The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty

I made myself "read" this book, The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty, which I finished this last weekend. Do you get to say "read" when you listen to an audiobook on your ipod? I say that I made myself read it because it wasn't very interesting, you just have to force yourself to keep plowing through it.

This was a favorable, but not blatantly biased (until that last chapter) portrait of the Bush family and their history. I don't know anything about the authors, Peter and Rochelle Schweizer, or what their connection or motivation for the book was, but they had access to family members.

In the interest of fair disclosure, I have to admit that last summer I read Kitty Kelley's The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty. That book was distractingly biased. After reading it, I assumed that the details were probably not accurate, as it felt too much like a smear job. One thing that Ms. Kelley made clear was that the Bushes were very secretive and that none of them would talk to her. That was one of the few things that stuck in my head.

In this book, the authors had some access, but still, it's not like they got to sit down with 41 or 43 and actually chat.

And it wasn't all flattering, I guess. They kept emphasizing how the Bushes would weep whenever anything emotional happened. I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing, I'm not sure I'd want that known about me, even if it was true.

I don't like George W. Bush, either personally or how he has run his campaigns or the country. I think he's the worst President this country has ever seen, and maybe will ever see. I think he's against science and dangerous to our security and standing in the world. I've wondered how in the hell anyone could still be driving around with "W '04" bumper stickers on their cars, you'd think they would be embarrassed. However, this book has done more to make me understand where Bush supporters are coming from than anything else.

I can see how they would think that the media is biased against them, but that is also somewhat sour grapes and thin skin. I do appreciate, on one hand, that each member of the family has gone out and made their own money, through their own efforts, but they did get a lot of investment capital from the family, too. So either side can be said to be right, the "It was all handed to them" vs. the "They made all their own money".

The thing that leaves me bothered is that 41 & 43 wanted to be President for no real reason. They didn't have some great vision for the country or understand what direction they wanted the country to go in, they just wanted to be President. Like it was their right. That's not good for the country. We need people that have a real vision, not a "vision thing".

The other thing that really irritates me is the emphasis on connections and friends. On one hand, that's great. I can see how they forge tight relationships and have and extend a lot of loyalty, but on the other hand, it's a peerage system. Not merit, but friendships. That's no way to run a country.