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The American Presidents #43
George W. Bush
The controversial president whose time in office was defined by the September 11 attacks and the war on terror
George W. Bush stirred powerful feelings on both sides of the aisle. Republicans viewed him as a resolute leader who guided America through the September 11 attacks and retaliated in Afghanistan and Iraq, while Democrats saw him as an overmatched president who led America into two inconclusive wars that sapped the nation's resources and diminished its stature. When Bush left office amid a growing financial crisis, both parties were eager to move on.
In this assessment of the nation's forty-third president, James Mann sheds light on why George W. Bush made the decisions that shaped his presidency, what went wrong, and how the internal debates and fissures within his administration played out in such a charged atmosphere. He shows how and why Bush became such a polarizing figure in both domestic and foreign affairs, and he examines the origins and enduring impact of Bush's most consequential actions-including Iraq, the tax cuts, and the war on terror. In this way, Mann points the way to a more complete understanding of George W. Bush and his times.
George W. Bush stirred powerful feelings on both sides of the aisle. Republicans viewed him as a resolute leader who guided America through the September 11 attacks and retaliated in Afghanistan and Iraq, while Democrats saw him as an overmatched president who led America into two inconclusive wars that sapped the nation's resources and diminished its stature. When Bush left office amid a growing financial crisis, both parties were eager to move on.
In this assessment of the nation's forty-third president, James Mann sheds light on why George W. Bush made the decisions that shaped his presidency, what went wrong, and how the internal debates and fissures within his administration played out in such a charged atmosphere. He shows how and why Bush became such a polarizing figure in both domestic and foreign affairs, and he examines the origins and enduring impact of Bush's most consequential actions-including Iraq, the tax cuts, and the war on terror. In this way, Mann points the way to a more complete understanding of George W. Bush and his times.
185 pages, Hardcover
First published February 3, 2015
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About the author
James Mann
7 books32 followersJames Mann is the author of six books on American politics and national security issues, including Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet and The Obamians: The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American Power. A longtime correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, he is currently a fellow in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He lives in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 1, 2024
With this review of the biography of the second Bush in the American Presidents Series, we reach the end of the reviews of these biographies of the presidents. The series bios of presidents Obama and Trump haven't yet been written.
George W. Bush In The American Presidents Series
With all the turmoil of the current [2016] presidential campaign, I was moved to return to the history of the American presidency and to think about the different characters and achievements of our presidents. I have read many of the short biographies in the American Presidents Series edited by the late Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and his successor, Sean Wilentz. These volumes provide good studies of the presidents, their lives and leadership styles, and their accomplishments and shortcomings. They are written by scholars and provide a point of departure for thought even if the reader may disagree with the perspective. This is the most recent book in the series about the most recent president, George W. Bush, as volumes about Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden have yet to be written. The author, James Mann has written six books on contemporary American politics, including a study of Bush's war cabinet, "The Rise of the Vulcans".
George W. Bush (b. 1946) served from 2001 --- 2009 as the 43d president. His father, George H.W. Bush served as vice-president under Reagan before being elected to a single term in 1988 as the 41st president. The two Bushes were only the second father and son to hold the presidency after John Adams, the second president, and the sixth president, John Quincy Adams. As Mann discusses, the shadow of George H.W. Bush probably weighed heavily of the presidency of his son, even though George W. took the country in a different direction.
Mann's book discusses Bush's strengths and weaknesses as person and president beginning with his youth as the child of a distinguished, wealthy family through much of adulthood. Bush had difficulty both with alcohol and with finding a direction for himself until nearly mid-life. Mann discusses Bush's early political career culminating in the disputed presidential election of 2000 which, together with the weight of his father's presidency, would color his own time in the office. With the closeness and controversy of the election, I think Mann rightly criticizes Bush for not moderating his positions at the beginning of his presidency to take account of the views of his opponents but instead proceeding in a polarizing direction. This was particularly unfortunate, Mann argues, with the early Bush tax cuts which for the most part benefited wealthy Americans.
The events of September 11, 2001, were the defining events of the Bush presidency and Mann gives much space to these events and their consequences. He discusses the War on Terror and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The focus of the discussion is on the deep divisions in foreign policy advice that Bush received from his top advisors during his first term and part of his second term. In addition to issues about the wisdom of many of the policies, Mann questions Bush's leadership style in relying to the extent he did upon his divided staff.
Mann discusses Bush policies such as the expansion of Medicare and the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, which he finds constitute accomplishments of Bush's administration. Mann also explains in a clear, accessible way the nature of the financial meltdown and near Depression which occurred in the final months of Bush's presidency. The book describes sympathetically the actions Bush took to combat the meltdown, even when these actions violated his conservative principles about nonintervention in the economy.
Because Bush's presidency was so recent and in the memory of most current readers, there is a question of historical distance in considering the presidency and the conclusions that Mann reaches in the book. Mann acknowledges these concerns even while he argues that opinion on some events, such as the Iraq invasion, is unlikely to change with time. The literature on the Bush years still is comparatively small as shown by the brief bibliography in this volume. Still, this book will be of value for future readers to understand how the Bush presidency was viewed a short time after its conclusion. It is also a valuable, thoughtful work for current readers who want to consider the Bush presidency in the context of a study of the American presidency provided by the American Presidents series.
Robin Friedman
George W. Bush In The American Presidents Series
With all the turmoil of the current [2016] presidential campaign, I was moved to return to the history of the American presidency and to think about the different characters and achievements of our presidents. I have read many of the short biographies in the American Presidents Series edited by the late Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and his successor, Sean Wilentz. These volumes provide good studies of the presidents, their lives and leadership styles, and their accomplishments and shortcomings. They are written by scholars and provide a point of departure for thought even if the reader may disagree with the perspective. This is the most recent book in the series about the most recent president, George W. Bush, as volumes about Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden have yet to be written. The author, James Mann has written six books on contemporary American politics, including a study of Bush's war cabinet, "The Rise of the Vulcans".
George W. Bush (b. 1946) served from 2001 --- 2009 as the 43d president. His father, George H.W. Bush served as vice-president under Reagan before being elected to a single term in 1988 as the 41st president. The two Bushes were only the second father and son to hold the presidency after John Adams, the second president, and the sixth president, John Quincy Adams. As Mann discusses, the shadow of George H.W. Bush probably weighed heavily of the presidency of his son, even though George W. took the country in a different direction.
Mann's book discusses Bush's strengths and weaknesses as person and president beginning with his youth as the child of a distinguished, wealthy family through much of adulthood. Bush had difficulty both with alcohol and with finding a direction for himself until nearly mid-life. Mann discusses Bush's early political career culminating in the disputed presidential election of 2000 which, together with the weight of his father's presidency, would color his own time in the office. With the closeness and controversy of the election, I think Mann rightly criticizes Bush for not moderating his positions at the beginning of his presidency to take account of the views of his opponents but instead proceeding in a polarizing direction. This was particularly unfortunate, Mann argues, with the early Bush tax cuts which for the most part benefited wealthy Americans.
