The Presidency of George W. Bush by John Robert Greene

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Presidency of George W. Bush by John Robert Greene Bianca Rowlett The Presidency of George W. Bush. By John Robert Greene. American Presidency Series. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2021. Pp. xviii, 421. $45.00, ISBN 978-0-7006-3268-8.) In his third contribution to the American Presidency Series, John Robert Greene takes on the daunting task of recounting and evaluating the recent, controversial tenure of President George W. Bush. Unlike earlier literature on the administration, which Greene claims was inadequately sourced and highly reductionist, this work utilizes newly available archival materials from a variety of repositories—including the George W. Bush Presidential Library, which opened its doors in 2013—to provide a detailed, balanced, and comprehensive synopsis of the Bush presidency that is not “based solely on its handling of the War on Terror” (p. xii). Organized chronologically into fifteen chapters, the book offers a judicious and meticulous overview of Bush’s life and presidency. Indeed, Greene excels at providing objective, informative, and brief descriptions of the significant events, legislation, issues, and personalities associated with the Bush White House, making the book an invaluable resource for scholars of modern politics and diplomacy. Ultimately, Greene portrays Bush as a more complicated, intelligent, authentic, and compassionate individual than critics might expect. He argues that the Bush presidency was complex, and its record was mixed; it “defies simplistic judgments and stereotypical conclusions” (p. 314). Among the administration’s accomplishments, Greene praises its diversity, noting that Bush’s cabinet included two African Americans, one Hispanic American, two Asian Americans, one Arab American, and three female cabinet secretaries, including the first women to lead the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. He points out that thanks to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Bush “did more to combat the worldwide scourge of AIDS” and assist victims of AIDS in Africa “than any other president” (p. 311). Greene also claims that the administration’s No Child Left Behind legislation stimulated education reform, and that Bush’s “faith-based policies” demonstrated a “compassionate conservatism” that pushed Republicans to rethink welfare services (pp. 35–36, 311). Greene credits Bush with saving the nation’s banking system and preventing another Great Depression through his support for bail-out legislation, and with making the world safer by removing the dangerous Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power. Greene does not shy away from criticizing the administration, asserting that it was “plagued by staff infighting, particularly on the national security side of the house” (p. 309). He also notes that the administration could be vindictive, as exemplified by the 2006 dismissal of U.S. Attorneys and the Plame-Wilson affair. Greene notes that “attempts to revise the Social Security system and advance immigration reform” failed, and he accuses the administration of being “sluggish” in its response to Hurricane Katrina (p. 309). He describes the administration as being close-minded and overly martial in tone, and he charges it with embracing the “highly suspect theory of the unitary executive” in the realm of foreign affairs (p. 309). Regarding the War on Terror, Greene notes that the Bush administration was slow to respond to initial terrorist threats before 9/11. It then lied to the American public, using the false threat of [End Page 400] weapons of mass destruction as pretense for war, before sanctioning and utilizing torture on suspected enemies, all while violating constitutional and legal protections for American citizens. Greene claims the inept conduct of the Iraq War led directly to a violent insurgency against American troops, and he criticizes the administration for its lack of “a clearly articulated exit strategy” prior to 2008. Finally, Greene notes, the Afghanistan war was sidelined and left for Bush’s successors to resolve (p. 310). A stated goal of this series is to identify each presidential administration’s “relationships to the past, its own time, and the future” (p. x). While Greene is outstanding at evaluating the administration within its own time, additional analysis of its historical connections would be beneficial. Regarding the Bush administration’s legacy, Greene astutely and poignantly observes that “we now live in a world of its making” (p. 314). Bianca Rowlett University of...