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October 10, 2004
REVIEW: The many dimensions of George W. Bush
WHEN an American politician was asked during a television interview, as to how in his opinion George W. Bush would be remembered as a president, “I hope he is never remembered at all,” came the prompt response.
‘Baby Bush’, the 43rd president of United States, has earned the uncommon distinction where people either love him or hate him, but no one can ignore him or his doings.
The four books under review include two written by Bush haters. In fact one has made a complete legal case of impeachment of President Bush for violating the United States’ constitution. The third is by a Bush lover, while the fourth is a more scholarly one initiated in 1999, much before 9/11. One is a collection of his (arguably) unforgettable speeches delivered on various occasions, mostly after 9/11, and the other is about his family history (dynasty).
The Lies of George W. Bush by David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation and Fox News contributor, has 14 chapters each devoted exclusively to one lie publicly uttered by the president. The 15th and last chapter is titled ‘How he gets away with it (so far)’. This book is full of well-researched information about almost all the controversial issues surrounding George W. Bush. The writing style is chatty and longwinded.
In Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George W. Bush, John C. Bonifaz describes a critical court challenge brought against the president of the United States on the eve of the Iraq war. The goal: to stop a war that not only was wrong but one that was also in violation of the United States’ constitution. The central argument of the book is described by the author as:
“A king may lie and, using that lie, a king, on his own, has the power to send his kingdom into war. A president may also lie, but a president alone cannot use that lie to start a war.. By allowing the president to make the determination of whether or not to launch an invasion of Iraq ... Congress unlawfully allowed the president to use whatever evidence — or whatever lies — he chose as the basis for sending the nation into war.”
We Will Prevail: President George W. Bush on War, Terrorism and Freedom is a collection of excerpts from speeches delivered by the president from September 11, 2001, to May 26, 2003. In the foreword to the book, the compiler Peggy Noonan states that, “A second and third look suggests Bush’s gifts are actually not at all average. Backbone is not an average gift, and he has shown it, most spectacularly in prosecuting a war his country’s establishments and our allies’ establishments opposed, and are opposing, to the end. Guts are not an average gift, and he’s shown guts. The willingness to take pain and give pain to make progress in human life is not an average gift. These are amazing qualities in a modern political figure, and in a president.”
In the introduction of the book, Jay Nordlinger says, “Words matter a great deal to this president. In fact when all is said and done, his presidency may be known for its rhetoric (among other things).” “In July 2002, he was asked about the status of Osama bin Laden. ‘He may be alive,’ the president said. ‘If he is, we’ll get him. If he’s not, we have got him.’
Out of the four books under review, the one that may have better chances of surviving beyond the topical craving for more reading material on George W. Bush, and its first year of publication, is probably, The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty by Peter Schweizer and Rochelle Schweizer. It is a well written and well-researched book, which not only brings better understanding about the Bush family — including its ladies — but also helps in understanding the American character formed, through experiences of several generations of one family, its struggles and political and social rise.
The Bushes goes well back into the last more than a century (1880) to portray the great grandparents, as well as, their respective linkages with other prominent families. There are uncommon revelations including rare photographs of the Bush ancestors, which offer interesting reading, and historical insight of the ‘Bush dynasty’ as well as the development of the outstanding American society in general. Consequently, it is a useful source of gaining some foresight about the future developments in the US and by extension the world.
Through a series of exclusive candid interviews with family members and close friends, the inner working of this private ‘clan’ is revealed. Their marriages and sibling rivalries are also highlighted. Few people know that the ‘W’ in George W. Bush stands for Walker, another family lineage associated with the Bushes since the early days.
The book also focuses on George W. Bush as an individual who had intense religious beliefs, had a drinking problem and was labelled as the family ‘clown’. Much more expectations were attached by the family with brother Jeff, governor of Florida. The desire to gain more attention from parents compared to Jeff has also been one of the motivations in George W’s life.
The husband and wife team of Peter and Rochelle Schweizer, a fellow at Hoover Institute and a media consultant respectively, started working on this book in early 1999. That gives the book more objectivity and merit than those written on the bandwagon after 9/11.
Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George W. Bush
By John C. Bonifaz
Nation Books/Avalon Publishing Group, 245 West 17th Street,
11th Floor, New York, USA
ISBN 1-56025-606-0
172pp. $10.95
We Will Prevail: President George W. Bush on War, Terrorism and Freedom
Selected and edited by National Review
Available with Orca Book Services
ISBN 0-8264-1552-0
265pp. US$24.95
The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception
By David Corn
Three Rivers Press
ISBN 1-4000-5067-7
354pp. Rs675
The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty
By Peter Schweizer and Rochelle Schweizer
Doubleday
ISBN 0-385-49863-2
574pp. Rs1,500
Available with Liberty Books (Pvt) Ltd, 3 Rafiq Plaza, M.R. Kayani Road, Saddar, Karachi
Tel: 021-5683026
Email: libooks@cyber.net.pk Website: www.libertybooks.com
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