Have a question you find your way to the microphone so everybody on the film can hear you and the store but jean would very much appreciate being able to hear you. Finally, at the end before you come up to get your books signed, our staff would ask you to fold up the chairs you are seat in and lean them against something it looked likes it will not topple over. This must be a crowd of truly hard core president ial history enthusiasm or you are looking for a distraction from the president ial election happening before us. It is a pleasure to introduce Jean Edward Smith who has proven to be a very dish distinguished biography of president s. He has written about eisenhower, grant, and John Marshall and clay. All of this while holding down a day job at several professors with the longest being the university of toronto for 35 years and a dozen years at marshall university. And he has been at princeton, columbia, and in virginia and a couple others. Jean is critical of our 43rd president and question whether it is was the misguiding of iraq, the torture tactics, the fumbled response to katrina there is much to be critical about. He places responsibility for the vgzs resonating failure on the former president not withstanding the influence that also was wielded by such major figures as cheney and rumsfeld. But as the new yorker said, jeans book doesnt feel like a hatchet job. It is in the words of the New York Times a comprehensive narrative. The New York Times said jean writes with a sense of history. Speaking of how jean writes one of the most interesting tidbits i learned from the acknowledgments in bush the book is he still composes in long hand on yellow legal pad and then has someone type up what he has written. When you consider this book totaled 800 pages in print that is a lot of legal pads. Please join me in welcoming Jean Edward Smith. [applause] thank you very much. This is my third biography at politics and pros. Earlier i did fdr and eisenhower. It is also a pleasure to return to washington where i was born 83 years ago and went to Elementary School and Junior High School and high school. I was not permitted to interview george bush for the biography. Dick cheney who i interviewed a number of times setup an interview for me with the president at the bush library in dallas and just before i was to fly out i got a call from one of bushs aides who said the doesnt want to see you. You wrote a book critical of his father and he doesnt wish to see you. Which is true. In 1992 i wrote about bushs dealing with the first iraq war and it was critical of bushs discussion in iraq. Before i began, let me make remarks and put the biograpy in context. When it came to Foreign Policy, george bush was the decider. After 9 11 he relished his role as commander and chief and everything became chain of command. Bush was not a tool of cheney or rice or of the neo cons or anything else. He was the driving force whether it was cia renditions or nsa snooping or the war in iraq. These were all principle decisions made by the president and everyone in the Administration Fell into line. In that context, let niasia ellis a me say a word about the National Security administration. The idea was to prevent the c concentration of power that happened during fdr and world war ii. It was modeled after the british cabinet and designed to bring the secretary of defense and secretary of state into a conference with the president on National Security issues. Truman used it that way, eisenhower used it that way and eisenhower met with leaders every week on thursday at 10 oclock. And in eight years at the white house he presided over 314 meetings of the nsc. The change came with john kennedy. Kennedy appointed Mcgeorge Bundy as his National Security advisor. Neither truman or eisenhower had a security advisor. Under truman and eisenhower the staff were note takers and minute keepers and numbered 34. Under kennedy, the size of the staff increased to 20 and began to handle policy issues. It doubled when kissinger became the National Security advisor to nixon. By the time george bush took over it numbered well over a hundred. These were professional experts in areas. In many respects, the National Security act of 1947 has been turned on its head. Instead of a body that coordinated policy, the National Security staff became a policymaking tool of the president. Bush ran policy from the white house and the National Security staff allowed him to do so. The second point i would like to make is that bush is a born again christian who saw the world in biblical terms and that was specially true after 9 11. Bush defined the battle of terrorism as a struggle between good and evil and saw himself as gods agent put on earth to defeat the forces of satan. That religious fixation is the common denominator behind the domestic excesses of the Bush Administration and the Foreign Policy decisions they made. In many respects, the contrast to lincoln is interesting. Lincoln, in 1861 after the battle of bull run, was visited by a delegation of protestant members and the spokesperson told lincoln he had a vision from heaven the night before and he said he was on lincolns side. Lincoln replied i hope the lord is on my side what i really need is kentucky. [laughter] today is george bushs 70th birthday. He was born in new haven, connecticut on july 6, 1946. Upon graduation from yale, the family moved to texas and senior bush went into the oil business. George bush grew up in midland and went to Andover High School where he finished near the bottom of his class. The dean of students at andover told george not to bother to apply to yale because his grades were so low but he did and was admitted. He was a fourth legacy at yale. His grandfather, great grandfather and father went to yale. At the time he applied, yale was admitting 52 of grandfathered applicants. Brewster became president of georges freshman year and changed the