Bush lackey gets into Harvard.

HBS spokesman James E. Aisner ’68 explained the decision to accept Gottesman, even though he is not a college graduate, by telling The Economist that “extraordinary circumstances will sometimes compel it to drop rule” of only admitting students who hold bachelor's degrees.

He refused to comment specifically on Gottesman, citing Harvard’s policy of not commenting on the admission of any individual student.

Aisner also pointed out to The Economist that Harvard would surely admit applicants like Bill Gates and Michael Dell, both of whom are college dropouts.

But the often-snarky British weekly noted: “Needless to say, holding the president’s hand-sanitizer is a far cry from heading a Fortune 500 company.”

RE: Aide’s Acceptance Into Business School A Mocke
It can be argued that because Blake Gottesman did not meet HBS admissions
criteria he neither deserves nor merits being admitted into HBS’ MBA program. While it is true that neither Gottesman nor the nine hundred other applicants
have a right to be admitted, there may be applicants who are clearly more
deserving. One would think that those nine hundred applicants who met the
admissions criteria established by HBS and were not admitted would seem to have
a legitimate grievance should they object to Gottesman's admission. But this is
not necessarily true, as Gottesman’s admission is not a matter of moral dessert but one of entitlement. The HBS website proclaims that “there is no "ideal" admission candidate” and “diversity helps to enrich the learning process for all”. HBS’ decision to omit the requirement of only admitting students who hold bachelor's degrees and the acceptance of Gottesman into the MBA program was obviously in line with the purposes of the university and HBS, “to educate leaders who make a difference in the world” and to have “one of the most
influential alumni networks of any institution in the world”. Gottesman will benefit from a quality education from a prestigious university and Harvard will benefit from Gottesman’s future promise and his rolodex of Washington elites. What’s the problem?

Posted by Pierre Brown | 5/26/2006 7:27:35 PM

(reprinted from NYT May 30, 2005)
From Jenna's Ex to a Presidential Jeeves
By ELISABETH BUMILLER, The New York Times

When President Bush shakes 1,000 hands, Blake Gottesman is ready with the Purell. When Mr. Bush is in his daily intelligence briefing in the trailer on his ranch, Mr. Gottesman is on site to dog-sit Barney, the president's Scottish terrier. When a member of the White House senior staff wants a word with the boss, Mr. Gottesman is there to recommend yes or no.

"People will say, 'Is this a good time to raise something?' " said Joe Hagin, the White House deputy chief of staff. "And Blake will say, 'Well, he's reviewing a speech right now,' or 'He's got a couple of members of Congress up in the stateroom on the plane, so it would be better to wait half an hour.' "

Part Sherpa, part butler, part air traffic controller, Mr. Gottesman, 25, is the president's personal aide. It is a job steeped in the minutiae of carrying Mr. Bush's Altoids, Sharpie markers and hand sanitizer, and in the delicacy of handling the check on the rare occasions when the president eats out. Mr. Gottesman also keeps track of the paper flow to the president, logs all his meetings and phone calls, and questions senior aides about grammar and phrasing in Mr. Bush's speech texts.

...

Mr. Gottesman, who finished one year at Claremont McKenna College in California before going to work for Mr. Bush's presidential campaign in 1999, has said that he wants to get his degree when his job at the White House is over and then go on to business school.

...