TO SEE George W. Bush on stage in Charleston on February 15th, exuding that old aw-shucks charm, as he told corny jokes and wisecracked about his supposed lack of intelligence, was to recall the presidential standup act that disappeared so suddenly, back to Texas, almost as if his eight years in the White House had never happened. A few in the South Carolinian crowd marvelled that they ever had; even among Republicans Mr Bush is divisive. Around a quarter rate his presidency highly; a third say it was “poor”.
That is one reason why this was his first public appearance, alongside his wife Laura and brother Jeb, in Jeb’s presidential campaign. Another was to mitigate the unpleasant whiff of dynasticism that clings to it; Jeb’s campaign coffers were filled by friends of the Bush brothers’ daddy, President George H.W. Bush, as were George W.’s coffers before him. A third reason was that George W., now happily retired to paint bad pictures and grow trees on his ranch, has become even more contentious during the primary contest, as his legacy, of military fiasco, lavish spending and a failed stab at immigration reform, has come under...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/1oKcKvh
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