The events of September 11, 2001, were the defining events of the Bush presidency and Mann gives much space to these events and their consequences. He discusses the War on Terror and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The focus of the discussion is on the deep divisions in foreign policy advice that Bush received from his top advisors during his first term and part of his second term. In addition to issues about the wisdom of many of the policies, Mann questions Bush's leadership style in relying to the extent he did upon his divided staff.
Mann discusses Bush policies such as the expansion of Medicare and the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, which he finds constitute accomplishments of Bush's administration. Mann also explains in a clear, accessible way the nature of the financial meltdown and near Depression which occurred in the final months of Bush's presidency. The book describes sympathetically the actions Bush took to combat the meltdown, even when these actions violated his conservative principles about nonintervention in the economy.
Because Bush's presidency was so recent and in the memory of most current readers, there is a question of historical distance in considering the presidency and the conclusions that Mann reaches in the book. Mann acknowledges these concerns even while he argues that opinion on some events, such as the Iraq invasion, is unlikely to change with time. The literature on the Bush years still is comparatively small as shown by the brief bibliography in this volume. Still, this book will be of value for future readers to understand how the Bush presidency was viewed a short time after its conclusion. It is also a valuable, thoughtful work for current readers who want to consider the Bush presidency in the context of a study of the American presidency provided by the American Presidents series.
Robin Friedman
March 1, 2015
I think that it is a difficult task to write a biography of an American president so soon after his term in office is done, as per George W. Bush. It takes a certain period of time to make sense of contributions and things that went wrong. Some presidents see their ratings rise, as history looks more kindly of the person later on (one thinks of Harry Truman). Others tend to be rated less positively with time (perhaps John F. Kennedy fits here--as his biography in this series is rather restrained in its examination of his career).
George W. Bush is portrayed here as someone who grew up as he aged--putting behind him his days as a hellion. We see a tracing of his career--from business to baseball to politics. It is his presidency, of course, that is the centerpiece for this book.
Here, we get recognition of some of his efforts (AIDS and Africa), his willingness to work with the conservatives' bete noir, Ted Kennedy, on No Child Left Behind, and his failed effort at immigration reform. On the other hand, he is taken to task for the Iraqi invasion and the economic problems that developed late in his time as President. And, at that, we may owe Bush a big thank you for becoming proactive as an economic catastrophe may have been nearing, even though his values and beliefs had to be put aside to some extent, at least as depicted by Mann..
Overall, I see Mann as being a bit negative--but not so much that I dismiss his work. But I do think that we will have to wait another decade or so to make any final judgments about George W. Bush.
George W. Bush is portrayed here as someone who grew up as he aged--putting behind him his days as a hellion. We see a tracing of his career--from business to baseball to politics. It is his presidency, of course, that is the centerpiece for this book.
Here, we get recognition of some of his efforts (AIDS and Africa), his willingness to work with the conservatives' bete noir, Ted Kennedy, on No Child Left Behind, and his failed effort at immigration reform. On the other hand, he is taken to task for the Iraqi invasion and the economic problems that developed late in his time as President. And, at that, we may owe Bush a big thank you for becoming proactive as an economic catastrophe may have been nearing, even though his values and beliefs had to be put aside to some extent, at least as depicted by Mann..
Overall, I see Mann as being a bit negative--but not so much that I dismiss his work. But I do think that we will have to wait another decade or so to make any final judgments about George W. Bush.
January 29, 2022
A Balanced Red immersion into the W Bush Years
From the positives to the negatives we revisit the important events. The addition of prescription drugs for Medicare, aids drugs for Africa, and saving the economy to the misfortunes of the middle east are resurrected while giving more color to a good man who had to decide big questions.
From the positives to the negatives we revisit the important events. The addition of prescription drugs for Medicare, aids drugs for Africa, and saving the economy to the misfortunes of the middle east are resurrected while giving more color to a good man who had to decide big questions.
January 3, 2022
A bit biased and obviously short, but you can't expect real historical interpretation this close to the real events.
February 19, 2022
Mann provides some compelling insights into the W. Bush Presidency-bilateral economic efforts with the incoming Obama administration to mitigate the onset of the 2008 Global Recession as well an alteration on the Afghanistan/Iraq question during his second term-but otherwise his entire summarization of the Presidency under review is negative.
The pressing question here is not that is Mann impartial but rather that is it too early to attempt to craft a history of George W. Bush as a President? After all, only two decades have elapsed since the fateful date of September 11 when the W. Bush Presidency became subject to being defined by factors outside the President's own control. Yes, his rapid tax cuts contributed in some form to the loss of economic circulation on the US government's part during the 2008 Fiscal Crisis. But Mann makes a mountain out of a molehill to lambast Bush while tersely crying that Bush didn't initiate all problems confronting the United States but only exacerbated them.
So what to make out of this desultory analysis? For one, Mann references Bush's unruly teenage days to imply that recklessness was an early trait in his character which if picked up would have prevented the fallouts from his being President. Yes, quite a spectral leap of the imagination but it serves Mann's purpose well to cast the entire W. Bush Presidency as some sort of nepotistic gamble. He then brings in Bush's alleged business failings and inability to hold down any employment for a long period to eviscerate the man as some failure in life buoyed by the occasional bout of luck falling his way.
Yes, hindsight is a wonderful gift. But Mann has lambasted Bush based on his readings of polls and Republican attitudes towards a man who stood on the party ticket. Historically, even Grant had a similar falling out with his own party as well as voters. But after a century, the 18th President is today feted out as a magnificent visionary. What of W. Bush? Mann has positioned the cart before the horse to impugn the man. Forthcoming generations, I believe, will treat him differently given that George W. Bush proved to be an astute helmsman in a world gone awry.
The pressing question here is not that is Mann impartial but rather that is it too early to attempt to craft a history of George W. Bush as a President? After all, only two decades have elapsed since the fateful date of September 11 when the W. Bush Presidency became subject to being defined by factors outside the President's own control. Yes, his rapid tax cuts contributed in some form to the loss of economic circulation on the US government's part during the 2008 Fiscal Crisis. But Mann makes a mountain out of a molehill to lambast Bush while tersely crying that Bush didn't initiate all problems confronting the United States but only exacerbated them.
So what to make out of this desultory analysis? For one, Mann references Bush's unruly teenage days to imply that recklessness was an early trait in his character which if picked up would have prevented the fallouts from his being President. Yes, quite a spectral leap of the imagination but it serves Mann's purpose well to cast the entire W. Bush Presidency as some sort of nepotistic gamble. He then brings in Bush's alleged business failings and inability to hold down any employment for a long period to eviscerate the man as some failure in life buoyed by the occasional bout of luck falling his way.
