But his aides feared the meeting would be viewed that way.
That is what Mr. Bush's aides fear the most.
The president and his aides had long feared and mistrusted the bureau.
The aides fear time-consuming and emotionally charged lawsuits, which would cast a pall over the concept of building a stadium in Manhattan.
He would thus gain what he and his aides fear he lacks most - credibility with Saddam Hussein.
But his aides feared that just being Governor at a time of corruption inquiries might tarnish him.
Worse, aides fear the images are becoming recruiting posters for the insurgents.
Mr. Clinton's aides fear that the global talks that they proposed are now out of hand.
The Post paints a backstage picture in which anxious aides fear that the president is not widely believed.
By late summer, senior commission lawyers and aides feared that they were being swept up in an increasingly emotional issue.