rules. From that point on, jail took the same amount of students princeton and harvard took, 14 . Bushs three brothers and his sisters had the same legacy creden credentials but none of them got in. Bush did no better at yale than he did at andover. Returned to texas and spent the next five years in the wilderness. His father arrangeed for him to be commissional in the texasair National Guard which deferred him from service in the vietnam and his career in the guard has become a matter of controversy. It was during these five years that bush drank heavily and used drugs. He was admitted to Harvard Business school in december of 1973 and wub one of the few graduates of harvard not to have a job promised when graduated. He had 53 interviews and didnt receive a job. His classmates considered him dynamically ignorant. With no job offer, bush returned to texas and like his father went into the oil business buying leases on property hoping to strike oil. In 1977 he married laura welsh and the following year ran to recede retiring democratic congressman george mayhan. You will remember, may hp han was chairman of the Appropriation Committee for 12 years and a Senior Member of the house. Bush lost the election, returned to the oil business and prospered through family cune connecti connections for several years but the downturn in the Oil Prices Hit hard and he eventually sold out. During this time, bush became a bornagain christian. He credits billy graham with his rediscovery of god but the fact is the conversion came a year earlier by a lesser known evangelist named arthur bliss. It is true bush gave up drinking. The occasion was his 40th Birthday Celebration at the broad moore hotel in colorado springs. Bush was celebrating his 40th birthday and bush became hopelessly intoxicated and woke up with an incredibly hangover and resolved to quit drinking. Laura said it was because he got the bill for the previous nights celebration. Actually it was because george recognized his father was running for president and he didnt want to embarrass him in any way so he stopped drinking. It was 1986 and no longer in the oil business, george and his family moved to washington to assist in his fathers president ial campaign in the 80 election. George was given an office, Campaign Head quarters in the woodward building down on 15th street near the white house. His office was between lee etwater who was managing the xanl and robert ails who was handling the publicity and is now head of fox news. For the next two years, george learned about politics from George Michael decaucus and george saw how to run a president ial campaign. When the election was over in november of 88, george declined to work in his fathers administration and returned to texas. He started an informalal campaign to run for governor but help organize the syndicate to by the rangers. They are the old Expansion Team that was formed here in 1961, moved to texas in 1972. So they were scarcely contenders. The deal provided the team to come through and pushed that money for governor and for the next four years was the public head of the texas rangers. He owned only 2 of the stock. Built a new stadium. When clinton won the election, bush went back to texas. In florida, jeb was a democratic incumbent. George won in texas, jeb lost in florida, and from that point on george became the likely successor to his father. Texas is the second largest state in the region in terms of wrr and population but the governor of texas has no executive authority. That reflects the postreconstruction constitution 1876 which took power from the governor. The governor of texas is essentially a symbolic figure, a little like the queen of england. Most Political Science scholars in State Government consider the texas governship the weakest in the United States. The governor cant even issue pardons. In that position, bush thrived. He was overwhelming reelected in 1998 and he also built a very effective political machine there led by karl rove and kerry hughes and was exploring the possibilities of running for president in 2000. Bush announced his canidacy and defeated john mccain in the primaries and was nominated at the republican convention. Al gore was the nominee and selected to win the election. He chose liberman, the most conservative democrat in the body. Gore did poorly in the three debates. The choice of his Vice President and the snubbing of clinton gave Third Party Candidate ralph nadir on the left and the election came down to florida. Gore failed to carry ten States Clinton carries. The Supreme Court decided the election and bush became president. Bush was suburb as a politician but had little executive experience, little traveling abroad, a short Attention Span and genuinely believed he was gods agent put here on earth. With the exception of appointing colin powell as secretary of state and rumsfeld as secretary of defense and he assigned top officials and cloaked himself in the white house with staff from texas and rice as his National Security advisor. It is not conceivable that roosevelt would have turned the selection of the cabinet over to john garner or that eisenhower would have allowed nixon to do thereat especially after the scandal that. As a result of cheneys input, bush took office with a subcabinet appointee list who are powerfully motivated and already equipped to provide the intellectual justification for the president s policies. Conservative outlook and articulate, these likeminded friends, scooter libby, paul and abe played an Important Role in bushs first two years. His staff became part of the white house staff. They were all white house staff. The administrations position on energy, the revision of the tax code in 2001 and after 9 11 the president ial directive to try alqaeda members by military commissions all reflected cheneys input. But over the years, his influence faded. Initially, bush devoted himself to domestic