In the Reagan White House, Bush made our jobs easier —and fun

"George Herbert Walker Bush had a problem with women: He couldn’t be mean to them. As President Reagan’s director of media relations at the White House in 1984, I was part of the team preparing then-Vice President Bush for his historic debate against Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro. I was assigned to play the role of ultra-liberal, obnoxious female reporter, and I played it to the hilt. Bush had a hard time being anything but respectful — even encouraging. He said he didn’t want to be “mean.” It took a number of tries for him to hit the right tone. He needed to sound confident and knowledgeable, determined but not patronizing".