ABSTRACT
The “wimp factor,” while not totally dead, was at least diminished. George Plimpton recounted Bush’s athleticism for Sports Illustrated readers. A New York Times front-page story described his relentless pursuit of the out-of-doors, from fishing to tennis and speedboating. Midwinter vacation trips to Bill Farish’s Beeville ranch and Kentucky bluegrass farm and the Florida Keys yielded pictures of Bush the hunter and fisherman. No longer a lapdog, he was a likeable, energetic sportsman who happened to be on his way into the White House. It was almost “as if Clark Kent became Superman,” remarked Barbara Walters. 1