Yes, hindsight is a wonderful gift. But Mann has lambasted Bush based on his readings of polls and Republican attitudes towards a man who stood on the party ticket. Historically, even Grant had a similar falling out with his own party as well as voters. But after a century, the 18th President is today feted out as a magnificent visionary. What of W. Bush? Mann has positioned the cart before the horse to impugn the man. Forthcoming generations, I believe, will treat him differently given that George W. Bush proved to be an astute helmsman in a world gone awry.
December 4, 2014
I won a copy of this from a goodreads giveaway. I haven't read many history books that chronicle something that happened so recently, and it was fun to read about a period that I remember well. I'm not a fan of W's presidency, but the book gave me a bit of tragic sympathy for the reasons that The Decider decided what he decided. I also appreciated that he did seem to learn from some of his mistakes. For example, he seemed to be less open to doing Dick Cheney's bidding toward the end of his second term. It's a well written, but pretty short and simple book that was summed up pretty well in the last paragraph.
Once, in the midst of a discussion with his military advisors, Bush made a telling observation. "Somebody has got to be risk-averse in this process, and it better be you, because I'm sure not." he said. George W. Bush was, for sure, not risk-averse. He took gambles in foreign policy and with the economy. Sometimes, they paid off. Yet overall the country paid heavily for the risks he took.
Once, in the midst of a discussion with his military advisors, Bush made a telling observation. "Somebody has got to be risk-averse in this process, and it better be you, because I'm sure not." he said. George W. Bush was, for sure, not risk-averse. He took gambles in foreign policy and with the economy. Sometimes, they paid off. Yet overall the country paid heavily for the risks he took.
March 18, 2015
My first exposure to GWB after his presidency was Will Farrell's one man show on Broadway, You're Welcome America. That may have made me a little biased against the President.
Mr. Mann's biography is well written and provides a good start into GWB's life. Maybe we need to be separated by a little more time to grasp the full ramifications of President Bush's tenure but I find myself disliking GWB just a little less after this book. I'm even interested in reading Bush's memoirs to see what he thought of his own impact.
Mann shows Bush's growth as a president while he was in office. It seems at the end he finally came into his own. The portrayal of Bush with Obama and McCain in the Oval office was the main turning point when I thought, "This Bush guy ain't half-bad."
Mr. Mann's biography is well written and provides a good start into GWB's life. Maybe we need to be separated by a little more time to grasp the full ramifications of President Bush's tenure but I find myself disliking GWB just a little less after this book. I'm even interested in reading Bush's memoirs to see what he thought of his own impact.
Mann shows Bush's growth as a president while he was in office. It seems at the end he finally came into his own. The portrayal of Bush with Obama and McCain in the Oval office was the main turning point when I thought, "This Bush guy ain't half-bad."
March 28, 2015
Not a fan of George Bush, but this was well-written and a nice summary/overview of his life. If you're looking for in-depth scholarship on this president, this is not the work for you. If, however, you're looking for that quick overview to remind you of the events of his time and to familiarize yourself with his presidency this book is a great start.
November 9, 2020
Even with the distance of nearly a dozen years, history has not been kind to George W. Bush. Put simply, no one, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, can say he left America improved over where he found it and the distance of time has not helped. Bush began with a controversial election win decided essentially by a partisan Supreme Court vote that cast illegitimacy on his election and stoked partisan flames. Then instead of uniting the country, he pursued idealistic partisan policies that sowed further dissension and simply did not work. Having gotten a balanced federal government budget from his predecessor Bill Clinton, he proceeded to enact the largest tax cut in history which led to huge federal budget deficits ever since. Most of the tax cut went to the wealthy, which greatly increased inequity. After the tragic 2001 terrorist attacks, he gained widespread support, only to squander it with an ill-advised invasion of Iraq based on lies about non-existent weapons of mass destruction. Thousands of American soldiers died in Iraq; tens of thousands wounded; a trillion dollars spent and no weapons of mass destruction ever were found. Then he bungled the post-invasion occupation, sending home the former Iraqi soldiers without jobs and failing to deal with the religious and ethnic conflicts. Iraq and American security were left worse off.
It then emerged that Bush had secretly allowed warrantless surveillance on Americans; allowed torture of terrorist prisoners of war, and allied with Pakistan, later found to be where Osama Bin Laden was hiding.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Bush failed to observe that his political appointee, a former horse investor, who was running the federal emergency management agency, was not doing his job well, and in fact he praised him as hundreds of Americans were left to drown and the city was destroyed.
He enacted Medicare Part D to pay for prescription drugs, but his law blocked the federal government from bidding out for drug prices and contained no way to pay for the new benefit, adding hundreds of billions of dollars in recurring cost to the federal budget, totally at odds with his alleged conservative Republican party credentials. His No Child Left Behind legislation followed a similar pattern-- intrusion into state affairs which conservatives opposed and no way to pay for new costs, angering Democrats who expected federal funds to implement the new testing mandates.
He confused reducing banking and financial regulation with appointing people who were against regulation totally and he failed to challenge the federal reserve in any way. The economy crashed in the last quarter of his administration leading to the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Again, Bush turned his back on his conservative dogma, and used federal funds to bail out the economy. Yet some banks and accounting firms were allowed to fail and some others were saved all with no rhyme or reason either idealogically or practically.
Much of this disaster traces back to Bush appointing Dick Cheney as Vice President and failing to keep him under control. History has shown almost every position Cheney took to simply be wrong. Yet Bush let him rein as essentially a co-president until the very end and when he did rein him in, it was too little too late.
This succinct book fairly and accurately portrays the disaster of the George W. Bush administration and is a worthwhile if sobering read.
It then emerged that Bush had secretly allowed warrantless surveillance on Americans; allowed torture of terrorist prisoners of war, and allied with Pakistan, later found to be where Osama Bin Laden was hiding.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Bush failed to observe that his political appointee, a former horse investor, who was running the federal emergency management agency, was not doing his job well, and in fact he praised him as hundreds of Americans were left to drown and the city was destroyed.
He enacted Medicare Part D to pay for prescription drugs, but his law blocked the federal government from bidding out for drug prices and contained no way to pay for the new benefit, adding hundreds of billions of dollars in recurring cost to the federal budget, totally at odds with his alleged conservative Republican party credentials. His No Child Left Behind legislation followed a similar pattern-- intrusion into state affairs which conservatives opposed and no way to pay for new costs, angering Democrats who expected federal funds to implement the new testing mandates.
He confused reducing banking and financial regulation with appointing people who were against regulation totally and he failed to challenge the federal reserve in any way. The economy crashed in the last quarter of his administration leading to the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Again, Bush turned his back on his conservative dogma, and used federal funds to bail out the economy. Yet some banks and accounting firms were allowed to fail and some others were saved all with no rhyme or reason either idealogically or practically.
