Bush-Carter Meeting Hardly a Grudge Match

President Bush demonstrated anew Tuesday that he is not one to hold grudges.

In his first encounter with former President Carter, who lambasted him in an interview last week for a Georgia newspaper, Bush brushed off the criticism even as Carter sought to explain.

The two met in the Oval Office as Carter and other members and staffers of a blue-ribbon election reform commission were on hand to deliver their report to Bush.

Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, later shied from describing the encounter except to say that Bush and Carter had “a very gracious conversation.”

But others present during the exchange said Carter launched into an explanation almost immediately upon seeing Bush.

“He brought this up right up front,” recalled lobbyist Robert H. Michel, a commission member and former House Republican leader.

“He wanted to make sure that the president knew that that interview [in July 24 editions of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer] left out several key--either statements or questions or something . . . that really colored, or discolored, the remarks that had to do with President Bush.” Carter was “really perturbed about that.”

But Bush dismissed the flap. Michel said that Bush told Carter: “Oh, hush. Don’t worry about it, man. Those of us who have been dealing with the press--we got to deal with that all the time. . . . I know what the press can do. . . . Don’t worry about it.”

In the interview, Carter said of Bush: “I have been disappointed in almost everything he has done.” He then enumerated his grievances, from Bush’s environmental policies to his handling of the Middle East crises.

Ledger-Enquirer Executive Editor Mike Burbach conceded that the story based on the Carter interview was short--about 500 words. But, he said, “the story clearly reflected what probably was the most controversial: the news” that came out of the interview.

Burbach said the newspaper published a transcript Sunday of the Carter interview and posted it on its Web site.