Did Jeb Bush's dad just make his campaign more complicated by attacking Dick Cheney?
11/05/2015
Just as Jeb Bush is trying to prove he can "fix it," his four-day old campaign re-boot is getting dragged into a controversy begun by none other than his father - George H. W. Bush.
In a new, authorized biography in which the former president provided interviews and access to his personal diaries, 41 calls former Vice President Dick Cheney an "iron ass," sharply criticizes Cheney's oversize role in the White House and finally - blames his first son for not controlling Cheney.
Ouch!
And Dad is equally harsh with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld describing him as an “arrogant fellow” who “served the president badly.”
Jeb's campaign is already being hit with questions and it is certainly not helpful that Cheney, Rumsfeld, his brother and Iraq are once again a focus of attention as Jeb struggles to hold his donors together, win support for a flagging campaign and prepare for Tuesday's Republican presidential debate.
This will not be a book easily dismissed. Pulitzer Prize winning author Jon Meacham, worked closely with George and Barbara Bush in researching the biography - Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush.
The New York Times received an early copy of the book, published by Random House and on sale next week.
According to the Times - In interviews with his biographer, Mr. Bush said that Mr. Cheney had built “his own empire” and asserted too much “hard-line” influence within George W. Bush’s White House in pushing for the use of force around the world. Read more here.
While Jeb has steadfastly defended his brother, Dad is a tad more blunt.
“The big mistake that was made was letting Cheney bring in kind of his own State Department,” he said. “I think they overdid that. But it’s not Cheney’s fault. It’s the president’s fault.”
In a critical assessment of Jeb's answers about his brother's administration and the Iraq war, National Journal's Ron Fournier wonders:
What if the younger Bush had promised in May to do a better job than his brother in choosing a Cabinet, calling then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld an arrogant jerk and then-Vice President Dick Cheney an empire-building warmonger? Imagine Jeb Bush labeling Cheney an “iron ass,” then adding: “I think the biggest mistake that was made was letting Cheney bring in kind of his own State Department. I think they overdid that. But it’s not Cheney’s fault. It’s the president’s fault. The buck stops there.”
Jeb Bush never said those things. His father did. ...
George H.W. Bush said of George W. Bush, “The buck stops there.” Unfortunately, when the younger son was faced with a burden of presidential power, Jeb took a pass. Read more here.
At this point it almost does not matter what Jeb Bush says about his brother or father. He has made countless statements praising both. It would be hard for him to walk it back - and it would be out of character for him to do so.
This book will bring back the issue of how we got into Iraq and while it is one thing for Democrats or opponents of our involvement to criticize Cheney, this sharp rebuke from George H.W. gives the criticism far more credibility.
Cheney, who has worked hard to protect his legacy since leaving office, is certainly fuming. Will he take it out on Jeb?
Jeb may find himself dragged into a political feud that never wanted but can't walk away from.
Instead,
Bush is dead. Long Live Trump!
Posted by: BraveHeart | 11/05/2015 at 05:25 PM
Gee. Maybe he could of said something WHILE they were helping to orchestrate the needless deaths of so many of our best and brightest young people in Iraq, and then before his boys administration drove the nations economy off a cliff..
Where was the 'wise one' then? .. I will tell you where he was, NOT GIVING A KRAP ABOUT YOU.. He is only worried about his boys chances, not you, not me, not America.
Posted by: chas holman | 11/05/2015 at 01:41 PM