Much of this disaster traces back to Bush appointing Dick Cheney as Vice President and failing to keep him under control. History has shown almost every position Cheney took to simply be wrong. Yet Bush let him rein as essentially a co-president until the very end and when he did rein him in, it was too little too late.
This succinct book fairly and accurately portrays the disaster of the George W. Bush administration and is a worthwhile if sobering read.
September 16, 2020
I was a fan of Bush, at least for a while, before growing sour towards him. James Mann's short bio keeps the sour taste. The book is fairly balanced and does what a history book should do, explain why decisions were made the way they were. Mann tells us he thinks history will prove Iraq a mistake but also points out some of the good things Bush did do. PEPFAR is clearly his greatest accomplishment saving millions of lives and it had very little benefit, and in some circles even a detrimental, for his political capital.
Bush wanted to be a consequential president and through his decisions America would face the consequences. Bush and LBJ are similar to me in that they were both domestic politicians looking to leave a domestic legacy and had their presidency's ruined by a war that they got involved with following the advice of experts. Bush's VP, Dick Cheney, and others were hawks toward Iraq. Bush followed through and the war that followed did not resolve anything and created more problems in the Middle East than it solved. The decision can be seen as being made in a rush. A rush to do something about a thorn in the international communities side. Bush was so anxious to get involved that he failed to see how the Iraq could hurt the US international position, especially in Europe and the Middle East, and strengthen the relative power of Iran, another American foe. Although I do allow room for the tide to change and it seen as the starting point of greater freedom in the Middle East, as of Sept. 2020 it is a failure.
When Bush got really involved, like his decision for the military surge, better decisions were made. This leads to one of Bush's other problems, he decided too quickly and relied on others to oversee. Afghanistan was not Bush's choice and in many ways he didn't have one there. The conduct of the operations leaves much to be desired. Here he allowed too much leeway to his Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the invasion failed to capture Osama Bin Laden and secure the country. This issue would happen again on a greater scale in Iraq 18 months later.
Writing a history so soon after events is difficult. What issues to focus on and what to downplay are unknowable. Mann deftly covers as much as he can from Bush's domestic accomplishments, expanding federal government involvement in education, medicare's prescription drug program, the tax cuts he wanted to 9/11 - which he writes about in context and not too much or overly long, to the financial crisis of 2008. Mann does a lot of the Bush years in his coverage.
George W. Bush got his wish to be a consequential President, the question is was it keeping American greatness or as the start of the slide of America onto the ash heap of history.
Bush wanted to be a consequential president and through his decisions America would face the consequences. Bush and LBJ are similar to me in that they were both domestic politicians looking to leave a domestic legacy and had their presidency's ruined by a war that they got involved with following the advice of experts. Bush's VP, Dick Cheney, and others were hawks toward Iraq. Bush followed through and the war that followed did not resolve anything and created more problems in the Middle East than it solved. The decision can be seen as being made in a rush. A rush to do something about a thorn in the international communities side. Bush was so anxious to get involved that he failed to see how the Iraq could hurt the US international position, especially in Europe and the Middle East, and strengthen the relative power of Iran, another American foe. Although I do allow room for the tide to change and it seen as the starting point of greater freedom in the Middle East, as of Sept. 2020 it is a failure.
When Bush got really involved, like his decision for the military surge, better decisions were made. This leads to one of Bush's other problems, he decided too quickly and relied on others to oversee. Afghanistan was not Bush's choice and in many ways he didn't have one there. The conduct of the operations leaves much to be desired. Here he allowed too much leeway to his Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the invasion failed to capture Osama Bin Laden and secure the country. This issue would happen again on a greater scale in Iraq 18 months later.
Writing a history so soon after events is difficult. What issues to focus on and what to downplay are unknowable. Mann deftly covers as much as he can from Bush's domestic accomplishments, expanding federal government involvement in education, medicare's prescription drug program, the tax cuts he wanted to 9/11 - which he writes about in context and not too much or overly long, to the financial crisis of 2008. Mann does a lot of the Bush years in his coverage.
George W. Bush got his wish to be a consequential President, the question is was it keeping American greatness or as the start of the slide of America onto the ash heap of history.
April 16, 2020
George W. Bush is the forty-second and final book in The American Presidents series – a biographical series chronicling the Presidents of the United States. James Mann wrote this particular installment and edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Sean Wilentz.
George Walker Bush is an American politician and businessman who served as the forty-third President of the United States from 2001–2009. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995–2000. Born into the Bush family, his father, George H. W. Bush, served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989–1993.
Mann begins by tracing Bush's transformation from easygoing frat boy into a skilled politician. The bulk of the book, naturally, deals with his eight years in office, a period focused on the war on terror. Mann notes that future historians might view the conflicts as necessary to protect the homeland, or see Bush's response as the starting point in the establishment of a surveillance state in which American rights to privacy were irretrievably damaged. Nonpartisan readers will find little to take issue with in Mann's bottom-line judgment that the now deeply unpopular chief executive was not responsible for all of America's difficulties, but undeniably did, through his ambitious but careless initiatives, exacerbate the nation's problems.
George W. Bush is written rather well. Mann delivers a remarkably evenhanded account, eschewing the painful emotions many readers will feel until future historians sort matters out, which he is greatly cognizant. It is rather evident that Mann knows that Presidential reputations often improve with time and is rarely declined and wrote this cursory biography in such a manner.
Overall, The American Presidents series is a wonderful series of Presidential biographies of the first forty-three President of the United States in forty-two volumes – Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted twice. It is not an in-depth study of each President, but a cursory biography of each President, which serves as a launching pad for greater research if one should wish. The biographies are mostly rather balanced, while there are none or few that are outright hateful, there are few that are too laudatory for my taste.
All in all, George W. Bush is a good, albeit concise biography of the forty-third President and it is a wonderful conclusion to an equally wonderful series, which took me a whopping 555 days to read – of course, I wasn't really binge reading this series, but I am glad that I am finally finished!
George Walker Bush is an American politician and businessman who served as the forty-third President of the United States from 2001–2009. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995–2000. Born into the Bush family, his father, George H. W. Bush, served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989–1993.
Mann begins by tracing Bush's transformation from easygoing frat boy into a skilled politician. The bulk of the book, naturally, deals with his eight years in office, a period focused on the war on terror. Mann notes that future historians might view the conflicts as necessary to protect the homeland, or see Bush's response as the starting point in the establishment of a surveillance state in which American rights to privacy were irretrievably damaged. Nonpartisan readers will find little to take issue with in Mann's bottom-line judgment that the now deeply unpopular chief executive was not responsible for all of America's difficulties, but undeniably did, through his ambitious but careless initiatives, exacerbate the nation's problems.