issues. The United States ran a budgetary surplus under clinton for the last three and a half years. Clinton applied to reduce the national debt. Bush insisted the surplus money should be return today the taxpayers. It is your money, he said frequently on the election trail. And it is urging congress to select one of the largest tax cuts in america history. He pressed education reform that first year and in this case, no child left behind, which Congress Also enacted. Bush rarely touched Foreign Policy issues in his first month in office but when he did it was with a determination to assert american supremacy. The Clinton Administration and south korea had worked since 1994 to bring north korea back into the family of nations. The United States and south korea would provide economic assistance for north korea in return for which north korea would abandon its nuclear program. Albright visited north korea in 2000 and the president of north korea came to washington in march of 2001 to really put the final seal on the deal with north korea. North korea was on the verge of renouncing Nuclear Weapons and signing a peace treaty with the south. Bush rejected the idea. This didnt bubble up from the white house staff. The North Koreans were evil he believed and the government must be replaced. This was bushs personal decision. The attacks of 911 were a surprise but enforce the view of bushs view of good versus evil. The attacks of 9 11 were a defining moment by conflating attacks with Saddam Hussein bush led the United States into a 3 trillion war in iraq, alienating and weakened alliances and inspired young muslims throughout the world to join jihad. Domestically the hysteria undermined civil liberty, eroded the rule of law, and tarnished the respect and traditional American Values of tolerance and moderation. I am the war president bush once boasted. On september 12th, he assumed total responsibility and authority as the nations commander and chief. That morning, cheney offered to lead a group of cabinet officers to devise a policy and bush rejected the offer. This is a job for the commander and chief and cannot be delegated said bush. Rather than treat the events of 9 11 as isolated incidents, rather than handle them through a political process bush depicted them as acts of war by the forces of evil. I will not go into the bushs assault on American Civil Liberties tonight. In the book, i devote to chapters to nsa spying and torture trail. Bush genuinely believed he was fighting the forces of satan and as a result of that no holes are barred. Rather that is enhanced interrogation, extraordinary n rendition, or surveillance of the american people. Let me say a few words about the war in iraq. From the beginning, bush was determined to remove Saddam Hussein. The intervention in afghanistan was simply a warmup. Bush instructed the department of defense to prepare to invade iraq and ignored the finding of u. U. N. Weapon i specters. Planning for the innovativasion in 2003. The purpose was remove Saddam Hussein, destroy whatever weapons of mass destruction might be found and leave iraq as soon as possible. They believed 90 days would be sufficient and that is what the military planned for. The invasion took place, saddam was toppled, the search for military weapons began and the military began to withdraw leaving it to the iraqis to work things out as both the state and Defense Department saw it iraq had been liberated and it was up to the iraqis to hand it. The iraqi army remained in place and the Senior Leadership council established by general jay garner was developing plans for a new government and iraq most importantly was still a secular state. On may 1st, 2003, speaking on the flight deck of the lincoln, lincoln under a banner that read mission accomplishment, bush said that the purpose of the invasion was to bring democracy to iraq. But the United States forces would remain there until that was accomplished. Bush drained the mission without consulting anyone. The decision was unilateral. The army would become occupiers and bring democracy to iraq. Rumsfeld, franks, powell were all dumb founded boy the change. Let me digress to explain the difference between being liberators and occupiers. Liberators set a country free. Occupiers impose their will. In world war ii, franklin didnt bother governing occupied france. They both felt jgenerous objections. The troops moved away. When they crossed into germany, germany became occupied and the allies took control. The state department and military assumed they were liberating iraq from saddam and the iraqis would work things out for themselves. Then on may 1st, on the flight deck, bush changed direction. Instead of liberators, Coalition Forces would become occupieoccu and really it was down hill from there. Paul brimmer was appointed to head the occupation as the president s representative. The iraqi army was disbranded, most offices closed, and Coalition Forces became the enemy. Bush bears sole responsibility for that decision. Let niasia ellme say a wod word the atrocities committed at abu grave and what we didnt know was the military guards were not acting on their own. They were not simply hillbillies but were urged by the cia and military intelligence to abuse the prisoners to set them up to confe confe confess in the interrogation that followed. Four separate investigations, the first by general antonio documented the efforts were to break the will of the prisoners before they were integ interrogated. The army passed when he was head of the alumni, the president of princeton was saying he would seek the nomination in 2016. Maybe they were right except eisenhower when he was president of columbia in 1952 didnt forget. The sunni leadership decided [inaudible] they want clerics to disband the army which is what we was told to do and in late 2008, bush went it baghdad and signed an agreement with the withdrawl of American