to greet him. Quipped Johndroe: "Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin."
While working at the Department of Homeland Security, he defended the color-coding of threat risks and explained the new department's advice to Americans in February 2003 to stock up on duct tape so they could seal their homes in the event of a biological, chemical or nuclear attack.
He worked for First Lady Laura Bush, encouraging her to speak out on serious issues such as education for girls in Afghanistan. Since coming to the National Security Council, he's dealt with his share of news. Once, when President Bush was meeting with the South Korean President Roh, the two had a testy exchange over how to re-integrate North Korea that ended like this:
(Roh): If you could be a little bit clearer in your message.
(Bush): I can't make it any more clear, Mr. President. We look forward to the day when we can end the Korean War. That will end — will happen when (North Korean President) Kim verifiably gets rid of his weapons programs and his weapons.
Savvy enough to recognize a story-in-the-making, Johndroe rushed an e-mail to reporters saying, "There was clearly something lost in translation."
In addition to being smart, Johndroe has a sense of humor, important if you're a Bush staffer working with reporters. This week he's doing briefings from Crawford, an honor that is rotated among the top White House press staffers.
"We are very fortunate to have had Gordon as a part of our team for so many years," White House press secretary Dana Perino told Countdown to Crawford. "He's a go-to guy for so many things."
Perino, who is in her own right a stunning presence at the White House podium, added, "And it is really irritating to me that he doesn't seem to age at all!"
-- Johanna Neuman
Photo credit: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press
