In June, 2005, Bernanke was sworn in at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. One of his first tasks was to deliver a monthly economics briefing to the President and the Vice-President. After he and Hubbard sat down in the Oval Office, President Bush noticed that Bernanke was wearing light-tan socks under his dark suit. “Where did you get those socks, Ben?” he asked. “They don’t match.” Bernanke didn’t falter. “I bought them at the Gap—three pairs for seven dollars,” he replied. During the briefing, which lasted about forty-five minutes, the President mentioned the socks several times.
The following month, Hubbard’s deputy, Keith Hennessey, suggested that the entire economics team wear tan socks to the briefing. Hubbard agreed to call Vice-President Cheney and ask him to wear tan socks, too. “So, a little later, we all go into the Oval Office, and we all show up in tan socks,” Hubbard recalled. “The President looks at us and sees we are all wearing tan socks, and he says in a cool voice, ‘Oh, very, very funny.’ He turns to the Vice-President and says, ‘Mr. Vice-President, what do you think of these guys in their tan socks?’ Then the Vice-President shows him that he’s wearing them, too. The President broke up.”
Used to read about how assuring the Bush administration was (in the early days). How prompt they were to arrive at meetings, and how professional looking in their suits, and how on message everyone stayed; certainly an improvement over the relaxed attitudes and style of team Clinton.
Interesting, that Bush's eye (and apparently attention) kept returning to those tan socks. Wonder if any one in the room was thinking, "Geez, give it a rest already Mr. President?"
Nice to know these guys could laugh back in the halycon days of 2005 when things looked forever like it was all summertime, and the livin is easy.
The thought of Dick Cheney pulling up his pant leg to slowly reveal a patch of tan doesn't exactly fill one with warm fuzzies either.
