Bush

By: Jean Edward Smith

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, almost single-handedly decided to invade Iraq. It was possibly the worst foreign-policy decision ever made by a president. The consequences dominated the Bush administration and still haunt us today.

In Bush, Jean Edward Smith demonstrates that it was not Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or Condoleezza Rice but President Bush himself who took personal control of foreign policy. Bush drew on his deep religious conviction that important foreign-policy decisions were simply a matter of good versus evil. Domestically, he overreacted to 9/11 and endangered Americans' civil liberties. Smith explains that it wasn't until the financial crisis of 2008 that Bush finally accepted expert advice, something that "the Decider", as Bush called himself, had previously been unwilling to do. As a result he authorized decisions that saved the economy from possible collapse, even though some of those decisions violated Bush's own political philosophy.

©2016 Jean Edward Smith (P)2016 Tantor

Pronounciation of Arabic names was really grating

Good book but the pronouciation of Arabic names (especially of Maliki) was really grating. It just went on and on.

Excellent

Having just finished listening to Smith’s Bush biography, I disagree with suggestions of it being biased. It does indeed takes a critical look at the Bush 43 presidency and a biography of any administration must do that in order to have credibility- and criticism is not the same as bias.

I found it to be fair- highlighting successes along with failures- and to suggest Bush didn’t have massive, historical failures would simply be dishonest. The facts and information provided are easily verified and most listeners will likely remember first-hand the events covered.

This is an extremely well-written account of the Bush 43 era, it’s an easy listen that draws you in and the 25 hours just seem to fly by.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in American political history, but would discourage anyone looking for revisionism. I found it highly informative and a rewarding listen. It is by no means a puff piece, but neither does the author attempt a character assassination.

Reads like a novel - complete page turner

Where does Bush rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitely in the top 20 (I have read a bunch). I don't think I would read it again but it is fascinating the first time.

What did you like best about this story?

The blend of third party commentary and the views and vision of the man himself.

Which character – as performed by Tom Perkins – was your favorite?

Well, there is really only one. Bush.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It was very compelling.

Any additional comments?

The book starts with a background of Bush - a very funny, witty, and sympathetic man. The book ends with the Bush that the world saw following Sept 11 - he was struggling to fully understand what had happened and really did not comprehend the wide reaching problems his actions would have. I was not a fan of Bush as President, but this book humanized him and made me more aware of the complexity of the job, the poor advice and resulting poor decisions he made. While my feelings about him as a poor president did not change I feel that now I understand him better.

Well written, reasonably balanced- a good read

If you could sum up Bush in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, detailed, objective

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bush?

The earlier part of the book that talks about Bush's early life and challenges and how they made and shaped the man he became later. It was well done and conveyed empathy with Bush, even if you may not have agreed with or even liked him as president.

If you could give Bush a new subtitle, what would it be?

The man behind the Presidency

Any additional comments?

The author is clearly not a Bush fan, but I did not find the book overly anti-Bush in tone. I felt he took effort to present objective facts and details in an interesting, narrative way, and drew conclusions based on the facts.

A Balanced, Outstanding Biography

I strongly disagree with many of the other reviews that accuse this biography of being biased against George W. Bush. On the contrary, this book offers a balanced perspective on Bush's successes and failures. Although I still strongly disagree with Bush's war against Iraq, I have more respect for Bush as a human being and a better understanding of why he made the choices that he did. This book described many of Bush's positive accomplishments during his presidency about which I was unaware. If anything, I found fhe book too complimentary of NCLB, an educational policy that in reality had many flaws. I highly reccomend this book for anyone that wants to better understand the presidency of George W. Bush. The book is also fast paced and held my attention throughout. The reader does an excellent job and is a joy to listen to.

Delusions of Competence

If, like me, you thought of George W. Bush as an intellectual lightweight who was manipulated by Cheney, Rumsfeld, and all the other neoconservatives in launching a devastating war for fabricated reasons, prepare to be surprised.

He was much worse than that.

With the meticulous and persuasive “Bush,” Jean Edward Smith methodically dismantles the prevailing misconceptions of the 43rd president, who reveled in his role as Commander in Chief and wasn’t kidding when he announced, “I’m the decider.” He was. He made firm, crisp decisions, often without much thought.

Smith chronicles Bush’s early years as a back-slapping, hard-drinking son of privilege, parlaying his achievements as Texas governor and his born-again conversion into an improbable run for the presidency. Far from being duped by subordinates, he was a quiet Christian zealot who—whether supporting childhood education or laying waste to Iraq—believed without question he was doing God’s will. It was to him a Higher Authority that outranked both the Constitution and international law. Cheney and others were all too willing to follow his lead.

When intelligence didn’t demonstrate that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, Bush didn’t push for more. What he pushed for was better marketing, to persuade the American public that the invasion he had already irrevocably decided upon was justified. It wasn’t faulty intelligence, it was orchestrated lies about what the intelligence really said.

It is clear that Bush was determined to vanquish Iraq long before the 9/11 attack on New York.

“Bush” is filled with detailed anecdotes (the hardcover is 832 pages long), such as his futile attempt to convince the French to join the coalition against Saddam. It’s what led Bush partisans to label the French as cowards, and to rename French fries as “freedom fries” in the Congressional cafeterias.

The French declined to join in the invasion, not for lack of courage, but because Jacques Chirac was shocked when Bush told him the war was mandated by the Book of Revelations. At that moment, Chirac knew that the failure to find WMD would never be enough to deter Bush.

Smith writes, “For Bush the coming attack [on Iraq] would mark the beginning of the final battle to rid the world of evil. He may or may not have believed it would be a cakewalk, but he was certain it was God’s will.”

That invasion was seen by most of the world as a war of US aggression. At the UN, Kofi Annan flatly called it “illegal.”

For Bush, everything was a self-righteous holy war against “the axis of evil,” the obvious implication being that he had no business serving as Commander in Chief. The smug, unconditional certainty that derived from a born-again religious conviction carried the world into war that may never end. Not to mention the great recession that followed.

Together with a massive aggregation of particulars by the author, the narration by Tom Perkins contributes much to the credibility of “Bush.” His delivery is straightforward, unemotional, and free of any implied opinion that could easily surface amid the damning details. The book is highly critical of Bush, yet far too meticulous to be dismissed as an opinionated hatchet job.

The former president has often said that history will be kind to his legacy. Smith’s conclusion that Bush “may have been the worst president in U.S. history” is not a very good start.

A Powerful Reminder

Most people don't like to be reminded of our errors but it is helpful to understand the many ways in which the Bush43 presidency went wrong. Smith has chronicled these 8 years and more with measured prose and does not engage in piling on when that would be the all too human instinct. Never again, folks.

Poor Narrator

I’ve read two other biographies by Jean Edward Smith and loved them. While I enjoyed this book, the narrator was terrible. Stop trying to sound like Bush. It is off putting.

Also learn how to pronounce names. Colin Powell pronounced his first name like colon. The narrator sometimes pronounced it correctly and sometimes didn’t.

Critical comments could have been softened a bit!

A little too critical in some parts of the book. Would like to have more detail of the market crash and the key players roles.

Covers the bases

A comprehensive look at the life, accomplishments, and failings of the 43rd president. Smith is no fan, considering Bush's presidency as a monumental failure though he does credit him with several successes such as his campaign to combat AIDS in Africa and his response to the 2008 financial crisis. In other words, Smith treads on no new ground here. This is worthy history but thin biography. A reader looking for insights into what made Bush tick, his younger years, or his relationships will find slim pickings here.