THREE YEARS OLD OF LEUKEMIA TO
DISCUSS THAT JENNIFER GROSSMAN
FORMER GEORGE H.W. BUSH
SPEECHWRITER FORMER SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT OF DOLE GOOD
XUN CEO OF ATLAS SOCIETY
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> GOOD MORNING, MARIA.
.
>> CAN YOU SHARE YOUR
EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH THE
LATE PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, I THINK BACK TO MY
FIRST MEETING WITH HIM IN OVAL
OFFICE, AND I WAS SO NERVOUS I
JUST COULDN'T GET OUT A WORD I
WAS STAMMERING, AND HE
SMOOTHED OVER AWKWARD SIEL
OWNSES MADE SMALL TALK REALLY
HAD THIS INNATE SENSE OF
EMPATHY I REALLY THINK HELPED
HIM TO BE A SUCCESSFUL
POLITICIANS, AT THE SAME TIME
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD
MISTAKE THAT SENSE OF EMPATHY
FOR A SELFLESSNESS IN THE
LITERAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE WORD
BUSH WAS VERY AMBITIOUS HE
WANTED TO WIN HE LIKED TO
COMPETE.
HE WANTED TO SUCCEED HE WANTED
TO BE NUMBER ONE LIKE MOST
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE LIVED A LIFE
OF ACHIEVEMENT OF PRODUCTIVITY
OF HARD WORK OF REASON, AND OF
ETHICAL SELF-INTEREST.
>> JENNIFER IT IS KEVIN KELLEY
WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS ONE OF
THE MOST DEFINING LEGACIES
FROM HIS FOUR YEARS IN TERM?
MY FAVORITE PART OF -- WAS
WHEN IT WAS AFTER HE WAS
PRESIDENT WAS 85 HE WANT
SKYDIVING BUT SINCE YOU SPENT
TIME IN HIS ADMINISTRATION
WHAT DO YOU THINK ONE OF THE
MOST DEFINING THINGS WAS A?
>> WELL, I THINK HE DID GREAT
THINGS FOR FREE TRADE HAVING
THE NATIONAL AMERICAN FREE
TRADE AGREEMENT.
I THINK ALSO THE LEGACY IS
THAT YOU DON'T GO BACK ON YOUR
PROMISES, I THINK BUSH HAD A
HAVE A HEALTHY SENSE OF EGO
WHEN HE LET HIMSELF BE UNDULY
INFLUENCED BY OTHERS WHEN HE
PAID THE PRICE, UNFORTUNATELY,
THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF THAT WAS
HAVING RENEGED ON HIS PLEDGE
NOT TO RAISE TAXES.
DAGEN: AND DEMOCRATS DID NOT
LOWER SPENDING IN THE WAY
GEORGE MITCHELL THE DEMOCRATS,
IN CONGRESS AND IN THE SENATE
HAD PROMISED THE PRESIDENT.
SO HE WENT HE WENT AGAINST
WHAT HE PROMISED AMERICAN
PEOPLE ON THAT.
MANY.
>> ALSO, I WOULD SAY IN TERMS
OF ONE OF HIS PERSONAL
LEGACIES WAS HIS ABILITY TO
HEAL HIS LEADERSHIPS WE WERE
ALL MOVED BY SCENE OF BOB DOLE
STRUGGLING TO STAND UP FROM
HIS WHEELCHAIR.
>> VERY EMOTIONAL.
>> TO HONOR THE PRESIDENT.
BUT YOU GOT TO THINK BACK,
THAT THEY DID NOT ALWAYS HAVE
AN EASY TIME OF IT IN TERMS OF
OF THE RELATIONSHIP, YOU THINK
BACK TO THAT BOTCHED NASHUA
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WHEN DOLE
CALLED HIM A NAZI, BUSH WAS
ABLE TO HEAL TO INSPIRE
RESPECT, YOU THINK OF THE
SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP THAT
HE HAD WITH EVEN PRESIDENT
CLINTON AFTER THEIR EXTREMELY
DIVISIVE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
RELATIONSHIP FORGED WITH
REAGAN AFTER THEIR DIVISIVE
CAMPAIGN I THINK THAT IS
SOMETHING WE CAN ALL TAKEAWAY
FUNERALS ARE A TIME FOR
HEALING, THEY ARE A TIME FOR
HEALING IN OUR FAMILIES WHEN
WE REACH OUT TO A STRONG
RELATIVE THIS CAN BE A TIME OF
HEALING FOR THE NATION AS
WELL.
