Isn't That Cute? The link in the quote is from me, not the New York Times:

"Despite the grave nature of much of the questioning about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, members of the commission said there was frequent laughter during the questioning of Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. James R. Thompson, the former Republican governor of Illinois, said the president could be a 'bit of a tease' in his dealing with commissioners and over all praised Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney for 'five-star performances.'

"Mr. Lehman said Mr. Bush would sometimes get a 'twinkle in his eye' to make clear that he was acquainted with some of the more heated moments of past public hearings by the commission, in which Democrats on the panel had harshly interrogated administration witnesses. 'He let us know that he had read some of the more, shall we say, impassioned statements of some of the commissioners, that he was aware of some of the public utterances,' Mr. Lehman said. 'The president got off a couple of good shots. Some of the commissioners got off a couple in return.'"