A Noble Calling

In many ways, the presidency of George H. W. Bush was a transitional presidency. The end of the Cold War ushered in a new world with the United States as the dominant power. While many might credit his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, as the one who brought an end to the conflict with the former Soviet Union, George H. W. Bush was an associate president, serving as Vice President during Reagan's two terms. While supporting the work of the Reagan administration and, therefore, providing some continuity with it, President Bush had a different style of leadership and new priorities to establish. This volume of essays by cabinet members, world leaders, and scholars examine the formation of Bush's character and the factors that influenced his leadership as a legislator, a diplomat, and an American president. His family background, his military service, his life experience before going into public life, and the various positions in government service are all reviewed by friends, colleagues, and objective observers. The end result is the most detailed examination ever attempted of Bush's character and its impact on his career.

PREFACE

ix

INTRODUCTION

xiii

William Levantrosser

Part I. Molding Presidential Character: The Bush Apprenticeship

1

(30)

1. George Bush: Influence of the Family on His Values

3

(48)

Thomas Patrick Melody

DISCUSSANTS:

Donald P. Gregg

9

(4)

Richard M. Rosenbaum

13

(4)

Victor L. Israelyan

17

(3)

Martin L. Allday

20

(3)

Peter Roussel

23

(6)

QUESTION AND ANSWER:

29

(72)

Richard A. Cook, Moderator

Part II. The Bush Legacy: First Evaluations-Opening Ceremony Keynote Addresses

31

(20)

Herbert S. Parmet

32

(5)

James A. Baker III

37

(5)

Hugh Sidey

42

(4)

CONVOCATION ADDRESS:

46

(5)

George H.W. Bush

Part III. Rating the Presidents

51

(90)

2. The Moral Leadership of President George Bush

53

(24)

Robert B. Charles

3. George Bush and the Finitude of Presidential Power

77

(24)

Michael A. Genovese

4. An Evaluation of the Presidency of George Bush

101

(54)

David Mervin

DISCUSSANTS:

Andrew H. Card, Jr.

119

(2)

Gene Gibbons

121

(3)

C. Boyden Gray

124

(4)

Fred I. Greenstein

128

(2)

Herbert S. Parmet

130

(2)

John H. Sununu

132

(3)

Dick Thornburgh

135

(3)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

138

(57)

William Levantrosser, Moderator

Part IV. The Limits of Leadership: The Global Context

141

(24)

PRESIDENTIAL BANQUET ADDRESS:

142

(6)

Brian Mulroney

MIKHAIL S. GORBACHEV ADDRESS:

148

(7)

Mikhail S. Gorbachev

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

155

(158)

William Levantrosser, Moderator

Part V. New World Order: Nationalism and Internationalism

165

(72)

5. Not Doing Too Badly for Guys Who Have No Vision Whatsoever and Operate Only on Instinct: Foreign-Policy Decision Making under the Bush Administration

167

(20)

Charles-Philippe David

6. George Bush and the United Nations

187

(8)

Seymour Maxwell Finger

7. George Bush and the United Nations: A Prudent Journey from Realism to Moralism, 1971-1993

195

(44)

Jerry Pubantz

DISCUSSANTS:

Walter J.P. Curley

219

(3)

Joseph Verner Reed, Jr.

222

(3)

Brent Scowcroft

225

(3)

Hugh Sidey

228

(2)

Jacob Stein

230

(3)

C. Howard Wilkins, Jr.

233

(2)

QUESTION AND ANSWER:

235

(40)

John A. Moore, Moderator

Part VI. Ending the Cold War

237

(76)

8. The "Operational Code" of the Bush Administration: Leadership Perceptions and Foreign Policy Making

239

(36)

Michael F. Cairo

9. President Bush and the Collapse of Communist Rule in Poland: The Search for Policy in 1989-1990

275

(38)

Minton F. Goldman

DISCUSSANTS:

Bruce S. Gelb

296

(4)

Hugh Sidey

300

(3)

William H. Webster

303

(5)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

308

(5)

Susan W. Tiefenbrun, Moderator

Part VIL The President as Straight Man: Humor of the Times

313

(12)

10. Presidential Humor: The Remakings and Remarkings of President George Bush

315

(10)

Jan J. Younger

Part VIII. Being Remembered: The Bush Presidential Library

325

(30)

DISCUSSANTS:

Donald W. Wilson

326

(4)

David E. Alsobrook

330

(6)

Richard Benedetto

336

(2)

George C. Edwards III

338

(4)

Charles F. Hermann

342

(2)

Martha Joynt Kumar

344

(3)

Terry Sullivan

347

(3)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

350

(5)

Mena B. Sieber, Moderator

INDEX

355

(16)

ABOUT THE EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

371

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