The Leadership of George Bush: An Insider's View of the Forty-first President

Postscript: Studying the Presidency

211 Postscript : STUDYING THE PRESIDENCY S ince world War II, there have been various surveys and polls that seek to rank the presidents. In these rankings there are a perennial few who continue to lounge in the lower half of appreciation, while others have consistently high ratings. Leading the list of those considered the greatest presidents are Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington , Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. Stuck at the bottom end are James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Warren Harding, and Benjamin Harrison. Nestled between these two extremes are the majority of presidents, with some slight shifting from time to time. Dwight Eisenhower, for example, has moved up the scale in the surveys over time as his presidency is reevaluated. Critics are quick to note that any rankings are subjective— depending on the political leanings of the rater and the criteria chosen to rate the presidents. One also cannot discount the influence of the historical times in coloring the perspectives of presidential observers. Irrespective of these caveats, the surveys continue and have become part of presidential legacies. Bush is currently viewed as being in the middle of the presidential pack. History shows that the great presidents have had the foresight and courage to do what was right for the country rather than for political expediency. Abraham Lincoln’s election to office tore the country apart with a civil war, but he preserved the Union; FDR had the vision to move boldly on social and economic programs to help overcome the Depression. Both were excoriated and mocked by their opposition during their respective tenures. Both, 212 postscript however, have been placed in the pantheon of great presidents—in hindsight. History, therefore, is the ultimate and best judge of a presidency. Bush’s leadership has been criticized on issues such as vision and the slow economy. His failure to gain reelection only served to reinforce some of these early views. However, Bush himself recognizes the kindness that distance bestows on presidents. “I’d make a point that everybody looks better over time,” noted Bush in a philosophical moment with journalists in 1989. “So history is basically kind to American presidents.” Presidents have no control over the times in which they live and govern, but they do have control over the mechanics of their leadership. Leadership qualities encompass a range of attributes: the ability to communicate well; the ability to form coalitions, particularly in Congress; interpersonal skills; and past experiences and knowledge. All of these have a bearing on how presidents handle a challenge and play a significant role in whether or not a president will be judged successful. Every president has had his own unique mixture of them, stronger in some, weaker in others. Presidents exhibit these skills in various functions—as commander in chief, as chief executive, as chief diplomat, and as head of the political party, among others. As in the case of particular skills, here also a president may be stronger in one function than in another. Thus, presidents can be judged on three levels: how they tackled the historical issues their administrations faced; how they exercised their leadership arsenal; and, finally, how they applied those leadership skills to particular functions. The international challenge that Bush faced with the collapse of communism was a situation that, if not handled properly, could have had dire consequences for the United States and the world. Through skillful handling of the international situation and the United States–Soviet bilateral relationship , Bush was able to bring a peaceful and highly successful end to the cold war. In addition, facing Iraq’s aggression in Kuwait, Bush was able to assemble an international coalition that quickly ousted Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. The feat was all the more remarkable in that Bush was able to enlist the support of Iraq’s patron, the Soviet Union, in this endeavor at the same time that he was pursuing policies, such as German reunification, that were undermining the Soviet Union. The Gulf War also gave Bush an opportunity to excel in the role he most relished—that of commander in chief. Bush not only was able to supervise studying the presidency 213 a successful military operation but also helped to restore the confidence and morale of the armed forces by the support he provided and by his definition of their mission. As for his leadership tools, Bush excelled at personal...