George W. Bush is written rather well. Mann delivers a remarkably evenhanded account, eschewing the painful emotions many readers will feel until future historians sort matters out, which he is greatly cognizant. It is rather evident that Mann knows that Presidential reputations often improve with time and is rarely declined and wrote this cursory biography in such a manner.
Overall, The American Presidents series is a wonderful series of Presidential biographies of the first forty-three President of the United States in forty-two volumes – Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted twice. It is not an in-depth study of each President, but a cursory biography of each President, which serves as a launching pad for greater research if one should wish. The biographies are mostly rather balanced, while there are none or few that are outright hateful, there are few that are too laudatory for my taste.
All in all, George W. Bush is a good, albeit concise biography of the forty-third President and it is a wonderful conclusion to an equally wonderful series, which took me a whopping 555 days to read – of course, I wasn't really binge reading this series, but I am glad that I am finally finished!
February 20, 2020
Watching the current democratic primary debates, it is James Mann’s book on George W. Bush that reminds me how I moved from a Reagan Republican and Dubya Bush supporter to a Bernie Sanders enthusiast. In 2000 I wanted a hero. I was believing that Bush would be that hero.
In 2000 I was eager for George W. Bush to wrestle, rightfully I thought, the oval office from Al Gore. I was done with Clinton (and thus, Gore) and wanted the respectability of George Bush senior, and maybe even the revolution of Ronald Reagan, to return to the fore. I spent the Dubya years overseas, and saw how the ongoing war against a noun, in this case “terror”, led to failed US prestige abroad and disruption at home. Eventually, Monica aside, I developed a grudging respect for the Clinton years.
Mann’s presidential treatment shows a president without the depth or temperament to lead the nation through its tumultuous years of external attack and internal financial disaster. His successes, PEPFAR, India and even stem-cell research consideration, weaken when the reader studies how the US, under Bush, dejected world support after 911 and convened a new type of warfare, a preemptive strike, and disregarded United Nations cooperation for a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, brought instability to the world, and pushed aside constitutional safeguards. Even recently, the Washington Post’s Afgan Papers show a government lying to its citizens, waving the American flag of success, during Bush’s war. And this doesn’t even touch on “permanent” tax cuts and their economic realities.
Perhaps Mann writes too cynically at times. I think Bush’s evangelical commitment and ending of alcohol consumption isn’t as politically motivated as Mann seems to suggest. But I think he is fair, and in the end cannot lift this failed presidency above what it is.
In 2000 I was eager for George W. Bush to wrestle, rightfully I thought, the oval office from Al Gore. I was done with Clinton (and thus, Gore) and wanted the respectability of George Bush senior, and maybe even the revolution of Ronald Reagan, to return to the fore. I spent the Dubya years overseas, and saw how the ongoing war against a noun, in this case “terror”, led to failed US prestige abroad and disruption at home. Eventually, Monica aside, I developed a grudging respect for the Clinton years.
Mann’s presidential treatment shows a president without the depth or temperament to lead the nation through its tumultuous years of external attack and internal financial disaster. His successes, PEPFAR, India and even stem-cell research consideration, weaken when the reader studies how the US, under Bush, dejected world support after 911 and convened a new type of warfare, a preemptive strike, and disregarded United Nations cooperation for a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, brought instability to the world, and pushed aside constitutional safeguards. Even recently, the Washington Post’s Afgan Papers show a government lying to its citizens, waving the American flag of success, during Bush’s war. And this doesn’t even touch on “permanent” tax cuts and their economic realities.
Perhaps Mann writes too cynically at times. I think Bush’s evangelical commitment and ending of alcohol consumption isn’t as politically motivated as Mann seems to suggest. But I think he is fair, and in the end cannot lift this failed presidency above what it is.
May 20, 2023
Rushed and superficial, in the finest tradition of the "American Presidents" series, but Mr. Mann does offer a couple of insights about the difference between W's two terms. Yes, 2001-2004 were the years of international ineptitude while 2005-2008 was the era of domestic decline, but thanks to Mr. Mann I now understand that W failed in two different ways: through Reaganesque obliviousness on foreign affairs ("let Dick worry about that one") and Nixonian micromanagement on economic matters ("Are you sure we have to bail out AIG, Henry?").
And like all those podcasts that issue trigger warnings about substance abuse and suicide, this book needs a trigger warning about names that some of us who endured the 00's have tried to forget: David Petraeus! Libby! Miers! (Autocorrect underlines that last one, reminding me that as horrific as things were by 2008, they could have been even worse.) Toward the end, Mr. Mann assesses Bush's legacy and makes the uncontroversial assertion that America will be suffering the after-effects of the Iraq war and the 2001-2003 tax cuts for decades to come. I'm guessing he couldn't have anticipated the long-term damage that Bush inflicted on this country with the appointment of Supreme Court Justices John "Doormat" Roberts and Sam "Egregiously Wrong" Alito. I wasn't looking for another reason to hate George W. Bush, but Mr. Mann reminded me of one I'd anaged to forget. Um . . . thanks.
And like all those podcasts that issue trigger warnings about substance abuse and suicide, this book needs a trigger warning about names that some of us who endured the 00's have tried to forget: David Petraeus! Libby! Miers! (Autocorrect underlines that last one, reminding me that as horrific as things were by 2008, they could have been even worse.) Toward the end, Mr. Mann assesses Bush's legacy and makes the uncontroversial assertion that America will be suffering the after-effects of the Iraq war and the 2001-2003 tax cuts for decades to come. I'm guessing he couldn't have anticipated the long-term damage that Bush inflicted on this country with the appointment of Supreme Court Justices John "Doormat" Roberts and Sam "Egregiously Wrong" Alito. I wasn't looking for another reason to hate George W. Bush, but Mr. Mann reminded me of one I'd anaged to forget. Um . . . thanks.
September 6, 2022
The Journalist and Writer James Mann published a political biography of George W. Bush in The American Presidents Series in 2017. Similar to other books in The American Presidents series, Mann’s biography of George W. Bush is short, compelling, and well-researched. I read the book on the Kindle. Mann’s book has an introduction that introduces themes and the focus of Mann’s biography. I thought Mann’s biography had excellent coverage of the 2008 Financial Crisis (Mann 124-138). This chapter was entitled ““I’m Going to be Roosevelt, Not Hoover”” (Mann 124). The title of this chapter comes from a comment George W. Bush made to his aide during the financial crisis of 2008 (Mann 125). The book includes a Timeline and a Selected Bibliography. Mann’s biography of George W. Bush had a quick turnaround, George W. Bush came out before The American Presidents published biographies of Ronald Reagan [2016], Bill Clinton [2017], and William Howard Taft [2018]. Despite Mann’s biography having a short turnaround, Mann has a balanced view of George W. Bush’s presidency. Brinkley’s biography is an excellent and well-done introduction or summary of the presidency of George W. Bush, even if the biography is on the older side. On a side note, Steve of the blog, My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies has excellent reviews of several of The American Presidents series biographies.
