By Mark for the TIB Network:
A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush, is a recent book by Ronald Kessler, the former Wall Street Journal and Washington Post investigative reporter. It looks at how President Bush runs the White House, how he won election, and it tells some more details from the inside about the 43rd President.
Kessler begins with a prologue that discusses the tone of the White House upon the departure of the Clintons in 2001. He discusses the Clintons' arrogance in treating the staff poorly, as well as Hillary firing a White House usher and father of four for returning the call of Barbara Bush, who was asking for help with her computer. He lays the stage for how the Clintons had a climate of fear and confusion in the White House, and how President Bush would change this tone. This is not conjecture--Kessler gets quotes from actual staffers of both White Houses, some annonymous for security reasons, some totally on the record.
This book takes an excellent look at the Bush administration, uncovering the truth about who and how Bush is and dispelling some of the myths. Firstly, Bush is not a closeminded snob. In fact, it was the liberal media who showed their own arrogance by maligning Bush as dyslexic because he is not a good speaker. If a teacher or another person in authority made that claim without diagnostic proof, they would be fired and maligned for picking on a student. Kessler cites a story by Gail Sheehy in Vanity Fair where she pulled a Mikey Moore and reported bits and pieces of conversations with experts, none of whom said Bush was dyslexic but which Sheehy used their quotes to prove Bush's dyslexia.
There are interesting revelations about Bush's background, including again the story of the death of his sister, Robin, and Bush's attempts to be the rock of the family by helping his mother through her grief and being the showman, making jokes and trying to distract from the family's grief. We get details about his education, ie, that he was not recognized as a child of privilege at any of the schools he attended. Few knew of his father and grandfather's careers or wealth. He was simply George Bush from Texas at Andover, Yale, and eventually Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA.
Kessler attacks some of the myths out there about GWB. Firstly, his intellect, or the mainstream view that Bush is a dolt. First of all, let's look at his SAT scores. His score in the 1960s of 1206 would be a score of 1280 today, due to changes in the scoring formula. Based on the scores, Bush's IQ would be over 120, in the upper ten percent of the population. Also, he went to Yale and Harvard where he earned B's and C's. The media decries these as "gentlemen's C's," but his classmates tell of Bush studying. He worked hard and latched onto Harvard Business School's approach. According to insiders, it is not that Bush is disinterested or a dolt. He has a practical mind, and wants to learn things to get results, rather than simply to show how smart he is. In other words, he is goal oriented and direct.
Another myth is that Bush chose such an august group of experts because he had no clue about running the nation, that Karl Rove and Dick Cheney are pulling the strings. Again, quite wrong. According to on the record documents and interviews, Bush's leadership style is one of getting people who know their field, picking their minds, and then coming up with solutions. According to the interviews of Kessler, Bush makes his own decisions.
Another myth is the idea that Bush is not active in decisionmaking, that he is asleep at the wheel, as Paul O'Neill said things. Not true. Bush allows debate and differences, but he keeps things civil. He listens to both sides, weighs the arguments, and then makes a decision himself. I thought that people wanted a President who listens to his advisors, but then makes up his own mind. Liberals don't want someone directed, they want someone who hand-wrings and is full of confusion, as Kessler called the Clinton White House. Kessler draws magnificent distinctions between the confused debating society of Clinton, where the goal was debate for its own sake, and the goal directed Bush administration.
Kessler also blows the roof off of the state of intelligence in the FBI and CIA. The culture of the organizations was one of confusion. Much of the blame can be laid at the feet of Louis Freeh, the FBI director under Clinton, as well as Clinton's CIA policy. Using his access to insiders in both agencies, Kessler discusses these things. For instance, the CIA budget was slashed (I am sure Kerry was celebrating), and the agency was made terribly risk averse. When Freeh took office in 1993, he had the computer in his office removed. Freeh did not believe in using technology. By 2001, 13,000 FBI computers were still using 386 and 486 pre Pentium machines, incapable of using the current software, incapable of downloading CD, or even working with a mouse. The FBI's internal email was so slow that agents used their personal ones. Agents had to send photos to their home computers because the agency computers could not load or print them. In other words, under Clinton, the FBI had mountains of info it could not disseminate, it could not deal with due to the mismanagement by Freeh and Reno.
This is the apparatus George W. Bush had to deal with. He tried rapidly to change it, installing as director Robert Mueller, who worked in the early days to work to change the culture and resources of the bureau. But, according to the liberal mythology, this should have been accomplished in a couple of months.
Kessler also discusses the myth that Bush lied about intel. He shows how the press has attempted to besmirch Bush's character with these charges, and how they edit, mold, and mangle excerpts to frame their views. He shows not only the character of Bush, in that he doesn't respond to the charges, instead focusing on getting things done; Kessler also shows the true character of the liberal establishment in Washington and the press.
The key galling issue for me was in education, and the lies about NCLB. The fact that liberals continue to advocate the whole language idea of teaching reading over phonics is a crime against minorities and the poor. Scientific study has shown whole language is a farce, it is not even a method. It is just another way to dumb down learning. Phonics is the best way to teach reading and language. It has been proven in study after study. Yet some say still keep on teaching a method that took California from 3rd in the nation in literacy to tied for 49th in the 1990s after over 3 decades of whole language learning. Now look at what Bush did in Texas. He raised literacy rates, especially for minorities, whom democrats claim to want to help. Lastly, he tackles the myth of NCLB being an unfunded mandate. Read it for yourself and be outraged by the lack of attention education gets in the press, other than simply lobbying for the NEA.
Kessler goes into great detail to discuss the character of the President and his staff. He sheds new light into the decision making process, painting a picture of Bush as a CEO who knows issues and his vision, and asks questions of detail to his advisors. Whereas Bill Clinton read every policy manual and book but spent most of his time debating (among other things), this President has clear goals he wants to accomplish. He focuses on the big picture, and expects his Cabinet to give him the details he needs. See, that is how successful businesses work, and the Bush model, according to the folks Kessler talks with, is a successful one. It is one the media hates, because Bush chose people who would respect the no leak policy, people who weren't out for air time or to make a name for themselves. He chose people to get things done, not look pretty. This is what the establishment in the media and Washington dislike. Bush does not handwring. His staff does not handwring. They make decisions based on their study and judgement and get things done.
I found the Kessler book to be enlightening in its look at Bush through his years in college, through his business and governmor years, and through the first term. It is insightful, topical, and quite thorough in its investigation and in talking to principals in the White House and in Washington. It paints an objective picture beyond the caricatures shown in the mainstream press.
What we get is that George W. Bush is a down to earth, irrevereant, self-deprecating man who believes America is called to a higher purpose. We get a picture of the President as a practical man, who is well read (shocking!!!), but who does not feel it necessary to impress people with his intellect. We get a man who believes in tackling challenges and finding solutions, rather than temporary measures. We find a man of character.
I would highly recommend this book to people curious or who actually want to know the White House of GWB. I know some libs may pronounce it as propaganda and poppycock, but I know of at least one out there who might be willing to look at it and evaluate it. I highly recommend it for Presidential Scholars as well as those interested in how the efficient and bold White House of George W. Bush works. I believe it will serve as a model for future administrations that want to get results. Your mileage may vary.
