An interesting nugget mined from the Miller Centers oral history of the presidency of George H.W. Bush

Back during the 1988 presidential campaign, Bush was trailing Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis by 18 points in the polls, and there was definite concern setting in. James Baker, then Bushs campaign manager (and later secretary of state), recalls a not altogether unserious suggestion that the campaign add a shot of testosterone by adding a certain Republican mayor of Carmel, Calif. to the ticket.

Guy by the name of Eastwood. Clint Eastwood.

Of course, the idea never took root, Bush eventually won and Dan Quayle became vice president.

Based on the Miller Centers work, ABCs George Stephanopoulos recently asked Eastwood if he had been aware that his name was being talked about.

He said he had not been aware. I would have said, “I want to be the first part of the ticket…why would I want to play a supporting role?, he quipped.

You can hear the audio clip from the Miller Centers interview of Baker here and find the transcript here (just search for Eastwood).

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