December 13, 2021
See Steve Peterson's review of May, 2015. I totally agree with him. I have read many of the books in this president's series, and none have come close to be as negative as this portrayal.
Of course, "W" made mistakes, a major one with Iraq. The recession of 2008-2009 cannot be laid on G.W. Bush, as deregulation started with Bill Clinton. At least J. Mann discussed the positives, such as President Bush's work for AIDS, his willingness to work across the aisle, and No Child Left Behind.
The writing is good, but if you want a totally unbiased political book, don't read this. I have enjoyed getting overall pictures of the presidents with this series.
Of course, "W" made mistakes, a major one with Iraq. The recession of 2008-2009 cannot be laid on G.W. Bush, as deregulation started with Bill Clinton. At least J. Mann discussed the positives, such as President Bush's work for AIDS, his willingness to work across the aisle, and No Child Left Behind.
The writing is good, but if you want a totally unbiased political book, don't read this. I have enjoyed getting overall pictures of the presidents with this series.
December 27, 2019
George W. Bush is another book in The American Presidents series. By design, the book is short. It gives a brief description of Bush's early life. His lack of passion for education caused him to be underestimated. He was actively involved in his father's political campaigns and learned to be a shrewd political operator. The author, James Mann, gave an unbiased evaluation of Bush, giving him credit for his decisiveness and his good intentions. He did provide a critical evaluation of Bush's tax cuts and his decision to go to war in Iraq. The book is a good, objective overview.
August 19, 2022
Another biased biography from The American Presidents series. Have been disappointed in the last few biographies I have read from this series, and I have read the biographies of every President.
Author did not even attempt to disguise his bias against President Bush and blatantly repeated debunked Democrat lies and misinformation about Bush, the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, 9/11, and Katrina. I am not a big fan of Bush but I am glad he was President instead of Gore when 9/11 happened, and agree with his response to it.
Author did not even attempt to disguise his bias against President Bush and blatantly repeated debunked Democrat lies and misinformation about Bush, the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, 9/11, and Katrina. I am not a big fan of Bush but I am glad he was President instead of Gore when 9/11 happened, and agree with his response to it.
May 6, 2019
It turns out that 146 pages was plenty of room to layout the bumbling President that “W” was. He blundered on Iraq, the economy, tax cuts, and Hurricane Katrina. The book clearly showed the oversized influence of VP Dick Cheney and Sec of State, Condi Rice. Bush was a party animal in his younger years and never a deep thinker- inclined to trust his staff rather than learn the issues himself,
February 3, 2023
I'm gonna start by saying that I don't praise GWB. I've read his autobiography, and my review of that book included some of my disappointments. Basically, I don't think W was as great as some republicans do, but I also don't go along with the conspiracy theories that state that he did 9/11. In reading this, I was looking for a more historical look at those eight years (I also checked out several other books from the local library).
There are some omissions in this particular biography that I noticed, having read 'A Charge To Keep' (which, I've found out was not written by the President, but by a ghostwriter), and 'Decision Points' (which he did write).
When James Mann wrote of how W. Bush gave up drinking, and even mentioned how it was during a run with which he'd had a hangover, there was no mention of how faint he'd felt. From what I've read, that last hangover, accompanied by feeling faint, lead him to his sobriety, but this book didn't completely mention that.
When the author began his commentary on how Bush ran for President, he neglected to mention that during the Iowa primary debate, Bush was asked about a favourite philosopher. His answer was "Christ...because he changed my heart." I don't know if the author didn't do research on the primary debates, or felt that keeping religion out of this book was for the best. It isn't a big omission, really, but it did help Bush win over evangelical (or otherwise Christian) voters. I mention this because in the chapter about his run for the nomination, the author mentioned how the then-future President was winning over Christian voters. To not mention this philosopher question and answer, nor the applause he received for it, is a huge oversight.
Come page 56, I was fairly certain that this was not the kind of book for which I'd been looking; what with the borderline critical commentary that was starting to filter in, and with the direct implications come page 57 and 58 surrounding the then-upcoming attack on September 11th, 2001. Sadly, Mann decided to hold off on the aforementioned critical commentary until which time the reader would be passing the halfway point of this book. Comments like: the administration was moving too slow, and another about how it was too late to send unmanned Predator drones for reconnaissance over Afghanistan on September 10th. I'd been looking for a more historical account that would be completely free of political opinion, and this sadly does not constitute a strictly historical account of George W. Bush's first campaign for the presidency through his remaining years in the White House.
On the latter half of page 58, the author alleges that Vice President Cheney made crucial decisions on 9/11 without clearing it with the President. Mann did reference how Bush later stated that Cheney called him (Bush) to get the okay for said crucial decisions, but jumps to the conclusion that this phone call never took place and that's just false, unfounded, and biased.
On page 59, it mentions how Bush stood with a bullhorn, telling the crowds that the rest of the world could hear them, and that the people who tore down the trade center buildings would hear them soon. Sadly, it doesn't include why Bush said these things. Also, this is a misquote. He also said, "I can hear you!" He said these things because it was being shouted that some couldn't hear what he was saying, and because he was trying to give hope.
Page 79 ended was the start of my speed reading. Page 88 came with a feeling of grace. The best part of chapter five is the fact that it does indeed come to an end. Sorry, it is just badly written. It was partially bad because of the supposedly clever way the author wrote in his opinions. It was not clever how Mann worked them in, unfortunately. Not at all. At the start of chapter six, I felt like the snowman who was voiced by Burl Ives as I was thinking, "tell me when it's over." Only, I wasn't thinking it with fear, obvs.
Page 94: it mentions that Rumsfeld was kept on because there was no immediate replacement. I feel like this was the second time I read this in this book.
Once i got to chapter seven, the critical commentary lessened briefly, and I stopped my speed and skim-reading. I didn't like how the author jumped from year to year. One minute, it was 2006, then 2007, then 2006 again, then 2009, then 2006 yet again, etc. It's one thing to stick on one subject and give a chronological time table, but to jump back and forth is a bit annoying. By this point, I was relieved to see there was only one final chapter and the epilogue to go through.
True to the way this was written, Mann also waited till the very last line of the epilogue to deliver his very last line of "critical commentary."
It would be a decent question to ask, "if you didn't like the book, why did you keep reading it?" I try to finish books even if I don't like them eventually, and even if it means speed-reading or skim-reading. If I get over halfway through a book, surely I can finish it. As a side note, I guess I should have read the author's mini biography at the back of the book before I checked this out at my local library. Having written 'The Rise Of The Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet," and "The Obamians: The Struggle Inside The White House To Redefine American Power," Mann clearly is a partisan author. One bright side is that I didn't pay a penny for this.
