GHW Bush Book: Snipes at Cheney and Rumsfeld

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 12:35:29 PM EST
Tags: GHW Bush (all tags)

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I have no intention of reading a book about George Herbert Walker Bush, but some of the quotes in media reviews are interesting:

On Dick Cheney, who served under Bush for 4 years:

“He just became very hard-line and very different from the Dick Cheney I knew and worked with,” Bush reportedly told Meacham, speculating that 9/11 had affected Cheney’s views. “Just iron-a*s. His seeming knuckling under to the real hard-charging guys who want to fight about everything, use force to get our way in the Middle East.”

Bush said Cheney, pushed to be more conservative by his wife and daughter, “had his own empire and marched to his own drummer.” Whose fault was this?

[More...]

On Donald Rumsfeld:

“I think he served the president badly,” Bush told Meacham, Peter Baker of the New York Times reported, quoting the book. He added: “I’ve never been that close to him anyway. … There’s a lack of humility, a lack of seeing what the other guy thinks. He’s more kick ass and take names, take numbers. I think he paid a price for that.”

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GHW Bush Book: Snipes at Cheney and Rumsfeld | 27 comments (27 topical)

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Gee, I guess I owe (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by KeysDan on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 01:38:08 PM EST

an apology to George W. Bush and Nancy Pelosi. Impeachment did not belong on the table for Bush; it belonged on the table for Mrs. Cheney. It was Lynne and daughter who served as the eminence gris, advising, once removed, President Bush. Taking a cue from Ben Carson, I think we wanted the guy's wife behind the counter.

Daddy Bush feels that Dick Cheney changed, apparently not noticing the evil effect his wife was having on him for decades. Like pushing for the overthrow of Saddam in the 1990s for control of oil, and, his fast one of being the chair of W's search for a vice president in 2000. After looking far and wide, the chair looked in the mirror and identified himself as the prettiest of all. And, the manipulations to avoid having both the presidential and vice presidential candidates residents of the same state, Texas for Bush, Haliburton of Texas, for Cheney.

Now, Daddy Bush is the one with the good judgment, like picking Dan Quayle as his vice president. And, speaking of quail, the Bush family members would be wise not to accept a hunting invitation from Cheney.

If it is wondered why, they can check with Harry Whittington, or get a photo of his face. Although, it was Harry's fault for getting his face in the way of the shot. But he, then, as me now, apologize to Mr. Cheney. His wife did it.

: :) Or as (none / 0) (#9)
by Nemi on Fri Nov 06, 2015 at 07:37:25 AM EST

Digby ends her piece on the subject, A little more than kin, and less than kind:

Did I mention Shakespeare?

When possibly he could have made... (5.00 / 3) (#7)
by desertswine on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 06:10:16 PM EST

a difference, he said nothing.

IOW... (none / 0) (#1)
by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 12:59:36 PM EST

...not GWB's fault, vote for JEB.

Don Rumsfeld may have "paid a price" ... (none / 0) (#2)
by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 01:06:27 PM EST

... for being "more kick ass and take names, take numbers," but he also effectively mortgaged the futures of tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel and their families with such unbridled hubris and manifest incompetence. Like Poppy Bush and Dick Cheney, that old man will soon depart the scene, having left a rather wide swath of wreckage, ruined lives and squandered potential in his turbulent wake.

Screw these people. What I said about the Bushes on Tuesday bears repeating. That entire sorry-assed family has been a veritable pox on the American body politic for the last four generations. Great-Grandpa George Walker was ethically corrupt, Grandpa Prescott Bush was totally amoral, Poppy George H.W. Bush was both entitled and mediocre, and Dubya and Jeb! are walking embodiments of the Peter Principle.

What the Bushes are to America, the Romanovs were to Russia.

The Passive Aggressive Presidency (none / 0) (#4)
by Mr Natural on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 01:43:03 PM EST

Yeah, that's a plan.

"Bush Dynasty Tearing itself apart: (none / 0) (#5)
by Mr Natural on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 03:19:15 PM EST

What George H.W. Bush vs. Dick Cheney is really about" - Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel)

So (none / 0) (#6)
by FlJoe on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 03:21:06 PM EST

now he tells us......... I wonder what he thinks of Wolfowitz and the rest of the band Jeb is putting back together.

Wow (none / 0) (#8)
by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 05, 2015 at 07:30:13 PM EST

I said in an earlier thread that IMO this book was nothing but an attempt to "polish the terd that is the Bush family name"

Turns out Jeb agrees with me!

I just saw a sound bite where he was asked about it and he said
(Wait let me rewind so I get the quote right)
"I think my dad, like a lot of people that loved George, wanted to try to create a,...a different narrative perhaps. Just because that natural to do. Right?"

Indeed

Poor Dick Cheney...Poppy finally (none / 0) (#10)
by Anne on Fri Nov 06, 2015 at 08:58:48 AM EST

reveals that it was Lynne Cheney who had the balls in that family, and not Dick; I suppose in that regard, he and Dick have one more thing in common. And it confirms what maybe we all knew: the character of the Bush men is long on cowardice. Reason enough not to allow JEB! entree into the presidential club.

If Bush 41 didn't have the balls to call out Cheney when it mattered, what possible point is there in raising it now? There's a whole lot of evil that can't be undone, and for which a lot of people continue to pay the price.

Oh, wait - book sales.

