Editors: Michael Nelson and Barbara A. Perry
Publisher: Cornell University Press – 254 pages
(Published in association with the University of Virginia’s Miller Center)
Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram

George H.W. Bush, or the “senior” Bush as he was called after his son George W. Bush became president, will be best remembered I believe, for his accomplishments overseas, although his successful, effective dealings with Congress on the budget in all four years also contributed to his outstanding record as president.

Some of the conflicts Bush engaged the U.S. military in, were:

  • Invasion in December 1989, of Panama to defend democracy, human lives, and rights
  • Forcible eviction in 1991, of Iraqi troops from Kuwait to help assert its sovereignty
  • Intervention, in December 1992-January 1993, in Somalia for humanitarian reasons

The most significant of the above was the massive and relentless bombardment (for a limited period of course) of the Iraqi incursions into Kuwait and their swift removal from there.

One of the most important parts of this book is chapter 9, Organizing Security: How the Bush Presidency Made Decisions on War and Peace, in which the writer of this chapter Bartholomew Sparrow quotes Bush’s chief of staff John Sununu on the successful effort in Kuwait:

“George Bush’s handling put just enough tension on the line (the former president was an ardent fisherman and has engaged in other sports too, like skydiving). You know,  it’s like catching a 10-lb bass on a 3-lb line. You’ve got to keep the right tension in there because if you let it go too slack it snaps the first time there’s a pull, and if you have too much tension you can snap it…it was really an artful, artful dance.”

Sparrow also quotes former U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, one of Bush’s national security advisors:

“The president and I talked about it many times. …and how fortunate it was that we were on the right side of history in what we were doing. We were not bucking a tide. We were trying to mold it and guide it into channels that would produce the right outcome and be peaceful. Yes, there was a sense of amazement through the whole administration.

The authors Nelson and Barry put these and other important highlights – positive and otherwise – of the senior Bush’s term in their outline of this book’s contents as shown below:

Introduction: History and George Bush

American Conservatism

  • George Bush: Texan, Conservative
  • George Bush and American Conservatism

War and Statecraft

  • Organizing Security: How the Bush Presidency Made Decisions About War and Peace
  • When George Bush Believed the Cold War Ended and Why That Mattered
  • Character and Consequence: The John Tower Confirmation Battle

Domestic Politics and Policy

  • The Offered Hand and the Veto Fist; George Bush, Congress, and Domestic Policy Making
  • From Oral History to Oral Argument: George Bush’s Supreme Court Appointments

Conclusion: Navigating the Crosswinds of Modern Politics and Policy

The authors point out many of his accomplishments and his successful dealings with leaders of major countries in the Middle East as well as Russia, China, and Germany. During his momentous presidency, the Soviet Union imploded, the Cold War ended, China’s political reform movement came to a bloody halt in Tiananmen Square, and the Berlin Wall fell. They also answer  important questions such as why Bush was not able to win reelection. This is a great book.

 

Editors:
Michael Nelson
Barbara A. Perry

Foreword by: Philip Zelikow

Chapter Authors:
Henry J. Abraham
Jeffrey A. Engel
Hugh Heclo
Sidney M. Milks
Michael Nelson
Barbara A. Perry
Russell L. Riley
Barbara Sinclair
Bartholomew Sparrow
Robert A. Strong