Maybe a strictly historical biography of GWB doesn't exist?
There are some omissions in this particular biography that I noticed, having read 'A Charge To Keep' (which, I've found out was not written by the President, but by a ghostwriter), and 'Decision Points' (which he did write).
When James Mann wrote of how W. Bush gave up drinking, and even mentioned how it was during a run with which he'd had a hangover, there was no mention of how faint he'd felt. From what I've read, that last hangover, accompanied by feeling faint, lead him to his sobriety, but this book didn't completely mention that.
When the author began his commentary on how Bush ran for President, he neglected to mention that during the Iowa primary debate, Bush was asked about a favourite philosopher. His answer was "Christ...because he changed my heart." I don't know if the author didn't do research on the primary debates, or felt that keeping religion out of this book was for the best. It isn't a big omission, really, but it did help Bush win over evangelical (or otherwise Christian) voters. I mention this because in the chapter about his run for the nomination, the author mentioned how the then-future President was winning over Christian voters. To not mention this philosopher question and answer, nor the applause he received for it, is a huge oversight.
Come page 56, I was fairly certain that this was not the kind of book for which I'd been looking; what with the borderline critical commentary that was starting to filter in, and with the direct implications come page 57 and 58 surrounding the then-upcoming attack on September 11th, 2001. Sadly, Mann decided to hold off on the aforementioned critical commentary until which time the reader would be passing the halfway point of this book. Comments like: the administration was moving too slow, and another about how it was too late to send unmanned Predator drones for reconnaissance over Afghanistan on September 10th. I'd been looking for a more historical account that would be completely free of political opinion, and this sadly does not constitute a strictly historical account of George W. Bush's first campaign for the presidency through his remaining years in the White House.
On the latter half of page 58, the author alleges that Vice President Cheney made crucial decisions on 9/11 without clearing it with the President. Mann did reference how Bush later stated that Cheney called him (Bush) to get the okay for said crucial decisions, but jumps to the conclusion that this phone call never took place and that's just false, unfounded, and biased.
On page 59, it mentions how Bush stood with a bullhorn, telling the crowds that the rest of the world could hear them, and that the people who tore down the trade center buildings would hear them soon. Sadly, it doesn't include why Bush said these things. Also, this is a misquote. He also said, "I can hear you!" He said these things because it was being shouted that some couldn't hear what he was saying, and because he was trying to give hope.
Page 79 ended was the start of my speed reading. Page 88 came with a feeling of grace. The best part of chapter five is the fact that it does indeed come to an end. Sorry, it is just badly written. It was partially bad because of the supposedly clever way the author wrote in his opinions. It was not clever how Mann worked them in, unfortunately. Not at all. At the start of chapter six, I felt like the snowman who was voiced by Burl Ives as I was thinking, "tell me when it's over." Only, I wasn't thinking it with fear, obvs.
Page 94: it mentions that Rumsfeld was kept on because there was no immediate replacement. I feel like this was the second time I read this in this book.
Once i got to chapter seven, the critical commentary lessened briefly, and I stopped my speed and skim-reading. I didn't like how the author jumped from year to year. One minute, it was 2006, then 2007, then 2006 again, then 2009, then 2006 yet again, etc. It's one thing to stick on one subject and give a chronological time table, but to jump back and forth is a bit annoying. By this point, I was relieved to see there was only one final chapter and the epilogue to go through.
True to the way this was written, Mann also waited till the very last line of the epilogue to deliver his very last line of "critical commentary."
It would be a decent question to ask, "if you didn't like the book, why did you keep reading it?" I try to finish books even if I don't like them eventually, and even if it means speed-reading or skim-reading. If I get over halfway through a book, surely I can finish it. As a side note, I guess I should have read the author's mini biography at the back of the book before I checked this out at my local library. Having written 'The Rise Of The Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet," and "The Obamians: The Struggle Inside The White House To Redefine American Power," Mann clearly is a partisan author. One bright side is that I didn't pay a penny for this.
Maybe a strictly historical biography of GWB doesn't exist?
April 5, 2022
Good overview of the W presidency, wish it went a little more in depth on his policy choices.
July 26, 2022
A very good and balanced short biography of one of America's recent Presidents.
Want to read
October 7, 20245 books political biography
February 28, 2017
George W. Bush was one of the most controversial Presidents of all-time. There really doesn't seem to be much middle ground with his eight years in the White House...you either respect him for the tough decisions he made or completely and utterly vilify him for his failures. As with most things in life, however, things are usually not that black and white, and in this case author James Mann does a great job of fairly examining both the successes and failures of the two Bush administrations.
If you are looking for one of the prime examples of how this series is supposed to function, this installment would be pretty much it. It covers the extent of Bush's political career (with more time spent on the presidential years, of course), as well as gives key insights on his personality (especially the family aspect that was so crucial to understanding "W") and how it may have changed or affected his time in office.
On the personal side of things, I can somewhat vouch for the accuracy of the material. During my senior year of undergraduate school, I penned a rather lengthy personality-study thesis on this Bush, which required combing through a number of different Bush family sources. Much of the same valuable information turned up in this book.
On the political side of things, perhaps the best endorsement I can give Mann is that, after reading this book, I honestly do not know if he is a Bush supporter or detractor. Even that statement probably isn't all that fair considering what I said before...that everything needs to be looked at in context and shades of grey. Mann just does a really, really good job of doing that and not letting personal biases cloud his judgement.
Overall, this was one of my favorite issues in this American Presidents series. It gave me everything I wanted and all the focus was in the right places. Can't ask for anything more.
If you are looking for one of the prime examples of how this series is supposed to function, this installment would be pretty much it. It covers the extent of Bush's political career (with more time spent on the presidential years, of course), as well as gives key insights on his personality (especially the family aspect that was so crucial to understanding "W") and how it may have changed or affected his time in office.
On the personal side of things, I can somewhat vouch for the accuracy of the material. During my senior year of undergraduate school, I penned a rather lengthy personality-study thesis on this Bush, which required combing through a number of different Bush family sources. Much of the same valuable information turned up in this book.
On the political side of things, perhaps the best endorsement I can give Mann is that, after reading this book, I honestly do not know if he is a Bush supporter or detractor. Even that statement probably isn't all that fair considering what I said before...that everything needs to be looked at in context and shades of grey. Mann just does a really, really good job of doing that and not letting personal biases cloud his judgement.
Overall, this was one of my favorite issues in this American Presidents series. It gave me everything I wanted and all the focus was in the right places. Can't ask for anything more.
February 11, 2024
Excellent book. I particularly liked that it was not a biased POV on W's time in office.
September 26, 2015
I've always enjoyed this series for its ability to distill and compact complex presidencies into approachable, digestible pieces. This work is no different. Most of the work could be gleaned by reading the accounts of the principles.