Forces in 2011. That was when iraq tooshg all the issues and threw them at. If anyone can think of anything it is worth, please let me know. Herbert hoover probably has a lot behind bush. Bush did well domesomesdomestic president. No child left behind was a positive contribution particularly for children from certain fmlies. The ability of medicare to provide prescription drugs for the seniors is remarkable. Bush took the lead on the global fight in aids particularly in africa and the disease under his administration was somewhat brought under control. Bush remains active in the fight. He expanded American Free trade. The United States had free trade agreements with israel, canada and mexico when bush took office and that expanded to 16 countries. Bush concluded an agreement with putin to reduce the Nuclear Arsenal that each country maintains and improved relations with china, really. I think bushs most important achievement because to maintain the economic breakdown. He bailed out law street and the American Auto industry and avoided another great depression. Unlike the war in iraq, bush listened to his advisors. Bush adopted the strategy carved out. From billing out subprime lenders to rescuing the market with the trouble asset relief program. It was a remarkable achievement and failed to let the economy sink. I havent said anything about bushs personal life. He was always an early riser getting up at 5 45 a. M. And still does. Goes to bed before two. Exercised for two hours a day in the white house gym. He wasnt a detailed man. He wanted short descriptions and brief memos. He and laura were closed and the white house kept entertainment to a minimum. Laura was a major source of support for the president and took her responsibilities seriously. She accompanied bush on trips abroad and provided comfort for him. A long serving senator from maryland and staunch democrat said he thought laura was the best first lady he ever met. Bush doesnt miss the office, doesnt try to second guess obama. Curious, if you can believe it but after the election, after obama was swrn in, bush told friends in dallas, free at last. I think his decision to to attack iraq is one of the worst that goes on. Thank you very much. I think your presentation and book is quite interesting. You present a person who may be unqualified. Can you give the historical points that might have change the course of history. I think first of how george w. Bush was selected as the republican nominee over john mccain and if things were different otherwise that would have significantly changed the course of history. And secondly, al gores brush off of bill clinton in the democratic race as well. So i guess the question i have as a historian looking back, what lessons in your work do you find i am not sure. I think i will let it sit at that if you dont mind. I just have one question. Morris burrman mentioned bushs drinking in one of his book saying he quit drinking but didnt take the steps to grow up. I look around and think a country of alcoholics can be dangerous because they are running around unimpaired and still thinking and acting on impulse. I didnt know that but i think you are absolutely right. Professor smith, i am a College Student in the washington, d. C. Area and several years ago i read a few years ago i read your biography of eisenhower. Are you able to hear me . Several years ago, i read your biography of president eisenhower which was one of the most interesting and meaningful books that i have read. I know you served in berlin. Was anything helpful with this . And if they were how were they helpful . My military experience . I can only say about my service in berlin. I lived next door to norm shortstop. But it really goes back to my childhood here in washington, d. C. My grandmother lived with us and before starting school, my grandmother read bioogragraphie me. Before i took my oral, the chairman wanted me to bring him a list of books i read and i did and he said there are a lot of biographies here. Just to pickup on the last question. How do you see bush in the light of eisenhowers legacy . How would eisenhower have assessed bushs record . In the light of the Republican Party, how do you see eisenhower dealing with that . Eisenhower went to make peace korea. Eisenhower seeing the war first hand didnt want to back into it. When eisenhower won against taft he represented the Republican Party and the liberal wing of the republicanperty dominated. Taft was the doll innocent conservative wing of the party. He lost and eisenhower had no use for them. It was eisenhower behind the scene who conducted the operation against joe mccarthy. Rather why do you think it is that democrats and other politicians have continued in the suppression of Civil Liberties and brought our country to the point where people like jimmy carter call it al oligarchy . I dont know. The republicans have moved further to the right than it was 4050 years ago and i think this view comes naturally. I am not sure of that. But i think it is possible. The democrats actsed more like republicans except for social issues. And the money in politics issue as well. You can say the whole spectrum moved to the right. I read your biography of fdr and i would like to say we americans are fortunate a Canadian Scholar is tacking so many of these questions in american history. I have confess, when the university of toronto hired me in 1965 in the department of political economy, it was very large. 