Christmas Gifts Among Bush, Cheney Disclosures

A $14,000 shotgun, a $2,700 mountain bike and five fishing rods were among $26,346 in gifts President Bush accepted last year, according to his financial disclosure form released Friday which also listed millions of dollars the president has invested in U.S. Treasury notes and certificates of deposit.

The required annual disclosures offered a glimpse into the president’s and Vice President Dick Cheney’s wealth -- and what they gave each other for Christmas last year.

As might be appropriate for a second-in-command, Cheney spent more -- $170 more -- than Bush did on him. Cheney gave Bush a $595 clock that the president keeps on his desk in the Oval Office. Bush gave Cheney a $425 globe on a wooden stand.

But because federal ethics law allows them to list the values of their assets in wide ranges, rather than precise numbers, it is difficult to discern whether the two are wealthier than they were a year ago.

The disclosure, for instance, said Bush’s 1,583-acre ranch was worth $1 million to $5 million. The president reported having at least $4.95 million in Treasury notes, $750,000 in certificates of deposits and $217,000 in checking and money market accounts. Bush owns the mineral rights valued at up to $15,000 on property in Reeves County, Texas. He also owns a tree farm, which is valued at about $600,000.

Cheney’s disclosure showed he received 10 gifts, including a $1,600 painting of a house on the Delaware River; a $400 hand-tooled fly-tying set in a carved wooden box and a dozen bottles of wine valued at $699.