The Bush PresidencyEssay Preview: The Bush PresidencyReport this essayIn his approach to the presidency, Bush closely followed the Clinton model of constantly campaigning. After taking office, Bush left details of his first budget to others while he traveled frequently around the country, making campaign-style appearances to promote his policies. Even early in his presidency, he devoted less attention to states like California and New York that were heavily Democratic and focused instead on crucial “swing” states that might go either way in a reelection fight. Yet for all the energy he showed as a campaigner for his policies, Bush was not nearly as intricately involved in policy development as Clinton had been, and he often took off on Friday afternoons to head for Camp David or his beloved ranch at Crawford, Texas, near Waco.
The first couple of weeks of the year felt much like a “clash of political interests” and there was a lack of clarity about what was going on. Some of the issues Bush sought were simple ones: expanding jobs, strengthening national security; and improving schools and colleges.
During this period, all of the above issues were raised on national stage, but Bush refused to be drawn on the other themes. At the convention, Bush repeatedly referred to the Bush administration’s history in the war zones as “shameful” and said that he understood why President Bush was “desperately concerned” about the Iraq conflict. However, he acknowledged that his efforts had been hampered by insufficient funding, he did not support the Bush tax credit, he did not believe that Bush was putting in place policies that would allow people access to high paying public assistance like the minimum wage and that he was under the impression that doing so was too tough. Even then, he maintained, “I’m sorry you got all of that down.” Bush gave no indication he planned to change policy, stating instead that he was not worried about doing anything for the future or that his leadership and position, now made up of a series of key advisors, were not conducive to changing the path of the Middle East. In a sign of how Bush was becoming a surrogate for Donald Trump during the days before the election, he has even been less direct about policymaking and even spent most of the time discussing policy issues after having left politics for business.
This is certainly unsurprising as he may well have been seeking to avoid any form of public controversy during a time of national security uncertainty: even though he did get to speak to people from every state or region, including on military affairs the first two weeks of the campaign, no questions, which makes any of this a little harder to wrap your head around. Bush’s focus on the Middle East seemed to be on issues related to foreign policy, but he was hardly the only one to make clear that no more public questions were being sent out that were being asked. Bush’s comments are also noteworthy for being more circumspect than Clinton’s, as most of what he discussed during the primary campaign and throughout the campaign focused on policy decisions. Instead of coming after Obama for getting tough on Iran or for getting tough on ISIS, Bush focused on the very things he had not discussed over the summer, such as military operations and military action around the world. The Bush family’s relationship with the Obama Administration will likely play out in many ways during his presidency (i.e., at events that might be described as “Bush/Cheney’s Iraq War”), but it can be assumed he has the most important foreign policy decisions making in the White House from the beginning (a pattern that might shift over time). Bush also is a very popular commander in chief. He has spent the majority of his presidency promoting his administration’s agenda and he has overseen many of the most important infrastructure investments in history and in the US economy. What we will see in this article, however, is a very public Bush presidency, one that will take his nation to new heights and may be one that will leave some of the most talented national security specialists of their history in the position they occupied in the Bush years. When it comes to economic matters, the American people have largely done their best to hold him to an appropriate standard of candor,
A look at Bush’s many Cabinet positions, such as president, cabinet secretary, and secretary of state reveals that Bush was far more likely to do work. He was very active in his administration’s public affairs efforts than his other successors, particularly since the fall of 2001. By his time, Bush knew what he wanted to do as president, and was more likely to do his part by becoming head of the Department of Homeland Security or acting as a federal prosecutor from an agency or district. But before taking office, Bush gave his cabinet the necessary training to serve as a successful presidency candidate. Bush, especially, took great pains to have a good job at his disposal when it came to promoting his agenda. His own words are telling: As a politician, Bush was a big supporter of Bush-era spending cuts, which are now a problem. Yet, despite these significant cuts, Bush, like other cabinet secretaries, was able to keep his promises. The “Warnings” section that accompanies the title of this piece is a tribute to a former staff member who served with Bush over a number of years and who told his former colleagues his concerns with the Bush Administration’s record were unfounded. However, the “warnings” section of this piece also highlights questions we should be asking in our deliberations regarding President Bush’s administration: Did the Bush administration ever seriously consider expanding its budget to meet the needs of Congress?
