White House: Bush Voted for McCain

On Friday, I noted how the Obama campaign was happily circulating an Associated Press article reporting that President George W. Bush, in a break with tradition, would not vote on camera this Election Day.

Dana Perino by Roberto De Vido.

White House spokesperson Dana Perino announced that Bush mailed an early ballot “back to Texas” on Friday, so he would be “at the White House” — and off camera — on Nov. 4. It makes sense for the GOP to keep Bush’s support for Sen. John McCain out of the news, but this little Friday bulletin did not go off as planned. (H/T Politico’s Mike Allen.)

Perino was sufficiently besieged by media inquiries about who Bush backed on his absentee ballot that she had to issue another announcement. In a second email to reporters, titled “I find this hard to believe…” Perino reiterated the unpopular president’s support for McCain:

[S]o many reporters have asked just who the president voted for, I guess I have to make it clear — for months the president has said he supports John McCain for president and of course he voted for him.

Good thing that’s cleared up.