Mann faces a unenviable task of presenting a history of a presidency so recently ended. He addresses this in his afterward; saying while some things defy judgement for some time others are plainly obvious. Of course he has to say this. Conclusions must be made or else why was the book written?
Overall, Mann does an admirable job of trying to find a fair middle ground in examining W's presidency. He brings criticism where it's warranted (and acknowledged by Bush himself) and extends credit for positives in the administration.
Mann's main thrust comes in his criticism of Bush's reliance on advisors in his first term and his gambler/decider self image. It sits poorly with Mann, and not without good reason.
Generally negative, Mann still manages to give what feels like a reluctant respect for his subject. Even at times admiring Bush in the times when his practical decisions outweighed his ideology.
In short, books written by journalists are always a dicey proposition. Personal bias tends to stand out more as well as a cynical affliction especially prevalent among columnists of, "I know better." TBF, this attitude is necessary to sell paper and page clicks. However, the good ones always manage to acknowledge their bias and go out of their way to find the middle ground. I feel Mann accomplished that here.
Not a purchase but definitely worth a trip to your local library. And in a random aside, I feel the APS felt there was a money grab here in examining Bush. We have every recent presidency in the 20th century but no Clinton? Feels a little rushed, fellas.
Mann faces a unenviable task of presenting a history of a presidency so recently ended. He addresses this in his afterward; saying while some things defy judgement for some time others are plainly obvious. Of course he has to say this. Conclusions must be made or else why was the book written?
Overall, Mann does an admirable job of trying to find a fair middle ground in examining W's presidency. He brings criticism where it's warranted (and acknowledged by Bush himself) and extends credit for positives in the administration.
Mann's main thrust comes in his criticism of Bush's reliance on advisors in his first term and his gambler/decider self image. It sits poorly with Mann, and not without good reason.
Generally negative, Mann still manages to give what feels like a reluctant respect for his subject. Even at times admiring Bush in the times when his practical decisions outweighed his ideology.
In short, books written by journalists are always a dicey proposition. Personal bias tends to stand out more as well as a cynical affliction especially prevalent among columnists of, "I know better." TBF, this attitude is necessary to sell paper and page clicks. However, the good ones always manage to acknowledge their bias and go out of their way to find the middle ground. I feel Mann accomplished that here.
Not a purchase but definitely worth a trip to your local library. And in a random aside, I feel the APS felt there was a money grab here in examining Bush. We have every recent presidency in the 20th century but no Clinton? Feels a little rushed, fellas.
June 29, 2015
In this short-but-profound biography, Mann writes George Walker Bush was one of the most consequential presidents in American history. Like Lincoln and FDR before him, Bush was confronted by calamity. Yet he managed (at least initially) take the bull of events by the horns and quell fear. But unlike his two illustrious predecessors, Bush didn't earn the salida en hombros in the end. In many ways, he was a stubborn reactionary; he listened to his gut more than he did to other people. This anatomical auditory activity led to the US invasion of Iraq sans a long-term plan. He called himself "the decider." But did he make good decisions? His aides were constantly and painfully divided, and Vice President Dick Cheney was the one always deferred to, despite his darkness. It was only during the latter third of his presidency did Bush grow into the office and begin to make his own decisions, leaving behind the wandering wonks that were his advisers. As Mann shows us, politics -- and to a certain extent, business -- were always in Bush's blood. But not necessarily leadership. He served as the feel-good governor of Texas; his name, his pedigree, his state's importance and a weak, inconsistent Democratic opponent made him president in 2000. The Florida recount, when compared to the aforementioned advantages, pales in comparison. Bush acquired his leadership traits in the crucibles of 9/11, the Iraq war and the financial meltdown of 2008. The decisions Bush made as president -- rooted in tragedy, trial and tribulation -- had serious ramifications for America; ramifications that are not going away any time soon. Much like wounds sustained from the goring of bullhorns.
March 22, 2015
James Mann's insight on the George W. Bush presidency in such a short volume is truly outstanding. His approval on Bush's handling is slightly negative based on the tone he delivers in slight slimmers periodically throughout the book. But he does himself acknowledge his achievements with AIDS relief in Africa and the Afghanistan War. What he believes to be downfalls of his presidency were the Iraqi War, obviously, and his tax cuts. What he respects of Mr. Bush was that he was able to extend partisan lines and take a "liberal" approach to handling the economic crisis of 2008. Mann even mentions that the Clinton administration was to blame for the crisis, mostly, for their actions involving derivatives. So I recommend this book for a short, above basic knowledge of the Bush presidency!
March 6, 2016
I fully admit that I chose this relatively short biography of George W. Bush so that I could simply "check the box" in my list of Presidential biographies. Less than 150 pages, this will not stand the test of time as a comprehensive biography of GWB. It is simply too soon for any real scholarship or insight.
However, I was surprised by the balanced treatment of W's presidency. I am not a G.W. Bush fan on any level, but I did find myself reconsidering some aspects of his presidency based on the presentation of the facts laid out.
This is a very simple, fact-based biography that follows a chronology of the younger Bush's life and details of his presidency. Even if you really just want to pull the details of his time in office together in your head, this is not a bad place to start.
However, I was surprised by the balanced treatment of W's presidency. I am not a G.W. Bush fan on any level, but I did find myself reconsidering some aspects of his presidency based on the presentation of the facts laid out.
This is a very simple, fact-based biography that follows a chronology of the younger Bush's life and details of his presidency. Even if you really just want to pull the details of his time in office together in your head, this is not a bad place to start.
April 17, 2017
I was going to conclude my self-inflicted survey of American Presidents at the end of the last millennium, because the closer I got to current events, the more bios seemed to be hysterical than historical. But this biography popped up in Arthur Schlesinger’s series and I thought, what the heck, I’ll have just one more read for the road.
Anyone who paid much attention to Democrats and media reports at the time might ask themselves how such a “dolt” got elected President twice. Well, this book answers that question in a pretty straightforward and even-handed way, rounding out who George W. Bush really was, hitting both high and low points. Love him or hate him, at least it’s clear how the Bushes became the only other father-son Presidents since the Adams family.
Anyone who paid much attention to Democrats and media reports at the time might ask themselves how such a “dolt” got elected President twice. Well, this book answers that question in a pretty straightforward and even-handed way, rounding out who George W. Bush really was, hitting both high and low points. Love him or hate him, at least it’s clear how the Bushes became the only other father-son Presidents since the Adams family.
April 21, 2015
This was an excellently written book (quite short - 146 pages) on the George W Bush presidency. It highlighted his major blunders of the Iraq war, the two major tax cuts (one during a war) which favored the rich and turned a budget surplus into the highest deficit recorded, and of course the financial meltdown. I do agree with the author that Bush did learn from his mistakes and late in his second term became a better president. But, he still ranks as the worst president, that I have had during my life span.
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