Did the Bush administration ever seriously considered expanding its budget to meet the needs of Congress? Who is really overseeing the implementation of the plan — which is to say what exactly is actually being done, and how and in what way? Who is leading the charge to get the change made? And finally, what exactly should we be doing to ensure that government is working efficiently on its own and doing as much it has to in order to protect our public health, safety, and well-being? Bush was also able to get past his internal problems as Secretary of State, and the failures that came with his presidency. During his four terms, he and his staff did tremendous work in Congress, getting every single piece of legislation passed, getting each and every vote counted by as much or as little as possible, doing important work to pass new legislation on major national security issues such as Iran, Libya, and Syrian civil war. The Department of Health and Human Services is still struggling to meet its budget goals. In September 1992, for instance, more than $4 billion was cut and more than $1 billion added in the first three years of Bush’s term; it was cut to $1 billion only four months before Bush took office. In December 1994, Bush, with another $36 million cuts, made another $39 million from the Health and Human Services Department. And then in July 1996 it was cut another $19 million — and it was cut again five years earlier in July 1997 as part of a $4.5 billion increase. President Clinton also sought to close loopholes in the Bush administration’s tax rate system. Many of these reforms were actually designed to allow the government to collect and retain revenue under the Bush Administration’s plan, which they opposed. Under Bush’s plan, the Bush Administration collected in addition to withholding taxes on almost a third of all tax revenue. The Bush Administration’s plan, which would eliminate the Bush Tax Base and eliminate most of the Bush Administration’s tax breaks, failed to reduce the $600
A look at Bush’s many Cabinet positions, such as president, cabinet secretary, and secretary of state reveals that Bush was far more likely to do work. He was very active in his administration’s public affairs efforts than his other successors, particularly since the fall of 2001. By his time, Bush knew what he wanted to do as president, and was more likely to do his part by becoming head of the Department of Homeland Security or acting as a federal prosecutor from an agency or district. But before taking office, Bush gave his cabinet the necessary training to serve as a successful presidency candidate. Bush, especially, took great pains to have a good job at his disposal when it came to promoting his agenda. His own words are telling: As a politician, Bush was a big supporter of Bush-era spending cuts, which are now a problem. Yet, despite these significant cuts, Bush, like other cabinet secretaries, was able to keep his promises. The “Warnings” section that accompanies the title of this piece is a tribute to a former staff member who served with Bush over a number of years and who told his former colleagues his concerns with the Bush Administration’s record were unfounded. However, the “warnings” section of this piece also highlights questions we should be asking in our deliberations regarding President Bush’s administration: Did the Bush administration ever seriously consider expanding its budget to meet the needs of Congress?
Did the Bush administration ever seriously considered expanding its budget to meet the needs of Congress? Who is really overseeing the implementation of the plan — which is to say what exactly is actually being done, and how and in what way? Who is leading the charge to get the change made? And finally, what exactly should we be doing to ensure that government is working efficiently on its own and doing as much it has to in order to protect our public health, safety, and well-being? Bush was also able to get past his internal problems as Secretary of State, and the failures that came with his presidency. During his four terms, he and his staff did tremendous work in Congress, getting every single piece of legislation passed, getting each and every vote counted by as much or as little as possible, doing important work to pass new legislation on major national security issues such as Iran, Libya, and Syrian civil war. The Department of Health and Human Services is still struggling to meet its budget goals. In September 1992, for instance, more than $4 billion was cut and more than $1 billion added in the first three years of Bush’s term; it was cut to $1 billion only four months before Bush took office. In December 1994, Bush, with another $36 million cuts, made another $39 million from the Health and Human Services Department. And then in July 1996 it was cut another $19 million — and it was cut again five years earlier in July 1997 as part of a $4.5 billion increase. President Clinton also sought to close loopholes in the Bush administration’s tax rate system. Many of these reforms were actually designed to allow the government to collect and retain revenue under the Bush Administration’s plan, which they opposed. Under Bush’s plan, the Bush Administration collected in addition to withholding taxes on almost a third of all tax revenue. The Bush Administration’s plan, which would eliminate the Bush Tax Base and eliminate most of the Bush Administration’s tax breaks, failed to reduce the $600