>> YEAH.
DAGEN: I WANT TO QUOTE TO
YOUR POINT ABOUT HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH PRESIDENT
CLINTON.
AFTER HE LEFT OFFICE, I ALWAYS
GO BACK TO THAT JANUARY 20TH
1993 LETTER THAT PRESIDENT
GEORGE H.W. BUSH WROTE TO
INCOMING PRESIDENT CLINTON.
MARIA: BEAUTIFUL LETTER.
DAGEN: ENDS WITH YOUR SUCCESS
NOW IS OUR COUNTRY'S SUCCESS.
I AM ROOTING HARD FOR YOU GOOD
LUCK.
THAT IS WHAT IS LOSS IN THIS
NATION.
MARIA: ELEGANCE.
>> I THINK BUTTON OF THE
TOUGHEST THINGS WOULD BE FOR
JOERNLT
OERNLT
GEORGE W. BUSH AND HE HIS SON
TO GIVE EULOGY ANY THOUGHTS
HOW HE WILL ADDRESS THIS HAVE
YOU PROVIDED COMMENTS TO HIM
MEMORABLE MOMENTS TO TRY TO
MAKE ALL IT MORE ABOUT DOABLE
DELIVERY?
>> WELL, THAT IS A REALLY GOOD
QUESTION DRAWS A PURELY SPEECH
WRITING POINT OF VIEW, I THINK
PRESIDENTS ARE INFLUENCED
PARTICULARLY IF THEY HAVE BEEN
A VICE PRESIDENT, THERE IS A
LITTLE BIT OF A IS VERY
PRESIDENT SYNDROME AND
PRESIDENT BUSH WAS NO
EXCEPTION I THIN
EXCEPTION CHTHIN
EXCEPTION CHAFIN
EXCEPTION CHAFFED AT TO HAVING
PLAY THAT WOULD REALLY
PRESIDENT H.W. BUSH TOOK
OFFICE DOWNGRADED THEED ROLE
OF SPEECH WRITERING GIVING
SPEECHES THOUGHT OF IT AS
VANITY INDULGENCE NEVER BONDED
WITH SPEECHWRITERS YOU SAW
RESULT NEVER KNOWN FOR VISION
SORT OF THING HIS SON LEARNED
A PRICE TO BE PAID FOR THINGS
GOING WRONG ON STAFF LEVEL SO
HE WENT THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION, HE SPENT MADE A
PRIORITY TO INTERVIEW EACH OF
HIS SPEECHWRITERS TO SPEND
TIME WITH THEM, AND THOSE THAT
HE DIDN'T SPEND TIME WITH
DIDN'T WORK OUT SO WELL I AM
PRETTY CONFIDENT I THINK
GEORGE BUSH HAD GEORGE H.W.
BUSH HAD EXCELLENT SPEECH
WRIGTEAMS BUT GEORGE W. BUSH
REALLY MANAGED TO FORM THAT
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP, WITH
HIS SPEECHWRITERS THAT ALLOWED
THEM TO ENVISION HIM AS HIS
BEST SELF AND HELP SUPPORT HIM
IN THE WRITING FOR THAT
CONTEXT.
>> YOUR THOUGHTS ON OTHER
EULOGIES ALAN SIMPSON AMONG
THEM, JOHN MEACHAM AS WELL AS
BRIAN MULRONEY.
>> POWER AND DESTINY A
SPECTACULAR BOOK I RECOMMEND
TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO
REALLY GET A FULL BIOGRAPHY OF
PRESIDENT BUSH EVEN JOHN
MEACHAM HE WAS ASKING
PRESIDENT HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP
YOUR WHAT DROVE YOU TO BECOME
PRESIDENT, AND PRESIDENT BUSH
SAID YOU KNOW HE THOUGHT ABOUT
IT FOR HOURS HE SAID, I WANT
TO WIN THE DESIRE TO SUCCEED,
SO YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH HE
LIKED TO PRESENT HIMSELF AND I
THINK WE SHOULD REMEMBER, THE
POSITIVE ASPECTS OF HUMILITY
LACK OF ARROGANCE WE SHOULD
NOT FORGET THIS WOULD SAY
SOMEBODY DRIVEN FROM THE
BEGINNING TO ACHIEVE TO
ACCOMPLISH THINGS, AND THIS IS
CLEARLY A LEGACY HE PASSED ON
TO HIS CHILDREN.