Destiny and Power
The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush
by Jon Meacham
Published by Random House 2015
Pages 836 Price $35

Jon Meacham’s book on the life of the late President George H. W. Bush is one of the most outstanding biographies I have read in many years. Why? Meacham is a great historian and  scholar. He has amassed a huge amount of knowledge in one huge volume.President George H.W. Bush was born on June 12, 1924 and died November 30, 2018 at 94.

Beyond the facts, the most important part of this book is Meacham’s style of writing. It is warm and personal as well as eloquent and factual. He brings to life history and the feelings of George Bush as well as those who surrounded him.The reader gets to think he knows George Bush on a personal level because the narrative is written with emotion and feeling.

Meacham’s book shows the late President Bush as a great human being who struggled with many issues, not just as a Republican or Democrat president, but as a responsible leader of all America. He had to make hard decisions and some were not popular but basically George H. W. Bush was a humanitarian. He was a feeling, caring leader of our nation, and respected by other world leaders as a gentleman who would keep his word. However no one is perfect and outside circumstances can change promises and goals.

He lost the election for a second term because he raised taxes. It was a necessity for the nation and he chose the nation over  self in not keeping that promise.

However, Bush was a selfless leader as Ambassador to the U.N. 1971 – 1973, Director of the C.I.A. 1976- 1977, Vice President 1981 to 1989 and the President of the United States 1989 to 1993.

Bush was not perfect but he united our nation with dignity.

He led us through the Gulf crisis, and the break up of the Soviet Union. He led us by understatement and quiet power. He was our leader when the Berlin Wall actually came down and was wise enough to stay home and let the Germany celebrate.

He never upstaged President Reagan and was counted as a responsible leader who supported allies who they could count on.

Meacham said in his book the values that drove Bush were: duty, honor, country, and public service. Meacham related that Bush had his own personal code of honor. His philosophy was: 1.) Tell the truth, 2.) Don’t blame others, 3. Choose right over convenience, and 4.) Be strong and forgive.

The beauty of Bush’s personal code is that it could be every human being’s personal code whatever party you support or whatever level your life style is or choice of vocation. It is an  admiral way of life with honor and dignity.

Meacham said in his eulogy at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., “Bush had two speeds: “full throttle and sleep.”

Considering all the personal characteristics that Bush brought to America as a leader, his most important one (for me) was forgiveness. Bush was not perfect and did not please everyone but he rose above party politics and tried to make a better world and brought the nation together with dignity.

His friendship with Bill Clinton after losing the election is legendary and a true example of the kind of man George H. W. Bush was. He got over a terrible hurt beyond words in losing the election but later instead of revenge, he found a common bond  in which they both could work together.

I think in evaluating George H.W. Bush in the future historians will say, Bush’s legacy is: dignity in office, compassion for others, and the ability to forgive and work with others. He was a man for all seasons who won respect for his endurance, understated humor, and quiet leadership.

He reduced nuclear weapons, and expanded America’s promise to new immigrants. He helped end the Cold War with his steady, understated, and firm approach.

In summary Meacham said in his book, “Bush’s  humility and decency reflects the very best of the American spirit.”

***

Fear: Trump in the White House
by Bob Woodward
Published by Simon and Schuster (2018)
Pages 360 plus 30 pages of footnotes
Price $30

Bob Woodward, one of America’s best journalists, reveals the chaos and fears in the Trump administration in this book.The most damaging of Trump’s actions among the greed for power and money, misuse of funds by members of his administration, and petty feuds with revenge attacks, is his warfare against the free press.

Woodward exposes the incredible feuds between supporters helping him campaign for president. Woodward reveals that Trump has a volcanic temper. He is not immoral. Trump is amoral. Amoral means without standards, without scruples, or without principles.

Woodward has spent hundreds of hours interviewing people and documenting each interview. He quotes Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, Kellyanne Conway, Reince Priebus, Steve Mnunchin, and Lindsey Graham to name only a few. Woodward covers such issues as: North Korea, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Nato, China and Russia.

The president did not seem to understand world events and broke all protocol advances with each country. Even traditional allies like England, France and Germany did not know how to deal with him or if they could count on his support.

Trump’s background as a leading businessman, who had the power of ordering immediate action, did not work in government. He did not understand that he could not fire and hire people at his whim in order to cover mistakes. Covering mistakes was worse than the original error, as revealed in the Watergate scandal which Woodward and Bernstein wrote about in their book “All the President’s Men” published in 1974. Tragically history seems to be repeating itself.

Woodward states in his current book, “The reality was that the United States in 2017 was tethered to the words and actions of an emotionally overwrought, mercurial, and unpredictable leader.” This book shows how friends of Trump tried to help him but Trump was unaware of the necessity of advice. He was oblivious of Russia’s influence on America.

Trump blindly barreled his way to get things done, unaware of repercussions from different countries, or their needs. His personal hatred and fear of Mueller drove Trump to do irrational things.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” as he calmed down the nation during World War II. We felt secure as a nation. Roosevelt, not fear, was in control.

In summary, as revealed in Woodward’s views, Trump has allowed his own fears to control him and that fear has been reflected throughout the nation in his public comments and impulsive tweets. We as a nation fear he is out of control and that breeds chaos and feelings of insecurity. The power of fear is the essence of the book, and is the reason why “Fear” is an appropriate title of this fascinating, well written, and highly documented work.

Pat Davidson Reef is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston. She received her Masters Degree at the University of Southern Maine.She taught English and Art History at Catherine McAuley High for many years.She now teaches at the University of Southern Maine in Portland in the  Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Classic Films. She recently wrote a children’s book,”Dahlov Ipcar Artist, and is now writing another children’s book “Bernard Langlais Revisited.”