170some faculty members. I was the First American on board and i was there to teach american government. So i taught american government. Your statement this was the worst Foreign Policy decision every made. I cannot believe anyone here would not conquer with that. It has unleashed the sunnishiite war and invited iran to the scene. My question is do you think it is fair to argue week blame the iraq war largely for the arrival of isis. Absolutely. Because as saddam remained in power iraq was a secular state at the time. I think that is absolutely correct. I have been thinking a great deal about is there another Foreign Policy decision that might outrank bushs decision to go to iraq. There is no war of terrorism and so forth that came out of the vietnam war as there is here. I think that is the principle sanctions between the two. Thank you. Another question about colin powell. I wanted to ask your thoughts about colin powell. It seems like he is a tragic hero and may have a lot of remorse but his story no, there is a very good biography written by the reporter for the washington post. Powell was tragic. He was bushs first cabinet appointee. Bush really wanted him but he was quickly shutout by the white house. In the end, this may be in your book but how directly involved was bush in the decision to d disband the army . Did bush give the order . No, bus did not give the order. Bish did not order it, though. So we had a few glancing mentions of the current nominee for president in the Republican Party. I have noticed among democrats and republicans there tends to be a great deal of renewed positive feelings toward george w. Bushs presidency in wake of the current nominee. What do you think of that . My dad is an Old School Democrat and things among this daem view of muslims from entering versus bushs repeated sayings of islam is a culture of peace. I am surprised that there is a belief that bushs reputation is improving. I think if you looked at the report of bush and blare it is not going to improve. But, simon and shuster, which it wanted me to write an opted on comparing bush and trump and i said, no. When you said going to iraq was the worst Foreign Policy and to flip the question what are the best foreign policies he instituted . The best . I guess we have to go back to the Roosevelt Administration and certainly eisenhowers decision to make piece in korea was a breakthrough. Eisenhower was working on this a great deal. The Roosevelt Administration i think is where you would have to go back to. But maybe, certainly, president linco lincoln decision to maintain the union. I think you have a concern about the iraq war under george bush was the worst Foreign Policy. Also, it is still going on, too. That is quite right. Bush decided to go into iraq but i am going to take a minority position on this but i am not sure the war in afghanistan was necessary. Planes crashing into a build and attacking is not a reason to go to war. You handle that the in the court. That is what i believe. Bush welcomed possibility to be a war hero like this father. Richard carcass suggested george bush should be tried as a war criminal. Any thoughts on that . I dont think president s are guilty of war crimes. There was a movie that portrayed policy being made and saying at the lastminute lets consult the white house. I think they made policy but i dont think they said lets consult with the white house i think they knew they had to consult with the white house and did a good job of bringing bush along. I also think that bush did this earlier and messed up. I am not sure i am qualified to do that. I think you raise a question that is certainly very import t important. [applause] [inaudible conversation] this is booktv on cspan2. Television for serious readers. Here is the prime timeline. Michael flynn provides thoughts on how to fight terrorism. And Anderson Brower highlights the first ladies from 1960 to today. Rosa brooks looks at the change in how america fights wars. And at ten, we chronicle the mission to keep hitler from building an atomic bomb. And wrapping up at 11 15, with a Princeton University professors thoughts on race in america. That is all tonight on booktv. When we confronted the pakistanis we were enraged. The whole point was we were going to look it other way, he had to take the body out and we were not going to talk about it for a week or ten days. We agreed, we had a drone raid we do the time. We made it clear on the afghanistan side and hit a hidden house with a hell fire missile and found a long tall guy there and did dna and we got him. That would have been just as good but that night, and i remember this vividly because it was sunday in washington and by 7 308 00 there were reports the president has a special announcement to make. There were stories by 10 00 that had to to with bein laden but there was political pressure from advisoadvisors not to wait days. They were angry at the republican secretary of defense, gate, who replaced rumsfeld and was close to the bush family. When obama came in he reappointed him. But two and a half years later there was tension. Gates thought we should just bomb the place and let it go and not jeopardize the seals because if something went wrong, they had no protectio. They were basically committing a war crime. He was a prisoner of war and they executed a war crime. That is important about pakistan. The generals control more right n now than they did in 06. Isi found him which may or may not be correct. But that is what the walkin told us. The pakistanis kept him because the public was going nuts. The public loved bin laden. 5040 percent of the country saw him as hero. As long as they had bin laden they could tell the alqaeda groups and the taliban groups in both pakistan and afghanistan we got your guy. Pay more attention to us. The second argument they made, or explanation for keeping him was the Saudi Arabians paid him a lot of money. The Saudi Arabian government he came from a wealthy family. The bin laden family was a big construction family. Not royal but major constructionists in building buildings and very wealthy. The assumption we make, and i make, is that nobody wanted an american Interrogation Team to talk to him. You can watch this and other programs online at cspan. Org. We want the earth and hope the earth wants us
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