The New York Daily News has put the GOP’s dirty little secret into print with a story detailing how “many” of the first George Bush’s former aides don’t like the present George Bush:
Indeed, one of the worst-kept secrets in Bush World is the dismay, in some cases disdain, harbored by many senior aides of the former President toward the administration of his son – 41 and 43, as many call them, political shorthand that refers to their numerical places in American presidential history.
For five years, the 41s have bit their collective tongues as, they complain, the 43s ignored their counsel. But as the war in Iraq has worsened and public support for the current administration has tanked, loyalists of the elder Bush have found it impossible to suppress their disillusionment – particularly their belief that many of 43’s policies are a stick in the eye of his father.
“Forty-three has now repudiated everything 41 stands for, and still he won’t say a word,” a key member of the elder Bush alumni said. “Personally, I think he’s dying inside.”
When the first George Bush ran against Ronald Reagan in the primaries he was an attractive candidate to moderates such as yours truly. He typified the now nearly-extinct “moderate Republicans,” derisively called “country club Republicans” by many conservatives. Some conservatives were upset when Reagan invited him to run for Veep but Bush adjusted (among other things, he stopped calling Reagan’s economic plan “Voodoo economics”).
As President he was considered more moderate than Reagan and, for reasons well known now, he earned the enmity of many conservative Republicans and due to the economy lost independent and Democratic voters. Independent candidate Ross Perot essentially double-teaming against him with Democrat Bill Clinton didn’t help either.
The present George Bush enjoyed a reputation in Texas as being a conservative governor who nonetheless enjoyed bipartisan support. Until he became President and seemed to have Ronald Reagan as his role model.
But, in reality, today, as his poll numbers keep going south and the country is plunged into the continued politics of polarization, the younger George Bush more accurately parallels Richard Nixon than either Ronald Reagan or his father. MORE:
To 41 loyalists, the bill of indictment is voluminous. Some alleged 43 has betrayed his father’s middle-of-the-road philosophy by governing as a divider, not the uniter he promised in the 2000 campaign. Others, like former 41 speechwriter Curt Smith, argue 43 isn’t conservative enough.
“Conservatives want limited government, a balanced Middle East approach, a foreign policy that builds, not destroys, and general, not special, interest,” Smith said. “Bush 41 endorsed all of the above. Bush 43 supports none.”
In reality, Bush seems to be more of a pragmatist than anything else: he and his political team will do what it takes to hold onto and expand power in the political, domestic and foreign areas. AND:
A common refrain of the 41s is that 43’s muscular approach to foreign affairs – what one derided as “cowboy diplomacy” – has estranged the U.S. from its allies and diminished its authority around the globe.
The ultimate sticking point for the old guard is Iraq. They cite the appointment of 41’s close friend and former secretary of state, James Baker, to chart a new Iraq policy as belated vindication.
The 41s remain incensed, however, that Brent Scowcroft, 41’s national security adviser and once a top outside adviser to this administration, has been demonized since he wrote a 2002 article opposing an Iraq invasion.“What Brent said is now the accepted wisdom,” a senior 41 hand said, “and everyone believes 41 agrees with him, though he’ll never say it.”
And how has the younger Bush’s crew taken all of this?
While the 41s do most of the finger-pointing, aides to the current President reject the criticism as nitpicking from out-of-touch malcontents.
They also bash the 41s for going public, charging much of the damaging material in Bob Woodward’s new book, “State of Denial,” was provided by 41 partisans.
“Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom,” a 43 staffer said, “especially those whose information may not be as good as when they were in power.”
The Daily News details how the “family-feud fault lines” showed up at carrier-christening events. Both camps were there. And the knives were eventually taken out:
Trading social gossip at a reception, the ex-aide noted that former Secretary of State Colin Powell was in attendance. “He should be here,” the adviser noted. “We didn’t fire him” – a barbed reference to Powell’s departure as 43’s top diplomat after four years of bureaucratic fisticuffs with Vice President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, two frequent targets of the 41s.
“Everyone knew how Rumsfeld acts,” another key 41 assistant said. “Everyone knew 43 didn’t have an attention span. Everyone knew Condi [Rice] wouldn’t be able to stand up to Cheney and Rumsfeld. We told them all of this, and we were told we don’t know what we’re doing.”
Another top former 41 loyalist confided that several ex-colleagues remarked on a perceived “stature gap” between father and son as they sat on the dais.
The 41s concede their broadsides are awkward for their ex-boss, but say they’re motivated by a desire to protect his legacy.
In fact, the 41s suggest a singular irony: the unpopularity of the son’s administration may be rehabilitating the father’s.
“By comparison, the old man looks better and better,” a senior 41 hand said, with undisguised satisfaction.
May we use the dreaded word: “ditto”?
h/t hinessight.com
UPDATES:
—Josh Marshall:
On one level, I find all of this fascinating (perhaps best captured by the Dana Carvey skit from a few years ago in which, if I remember correctly, Carvey’s 41 takes 43 hunting and debates whether to shoot 43 for the good of the country).
On the other hand, 41’s cohort could have done so much more to sound the alarm and prevent the terrible slide the country has taken under 43. If Jim Baker’s return is a sign that the adults are back, then where the hell have they been?
–Meanwhile, the present Bush’s approval rating is down in five polls.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.