'My Heart and My Values Didn't Change'

'Would he like to be more popular?' Fleischer added. 'Of course he would. Of course it bugs him. But it doesn't guide him or drive him.'

There is little outward sign of irritation from Bush, who has maintained a sense of good cheer in many of his less-formal public appearances this year. During a celebration honoring Theodore Roosevelt's 150th birthday last week, Bush joked: 'People ask me, 'Do you ever see any of the ghosts of your predecessors here in the White House?' I said, 'No, I quit drinking.'