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Article
The W. Writers Workshop
A new literary genre has emerged: the Bush Administration Memoir. And it’s not so bad.
I still remember one of my first encounters with Donald Rumsfeld. I had recently relocated to Washington, D.C. and spent some time working in his office. We were discussing something not all that pertinent. Responding to a question, I began, “Quite honestly.” He interrupted me.
“Nick, don’t preface something you say with ‘quite honestly.’ It assumes everything you said before that wasn’t honest.” Rumsfeld flashed his toothy grin and we went on about our day.
The experience gave me a great deal of respect for a man I had been taught to hate. As a student, my political science (and sometimes even mathematics) professors frequently sniped at the Bush administration’s handling of the war. The class curriculum and assigned reading was constructed around their own policy prescriptions; ones that obviously weren’t being enacted. The sniping commentary bared their frustration.
Now, as retired Bush administration officials have released their memoirs, much of the Left’s frustration has become indignation. They’re indignant that their policy schemes were not only not implemented, but that much of their criticism during the early stages of the execution of the war turned out to be gravely misplaced. As President Obama learned, it is quite a bit easier to campaign than to govern.
And so, the Left uses the review of a memoir as their last-ditch-effort to win an ideological battle with the Bush administration. Instead of offering new suggestions for what the Obama administration calls an “Overseas Contingency Operation,” reviewers accused former President George W. Bush of trying to “rewrite his presidency.”
The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward called my old boss’ memoir Known and Unknown a “brazen effort to…distort history.” Now, as former Vice President Cheney begins his memoir rollout, Time’s Barton Gellman reviewed his book under the title, “In New Memoir, Dick Cheney Tries to Rewrite History.”
The truth is that the Bush administration memoirs take history head on. In Known and Unknown, for example, Rumsfeld was undeniably candid on serious points of criticism, particularly concerning appropriate troop levels in Iraq. Rumsfeld admitted, “it’s possible there may have been times when more troops could have been helpful.”
Previously, former President Bush wrote in Decision Points that he regretted “cutting troop levels too quickly.” Ultimately, Rumsfeld told Diane Sawyer, “the path you didn’t take is always smoother.”
Bush also openly discusses the federal government’s involvement, or lack thereof, in Hurricane Katrina recovery. He confesses that he “should have recognized the deficiencies sooner and intervened faster.” Even Cheney details how one hunting accident, which proved to be endless fodder for late night comedians, was the “saddest” day of his life.
Still, reviewers accuse administration officials of not adequately addressing public concerns during their time in office. The New York Times insisted that Bush “hops and skips over” many criticisms hurled at his presidency. Yet, in nearly all of these typical reviews, the reviewers rehash old quotes and anecdotes from low-level bureaucrats that they expect to effectively trump first-hand accounts of the individuals who actually made decisions.
Somehow the reviewers expect the Bush administration officials to suddenly walk back all of their decisions and apologize.
The impression any reader should get from all this is not that the Bush administration is trying to “rewrite history,” but that these memoirs are a reflection of their slice of history. They are a recounting of their participation in momentous historical events. Along the way they all intersected with each other, had disagreements, dealt with unexpected circumstances, and made judgment calls according to the information they had at the time.
Should reviewers give the memoirs more than just a “Washington read” (meaning “reading from the index”) they will discover the memoirs indicate a sober kind of honesty that only the experiences written about could produce.
About the Author
Nicholas G. Hahn III is deputy editor of RealClearReligion.org. Follow him on Twitter @NGHahn3.
Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 9.19.11 @ 8:51AM
I haven't read any of the books reviewing the Bush years yet, but I've have been looking at Cheney's book recently, so that'll probably be the first one that I do read. What I'm really looking forward to is, the immense amount of books that are sure to be written about the current President, and his merry band of thieves and crooks from Chicago!! You can hide the truth for awhile, but the truth always comes out in the end!! This guy is going to make Nixon look like a Saint!!
Hebe| 9.19.11 @ 9:12AM
What I'm really looking forward to is, the immense amount of books that are sure to be written about the current President, and his merry band of thieves and crooks from Chicago!
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Alan Brooks| 9.19.11 @ 5:35PM
"but the truth always comes out in the end!! This guy is going to make Nixon look like a Saint!!"
The truth will come out that Cheney is the most dishonest person ever to work in any government. He said his success had nothing to do with government yet Cheney has worked for govt and had govt. contracts most of his evil life.
When Cheney dies, he deserves to suffer excruciating pain for what he did. That will be his penance for his colossally disingenuousness which makes Clinton appear a saint by comparison. If any of you deny what Dick Cheney is, you are as evil as he.
Dick Cheney is one of the most wicked persons who ever lived.
Alan Brooks| 9.19.11 @ 5:40PM
The name Dick Cheney will be cursed in both Heaven and Hell for all eternity.
Stuart Koehl| 9.19.11 @ 9:37PM
Alan,
When Jesus said, "Judge not lest ye be judged", this was the situation He had in mind.
That aside, you are still a total arsewipe.
Rich| 9.20.11 @ 9:26PM
Alan, I've read Bush's book and am 2/3 of the way through Cheney's. I find both of them square up with the truth as not reported by the main stream media. It's easy for you to take pot shots but as I've noticed for some time on this blog, that's all you ever do. I have yet to see anything other than your opinion disguised as facts. Please, if you have something intelligent to add to the discussion, in other words actual facts, please do so. Otherwise, get over to Moveon.org where your type of unsubstantiated BS is welcome. You have no facts, Alan, and your pathetic opinions make you a joke in a serious discussion.
Mike Hawk| 9.19.11 @ 9:38AM
Where are all the books by the Clintonistas. I'm still waiting.
Drunken Sailor| 9.19.11 @ 12:08PM
Their still working on the Vince Foster alibi's
Anthony| 9.19.11 @ 3:51PM
Monica has one coming out, it's entitled Slick Willie's Human Humidor, or, What I learned While On My Presidential Knee Pads.
Alan Brooks| 9.19.11 @ 5:36PM
If Hell exists, Cheney will burn there.
Rich| 9.20.11 @ 9:28PM
Unfortunately, not enough of them actually survived to write a book and the rest of them are afraid to cross the "Don". Otherwise known as Hillary.
Steven| 9.19.11 @ 4:32PM
Thus far I have read John Ashcroft's Memoir, "Never Again" and Bush's "Decision Points." I found them very informative about how tough decisions have to be made and how the motives of these men can be distorted very quickly.
Alan Brooks| 9.19.11 @ 5:37PM
May Cheney die a hideously painful death for what he did to America and humanity.
Marc | 9.19.11 @ 6:52PM
It looks like nobody is biting Alan. You might try a little more toxic, venomous bait.
Alan Brooks| 9.19.11 @ 7:26PM
IMO, Cheney is the most evil person alive in America-- hopefully not for long. No wonder he had so many heart attacks, they were presentiments.
Alan Brooks| 9.19.11 @ 8:36PM
"and how the motives of these men can be distorted very quickly."
But not Obama of course- to you he is the Community Organizer who must be sent back to Chicago in 2013 to chop cotton.
Because one must not be uppity; a man must know his place.
Rich| 9.20.11 @ 9:33PM
Alan, so I guess it is now racist to deplore over 9 percent unemployment, a $1.4 trillion deficit and climbing, millions given to campaign donors to start bogus businessess (Solyndra and others), millions of taxpayer dollars spent on vacations, appointment of CZARS to rule like a king to circumvent the Constitution and the list goes on. You are such a pathetic joke, Alan, that your ridiculous pap on this site gives me my daily laugh. Keep it up, it does my heart good to know that the opposition is filled with morons just like you.