Since George Bush died, we’ve heard countless opinions of the former president. Many have praised his decency, and glossed over his damaging and reactionary policies. Others have denounced him for his embrace of the far-right, while ignoring his notable service to America. He’s been praised for civility as a contrast to our current president. He’s been assailed as dog-whistle politician who enabled Trump’s demagoguery. However, these are two-dimensional pictures of a three-dimensional man. We seem obsessed with the binary of good or bad. Yet, we lose a great deal when we don’t grapple with complexity. Our 41st president was neither villain nor saint.
The Good
Service was George Bush’s cardinal virtue. After Pearl Harbor, he rushed to enlist in the Navy, becoming their youngest pilot. He flew dozens of missions and was shot down over the Pacific. He considered his WWII experience one of duty not heroism and rarely discussed it.
His love for America was perhaps only matched by his love for his family. Despite his weighty responsibilities, Bush was a dedicated and doting father. Staffers were consistently awed by the devotion George and his wife Barbara shared during their 73-year marriage. That devotion was strengthened, by the loss of their young daughter, Robin, to leukemia in 1953. At a time when leukemia was a poorly understood death sentence, the Bushes started a foundation for education and research.
To George Bush, being American meant giving back. He believed that an active citizenry kept our nation strong. His Points of Light initiative strengthened communities across America by sponsoring thousands of volunteer projects. Today, his Points of Light foundation supports millions of hours of volunteer service annually. Bush’s passion for service also led him to champion the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act as well.
As a serviceman, UN ambassador, and CIA director, Bush had a unique level of foreign policy expertise. That expertise served America well as the Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union unraveled. His meetings with Gorbachev helped improve relations and forged a mutual commitment to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles which made the world safer. As Communism crumbled, Bush maintained stability and effectively used institutions like NATO and the World Bank to help these nations peacefully transition towards Western democracy.
Bush adeptly managed the first crisis to confront the new American order, when Saddam Hussein’s invaded Kuwait. Saddam’s Iraq was a regional powerhouse who could threaten both his neighbors and the global energy supply. Bush deliberately built a coalition of dozens of nations and provided well-defined objectives for the Persian Gulf War. In a remarkable victory, not a single American was killed by enemy forces and the entire operation concluded within weeks.
The Bad
Given Bush’s celebrated decency, it’s worth remembering the nastiness of the 1988 election. Bush strategists like Lee Atwater ran a campaign of scorched earth tactics that have become commonplace on the right. The attacks on the Dukakis campaign were more than “dog-whistles,” they were race-baiting, the Willie Horton ad being a particularly despicable example.
Although he ran as a moderate in 1980, in 1988, Bush moved hard right. He came out against abortion and in favor of weakened civil rights protections. Like his predecessor, Bush continued to pander to Christian fundamentalists and far-right ideologues. That strategy aided the extreme right’s takeover of the GOP. Thus, Bush shares some responsibility for the rise of Gingrich, the Tea Party, and Trump. Similarly, the conservative judges Bush nominated, most notably Clarence Thomas, are a key part of his presidential legacy. Radical conservatives like Thomas are out of step with the 21st century and the American people.
George Bush promised a “kinder, gentler, conservatism,” he often failed to deliver. Although he eventually took action on AIDS, for too long his policy was one of apathy. Progress against AIDS came because of brave activists and organizations like ACT UP, not President Bush. He also continued to support draconian drug laws. His “war on drugs” disproportionately harmed people of color and continues to contribute to the scourge of mass incarceration. Furthermore, Bush was a continuation of Reagan on civil rights. His conservative judges continued efforts to dismantle voting rights laws, affirmative action, and anti-discrimination statutes.
In recent years, Bush could have spoken in defense of bipartisanship as his party grew increasingly hostile and obstructionist. However, he chose not to. In 2016, he could have spoken against the dangers of Donald Trump and openly supported Hillary Clinton. However, he chose not to. Whether his measured silence was misplaced decorum, agreement with Republican policies, or moral cowardice is unknown. It was likely some combination.
Why He Matters
To many Bush represents a lost age of political civility. In praising him, they both criticize Trump and mourn this bygone era. Yet, George Bush matters because civility and decency matter. They are the soft guardrails of any successful democracy. The fact that they are under constant assault by the Trump Administration makes them even more important. Civility and decency are a conscious acknowledgement that regardless of ideology, we are part of the same team.
Everyone loves the story about the heartwarming letter that Bush is left for Clinton in the Oval Office. In that letter, Bush continued a tradition of outgoing presidents wishing their successors well, letting them know that their success is America’s success. Those sentiments support the harmonious transfer of power and the feeling of national unity. Both are fundamental for American Democracy.
Grappling with Bush’s legacy can teach us about the country we want to live in. Bush’s reactionary policies show us how far we still have to go to reach our lofty founding ideals. In his unquestionable passion for service and love for America, we see values to emulate. If his legacy inspires Americans to serve their communities and treat others with decency, then we all benefit.
Bush has been praised and condemned in the past week. He deserves both. However, his bad actions should not make us ignore his good qualities, and his good qualities should not blind us to his bad actions. We can learn from both. If we do, our country can will gain the most from his legacy.