Ask the Author: George W. Bush
Answered Questions (7)
George W. Bush
In this case, I was influenced most by David McCullough’s biography on President John Adams. The reason it influenced me was that David’s daughter told me that in researching Adams, which I read and liked a lot, he was somewhat disappointed that Adams’ son, President John Q. Adams, never published an account of his father. So not only did I like the biography and learn a lot about one of our founding fathers, but I recognized that I had a certain obligation to history to write about my dad.
George W. Bush
I sure got angry when I saw people criticize my father. It’s much easier to be the subject of criticism than to see your loved ones be criticized. So when I thought about running for President, I didn’t worry about whether I could handle the criticism. I knew my family loved me and my faith would sustain and strengthen me. But I thought long and hard about whether my girls could handle the criticism of their father. Eventually I came to the conclusion that they could. And they did. One way they handled it was simply to ignore it and live their lives. They were college students and so the lived their lives, studied hard – and occasionally played hard. They also have a mother who is very comforting. I always knew Laura could handle the pressure – she had seen it with Dad, and when I was Governor of Texas. And as a result of her ability to keep perspective, she was able to help comfort the girls.
George W. Bush
My advice to anyone in the public arena who has a family is to make sure your family – not your career nor your success – is the priority. What George H.W. Bush showed us was that one can be a loving husband and a great father while at the same time an accomplished public servant. But it requires priority and commitment, and when people read “41” they’ll realize just how committed he was to the priorities he set throughout his life.
George W. Bush
I don’t think I realized just how much the defeat in 1992 stung him -- which makes his friendship with Bill Clinton, the man who beat him, all the more remarkable.
George W. Bush
Well, first of all, you have to have a good heart in order to make and maintain friends, and George Bush has a great heart. Secondly, you have to be thoughtful. In other words you always have to think about the other person. He’s constantly done that throughout his life. Third, you have to make a real effort to maintain friendships. Because his friends were always a priority in his life, he always made an effort to maintain contact with his pals -- particularly when they were hurting or needed a friend.
George W. Bush
My mother influenced me and my brothers and my sister in many ways. First of all, she was always loving. Secondly, she’s very funny -- even when sometimes growing up we didn’t think she was so funny. She’s always had a quick wit and a wicked sense of humor. She was the disciplinarian of the family. But once she had administered whatever discipline was merited, she was quick to forgive and move on. Mother is a great wife to George H.W. Bush. When people read “41” they’ll realize what a risk-taker he was. In order to be a risk-taker, he needed a willing partner with an adventurous soul, and he certainly found that in Mother.
George W. Bush
For me personally, the most important aspect of 41’s legacy is the fact that he became an accomplished public servant without compromising his principles and never forgetting that his most important tasks in life were to be a good husband and a good father. I believe George Bush is our Nation’s greatest one-term President, the finest diplomat ever to serve in the White House, and the world’s best dad.
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Jan 10, 2018 11:49AM · flag