A look at Bush’s many Cabinet positions, such as president, cabinet secretary, and secretary of state reveals that Bush was far more likely to do work. He was very active in his administration’s public affairs efforts than his other successors, particularly since the fall of 2001. By his time, Bush knew what he wanted to do as president, and was more likely to do his part by becoming head of the Department of Homeland Security or acting as a federal prosecutor from an agency or district. But before taking office, Bush gave his cabinet the necessary training to serve as a successful presidency candidate. Bush, especially, took great pains to have a good job at his disposal when it came to promoting his agenda. His own words are telling: As a politician, Bush was a big supporter of Bush-era spending cuts, which are now a problem. Yet, despite these significant cuts, Bush, like other cabinet secretaries, was able to keep his promises. The “Warnings” section that accompanies the title of this piece is a tribute to a former staff member who served with Bush over a number of years and who told his former colleagues his concerns with the Bush Administration’s record were unfounded. However, the “warnings” section of this piece also highlights questions we should be asking in our deliberations regarding President Bush’s administration: Did the Bush administration ever seriously consider expanding its budget to meet the needs of Congress?
Did the Bush administration ever seriously considered expanding its budget to meet the needs of Congress? Who is really overseeing the implementation of the plan — which is to say what exactly is actually being done, and how and in what way? Who is leading the charge to get the change made? And finally, what exactly should we be doing to ensure that government is working efficiently on its own and doing as much it has to in order to protect our public health, safety, and well-being? Bush was also able to get past his internal problems as Secretary of State, and the failures that came with his presidency. During his four terms, he and his staff did tremendous work in Congress, getting every single piece of legislation passed, getting each and every vote counted by as much or as little as possible, doing important work to pass new legislation on major national security issues such as Iran, Libya, and Syrian civil war. The Department of Health and Human Services is still struggling to meet its budget goals. In September 1992, for instance, more than $4 billion was cut and more than $1 billion added in the first three years of Bush’s term; it was cut to $1 billion only four months before Bush took office. In December 1994, Bush, with another $36 million cuts, made another $39 million from the Health and Human Services Department. And then in July 1996 it was cut another $19 million — and it was cut again five years earlier in July 1997 as part of a $4.5 billion increase. President Clinton also sought to close loopholes in the Bush administration’s tax rate system. Many of these reforms were actually designed to allow the government to collect and retain revenue under the Bush Administration’s plan, which they opposed. Under Bush’s plan, the Bush Administration collected in addition to withholding taxes on almost a third of all tax revenue. The Bush Administration’s plan, which would eliminate the Bush Tax Base and eliminate most of the Bush Administration’s tax breaks, failed to reduce the $600
When Bush took office Republicans controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but only by small margins. Bush would therefore need solid support from his party, and probably from some Democrats as well, in order to enact his legislative program. Bush recognized this, and also the fact that the public was tired of arguments between the president and Congress after the years of bitter disputes under President Clinton. Consequently, he stressed early and often that he wanted to work with Congress and have a harmonious relationship. The necessity, and difficulties, of this policy were demonstrated when Republican senator James Jeffords of Vermont left the party in May, 2001, in response to perceived disrespectful treatment by the administration. This gave Democrats one more vote in the Senate than the Republicans.
Bush selected cabinet members and aides who were generally respected for their experience and competence and who in some cases came from the corporate world: Paul ONeill, who had been chairman and CEO of the worlds largest aluminum manufacturer, Alcoa, was chosen treasury secretary (and later replaced by John Snow, a railway executive). Politically, the cabinet ranged from John Ashcroft, the conservative attorney general who survived a bitter fight over his nomination, to Norman Mineta, a Democrat, as transportation secretary.
Many key figures in the government were recycled from the earlier Bush administration, although there was no evidence that the first President Bush himself played a crucial role in policy formation. Secretary of State Colin Powell came across as surprisingly weak at