Former President Bush (41) reflects on his legacy, including 'Read my lips'
One of the most powerful unelected men in Washington for years has been Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
He鈥檚 most famous for pressuring members of Congress and other elective offices 鈥� more than 1,100 to date 鈥� to sign a 鈥淭axpayer Protection Pledge鈥� in which they 鈥渟olemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases.鈥�
In 2010, 88 percent of Republican 鈥淵oung Gun鈥� congressional candidates signed the pledge, according to a Huffington Post tally, although that seems to be dropping off in 2012 as more incumbents and first-time candidates assert their independence.
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One politician who signed the pledge way back in 1987 and still gets pretty steamed over it is former president George H. W. Bush.
Running for the presidency a year later he made perhaps his most famous pronouncement: 鈥淩ead my lips: No new taxes鈥� 鈥� a pledge he broke in compromising with congressional Democrats. Four years later, 鈥淩ead my lips鈥� came back to haunt him when he lost his re-election bid to Bill Clinton.
Today, Mr. Bush says, 鈥淭he rigidity of those pledges is something that I don鈥檛 like. You know, the circumstances change and you can鈥檛 be wedded to some formula by Grover Norquist鈥�. Who the hell is Grover Norquist, anyway?鈥�
That was in an interview in this weekend鈥檚 edition of Parade Magazine.
Asked to respond, Mr. Norquist told Huffington Post, 鈥淗e didn't lose this election because he lied to me, he lost the next election because he didn't keep his word to the American people.鈥� But, adds Norquist, "It was 22 years ago. Let's give the guy some slack.鈥�
"He had an otherwise successful presidency,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e got Iraq out of Kuwait without occupying the place for a decade 鈥� he ought to have a conversation with his son about how you do that. But he had one big hole in the bottom of the boat, and that was a tax increase."
Interviewed with Mrs. Barbara Bush by presidential historian Mark Updegrove at their home in Kennebunkport, Maine, Mr. Bush commented on other aspects of his political and family legacy.
Asked what he learned serving eight years as vice president under Ronald Reagan, he replied:
鈥淥h, I just learned a lot about decency, and honor, and kindness, and those broad values. He was a remarkable man and a kind guy 鈥� and generous. What I learned was more of those broad qualities than it was about individual issues. He didn鈥檛 care about the day-to-day legislation and amending the previous motion and all that kind of stuff. He was broad-gauged and on the issues he was fine.鈥�
About his relationship with the man who defeated him 20 years ago, Mr. Bush says: 鈥淲ell, he knows a lot about everything. He鈥檚 a very knowledgeable, bright man. And he sat out here one time and we talked about every possible [subject] 鈥� one after another.鈥�
Mrs. Bush weighed in more effusively:
鈥淗e never said a mean word about anyone鈥�. 鈥楳y brother by another mother,鈥� the [Bush] boys call him. But he鈥檚 very nice 鈥� I think he thinks of George as the father he never had. Truthfully. I mean that as a great compliment. He鈥檚 been very thoughtful about calling and he鈥檚 a good fellow鈥�. I was surprised by the fact that I liked him, truthfully. And I do like him a lot. And he and George W. have worked together. I think they鈥檙e patriots.鈥�
How will history ultimately view George Herbert Walker Bush? the former president was asked.
鈥淲ell, I hope kindly, but I don鈥檛 know 鈥� we鈥檙e not trying to shape [history]. We鈥檙e not trying to write the memoir, [or] have the seminar to point out all the wonderful things we did. I mean, I think you鈥檒l find out what I did right and what I did wrong. I think history will get it right.鈥�
鈥淚 think we had an honorable administration,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we were relatively scandal-free and blessed by good people 鈥� getting a lot of good people involved.鈥�
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