At a congressional luncheon on January 20, 2001, George W. Bush told congress "things will get done...we're going to rise above expectations". This according to an article appearing on CNN.com entitled "Bush Gets Keys to White House, Flexes First Presidential Muscle."
The same CNN article went on to say that at his first presidential ball later that evening, the new president joked that the time for speeches had passed and that "it's time for dancing." As the nation's 43rd president, George W. Bush spent 2,922 days in office. The positive, upbeat tone he used to characterize his first day in office would not last for long.
At this writing, Mr. Bush has been out of office for 120 days. Evidenced by the positive note he struck in his January 20, 2001 speech, Bush was obviously trying to set the bar high. Yet fierce debate over whether or not he actually succeeded is only beginning.
The goals of an ex-president are much different from those of a sitting president. While the 43rd president of the United States left office under a dark cloud of negative opinion polls that described him as one of the country's least popular presidents, the now ex-president appears scarcely bowed by public opinion and criticism.
Bush Isolated in Washington; Friendships Rekindled in Texas
During his tenure in Washington, his critics assert that President George W. Bush spent much of his presidency wrapped in a cloak of isolation and secrecy. Never a man to listen to his critics, though, Bush is likely relieved to have traded public perceptions of isolation and the distancing he often appeared to place between himself and his harshest critics, for a more nurturing cocoon of close friends and supporters.
An article written by Bill Minutaglio in the May 25, 2009 issue of Newsweek quotes Mr. Bush's longtime accountant, Bob McCleskey as saying, "Most people in Texas, by and large, hold him in high regard...". Little wonder why the ex-president and his wife, Laura, chose to locate their post-presidential residence within the confines of the friendlier home territory of Texas.
Polishing the Legacy; Bush as Speaker, Writer, Fund-Raiser
It appears unlikely that a known type A personality like Mr. Bush is going to be satisfied to remain out of the public spotlight for very long. He seems to have already tested the waters with his first speaking engagement after leaving office in speaking to a like-minded assembly of Canadian oilmen.
George Bush has also been spending time on the campus of Southern Methodist University, his wife's alma mater and the site of the new presidential library and think- tank. Critics may choose to view the new institute as an organization which will gloss over and ignore the problems that occurred during the Bush administration. Still others, though, will likely see the organization in more altruistic terms.
For a man who appears to have abrupty disappeared from public view, Bush nevertheless dutifully continues to work on his memoirs in his new North Dallas office. His new book is virtually certain to include passages about his personal philosophy, his bout with drinking during his early years, and perhaps also his perspectives on many of the decisions he made while in office.
Bush's War Machine and an Economy in Distress; Waiting it Out
Concurrent with the now ex-president's first 100 days out of office, President Barack Obama and his new administration's first 100 days in office are being closely monitored and scrutinized by the media and the court of public opinion. Early on in his presidency, Mr. Bush proudly described himself as a war-time president. Retrospectively, perhaps, time will judge the wisdom of the choices Mr. Bush made conducting the unpopular and devisive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The actions that George Bush took, the decisions he made about both wars, and his actions regarding the current state of the economy are probably going to be alternately criticized and vilified. However, In the interim, it appears the country's 43rd president may have to content himself with his relative anonymity as a private citizen.
Friends and supporters closest to him see Mr. Bush as incapable of straying very far from the ongoing debate regarding the best policies and leadership for America. Although George W. Bush no longer serves in the capacity as leader of the free world, those who know him best say that his presidential experiences seemed to have done little to change his unique outlook on life or the substance of who he is.
Both Mr. Bush's often-criticized sense of humor and his self-assured style of leadership appears to have remained intact and dulled little by unpopular public opinion and criticism.. Even so, waiting it all out must be a difficult proposition for such an energetic, personable man, still very confident and secure in himself.
Author George P.
The same CNN article went on to say that at his first presidential ball later that evening, the new president joked that the time for speeches had passed and that "it's time for dancing." As the nation's 43rd president, George W. Bush spent 2,922 days in office. The positive, upbeat tone he used to characterize his first day in office would not last for long.
At this writing, Mr. Bush has been out of office for 120 days. Evidenced by the positive note he struck in his January 20, 2001 speech, Bush was obviously trying to set the bar high. Yet fierce debate over whether or not he actually succeeded is only beginning.
The goals of an ex-president are much different from those of a sitting president. While the 43rd president of the United States left office under a dark cloud of negative opinion polls that described him as one of the country's least popular presidents, the now ex-president appears scarcely bowed by public opinion and criticism.
Bush Isolated in Washington; Friendships Rekindled in Texas
During his tenure in Washington, his critics assert that President George W. Bush spent much of his presidency wrapped in a cloak of isolation and secrecy. Never a man to listen to his critics, though, Bush is likely relieved to have traded public perceptions of isolation and the distancing he often appeared to place between himself and his harshest critics, for a more nurturing cocoon of close friends and supporters.
An article written by Bill Minutaglio in the May 25, 2009 issue of Newsweek quotes Mr. Bush's longtime accountant, Bob McCleskey as saying, "Most people in Texas, by and large, hold him in high regard...". Little wonder why the ex-president and his wife, Laura, chose to locate their post-presidential residence within the confines of the friendlier home territory of Texas.
Polishing the Legacy; Bush as Speaker, Writer, Fund-Raiser
It appears unlikely that a known type A personality like Mr. Bush is going to be satisfied to remain out of the public spotlight for very long. He seems to have already tested the waters with his first speaking engagement after leaving office in speaking to a like-minded assembly of Canadian oilmen.
George Bush has also been spending time on the campus of Southern Methodist University, his wife's alma mater and the site of the new presidential library and think- tank. Critics may choose to view the new institute as an organization which will gloss over and ignore the problems that occurred during the Bush administration. Still others, though, will likely see the organization in more altruistic terms.
For a man who appears to have abrupty disappeared from public view, Bush nevertheless dutifully continues to work on his memoirs in his new North Dallas office. His new book is virtually certain to include passages about his personal philosophy, his bout with drinking during his early years, and perhaps also his perspectives on many of the decisions he made while in office.
Bush's War Machine and an Economy in Distress; Waiting it Out
Concurrent with the now ex-president's first 100 days out of office, President Barack Obama and his new administration's first 100 days in office are being closely monitored and scrutinized by the media and the court of public opinion. Early on in his presidency, Mr. Bush proudly described himself as a war-time president. Retrospectively, perhaps, time will judge the wisdom of the choices Mr. Bush made conducting the unpopular and devisive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The actions that George Bush took, the decisions he made about both wars, and his actions regarding the current state of the economy are probably going to be alternately criticized and vilified. However, In the interim, it appears the country's 43rd president may have to content himself with his relative anonymity as a private citizen.
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Friends and supporters closest to him see Mr. Bush as incapable of straying very far from the ongoing debate regarding the best policies and leadership for America. Although George W. Bush no longer serves in the capacity as leader of the free world, those who know him best say that his presidential experiences seemed to have done little to change his unique outlook on life or the substance of who he is.
Both Mr. Bush's often-criticized sense of humor and his self-assured style of leadership appears to have remained intact and dulled little by unpopular public opinion and criticism.. Even so, waiting it all out must be a difficult proposition for such an energetic, personable man, still very confident and secure in himself.
Author George P.
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