Seriously, the sooner the Bush family fades into obscurity the better.

Yes the evil Cheney (none / 0) (#11)
by jimakaPPJ on Fri Nov 06, 2015 at 09:45:35 AM EST

made Bush so hard line that W dared call Islam "the Religion of Peace."

That Comment... (none / 0) (#12)
by ScottW714 on Fri Nov 06, 2015 at 11:04:04 AM EST

...is about 10 ways interesting.


You can start with understanding that (1.00 / 2) (#13)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 01:56:29 AM EST

the plan was always nation building because Bush, and his advisers, believed that you could easily convert a Islamic country, especially one with some tendencies towards secularism, into a Western styled democracy.

That didn't work well but, and this is a big BUT, they were capable of stabilizing things until Obama cut and ran.

As for peace, here's the latest.


"That didn't work out well" (5.00 / 3) (#15)
by shoephone on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 10:37:54 AM EST

That's the understatement of the f*cking century. It "didn't work out well" because it was a stupid, corrupt plan to begin with. Those are your people, Jim: Stupid, corrupt a$$hats.

Bush and Cheney created a power and political vaccuum, and groups like IS moved in to fill it. You and your a$$hats made the Middle East into what it is. You and your a$$hats broke it, now you own it.


Actually the use of US military as (1.00 / 3) (#19)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 01:22:05 PM EST

a force for "good" is a demonstrably part of the Leftie meme for years and years. I give you the opposition of Vietnam's leaders that were deemed to be corrupt and eliminated by Kennedy followed by the Shah being destroyed by Cater. Then then there was Eisenhower's opposition to England and France's plans to re seize the Suez canal because they were "Colonial Powers."

There was some return to reality, bringing in the Shah comes to mind. But even there he was sold as a ruler who would secularize Iran, which he largely did but since he used some nasty ways to wipe out the radical islamists the Lefties hated him.

We supported Iraq against Iran because we wanted to punish Iran but here we see the Lefties crying over our helping, to a degree, a secular country fighting a radical islamist country.

It is funny how we can see the Right sporadically trying to use bad guys to fight our enemies while the Left opposed the moves vehemently. And that includes the Cold War and the ill named War On Terror and the invasion of Iraq. It should have been "War on Radical Islam."

But I digress. To more recent times. Clinton refused to accept and arrest Osama bin Ladin and could never find the nerve to wipe out the Taliban in Afghanistan. He thus served bin Ladin very well.

Bush invaded Iraq because he believed, based on a great deal of information, that Saddam was siding with al Qaeda because of Desert Storm. That Saddam was demonstrably guilty of multiple violations of UN sanctions, attempts to purchase uranium and foot dragging over inspections and awards and succor to terrorist fueled the decisions.

The invasion was a success. But the nation building failed. It may have been a success had we stayed the course but Obama tucked tail and ran like a whipped 12 year old. And I hereby apologize to 12 year olds.

Obama's actions birthed ISIS.


: More of Jim's nutty rewriting of history (none / 0) (#26)
by shoephone on Sun Nov 08, 2015 at 01:07:48 AM EST

Same as it ever was.

Let me quote you shoe (none / 0) (#16)
by FlJoe on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 11:39:22 AM EST

"don't feed the troll", just kidding feed him all you want, we all do at times, just try to keep him away from the open threads, and never discuss the "weather", if you know what I mean.


: You're right about that FlJoe (none / 0) (#25)
by shoephone on Sun Nov 08, 2015 at 01:04:19 AM EST

Willpower fluctuates. But sometimes the troll's stench is so thick, it needs to be fumigated.

"But..they were capable of.." (none / 0) (#17)
by jondee on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 12:07:07 PM EST

is a statement of faith - unsupported by the extant evidence - not a statement of fact.

From a dyed-in-the-wool True Believer.


Yeah, OK Jim... (none / 0) (#27)
by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 09, 2015 at 09:43:17 AM EST

...I guess 'The Surge' was needed because the Bush admin was 'capable of stabilizing things'.

The idea that Iraq was cool until Obama was elected is probably one of your finer history rewrites and simply not true in any sense, and I know you know that.


This (none / 0) (#14)
by FlJoe on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 05:59:03 AM EST

W dared call Islam "the Religion of Peace."

had absolutely nothing to do with Cheney. I happen to think this is possibly the most decent thing W did as president, but I suspect it was more blowing a kiss to his BFFs in Saudi then anything else.

Cheney could give a flying fig about religion, I am convinced he hates the entire human race, it was always about the oil and the neo-con wet dreams of American hegemony.


American hegemony.. (none / 0) (#18)
by jondee on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 12:18:07 PM EST

And then there was that "Securing The Realm" strategy cooked up by some members of Likud North, commuting between Washington and some West Bank settlement..


Ah yes (none / 0) (#20)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 01:23:24 PM EST

The Religion of Peace has arrived.


: And bullsh#t (none / 0) (#24)
by jondee on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 11:12:37 PM EST

and talking to yourself in the mirror over the sink remains your religion.

I see that sarcasm is not your strong point. (none / 0) (#21)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 01:26:25 PM EST

: I see (5.00 / 3) (#23)
by FlJoe on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 03:11:06 PM EST

that logic is not yours.

I see that sarcasm is not your strong point. (none / 0) (#22)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 07, 2015 at 03:01:19 PM EST