Poll: Which 20th century American President was the most responsible for starting a war?

The poll has closed for the question, "Which 20th century American President was the most responsible for starting a war?" Thanks to all who participated by voting.

George H.W. Bush was the leading vote getter with 41% for the Persian Gulf War. President Kennedy was second with 29% for the Vietnam War. President Clinton was third with 12% for the Kosovo War. Truman polled 9% for the Korean War and Wilson got 6% for World War One.

I could only place five Presidents on the poll. As such, I left FDR off. I hardly think he started World War Two so I think this was a good choice. I am going to get off the war theme and try a different sort of poll question next.

U.S. Presidency Isn't Easy to Pass Along

So, is it tough for one American President to pass the job onto someone else? An article at Yahoo! argues that it is. David Shribman wrote an essay titled U.S. Presidency Isn't Easy to Pass Along. The current Presidential election is included as he talks about Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush.

Shribman wrote, "The thing about the presidency is that it's usually nontransferable...There are exceptions, of course. James Madison wanted James Monroe, his secretary of state (and his secretary of war), to ascend to the White House. Thomas Jefferson supported Monroe as well. Together, they pulled it off. Monroe served two terms and lent his name to the most important foreign-policy doctrine in American history. Andrew Jackson was able to choose his successor, too."

Teddy Roosevelt was able to get Taft elected as well. However, he soon regretted it and ran against him in 1912. And the first President Bush probably had soon influence in getting the second President Bush elected as well eight years after his term ended.

However, many other presidents have failed to get their annointed successor elected. Or, they have not even tried to do so. Shribman wrote, " The problem with trying to transfer the presidency is that the transferrer (a) doesn't have any power to do so; and (b) oftentimes has disadvantages of his own ("negatives," in the argot of politics). Touring the United States in 1842, Charles Dickens described Washington as a City of Magnificent Intentions. Every presidential aspirant is a candidate of Magnificent Intentions. But every president is necessarily a politician of Magnificent Disappointments. The hazards of a president's record detracts from the hope of a candidate's appeal."

Which leads to Hillary Clinton. Can Bill Clinton help get her elected or does his presence actually hurt her? McCain is supportive of many of President Bush's policies but Bush is not embracing McCain. And McCain seems to appreciate that. Is Hillary's link to a past president hurting her? Or has it gotten her further than she would have on her own? Of course, it may make no difference at all.

Barbara Bush’s Most Unusual Present

I happened to see a picture of a mismatched pair of Keds that belonged to Barbara Bush awhile ago (not on the Internet, unfortunately, but you can read about the exhibit they were part of at the New York Times – the entire exhibit is actually really neat). This, of course, aroused my curiosity to find the story behind these shoes for you all.

You can find the story of these shoes in her memoirs, Barbara Bush: A Memoir (available through Google Books):
…George gave me the most unusual present. I had mentioned in passing that although there were hundreds of different kinds of athletic shoes, it was really hard to buy Keds, the old-fashioned sneaker. The next time I’m going to say diamonds, for on my birthday George dragged in a bag of twenty-four different styles, colors, and patterns of Keds. He had written the company president and asked him to send what he had. So, just to tease George, I divided them into three lots for Camp David, Kennebunkport, and the White House, but did not match up the pairs. So I now wear the purple with the black or the pink with the orange, and so on. I love watching the children’s faces as they poke their mothers and point. (pg. 300).

Autism Blog: President Bush and His Opposition to a Thimerosal Ban

My wife (Julie Lorenzen) has started work on a new blog. It is the Autism Blog. She has a good start and I think this will be a successful blog.

A few days ago, she ventured into presidential politics with her post, President Bush and His Opposition to a Thimerosal Ban. I am reproducing it here with permission:

Yesterday I wrote that the reason why President Bush is vetoing the FY 2008 Bill is because he wants the ban on thimerosal removed from the bill. This concerns the ASA, some scientists, parents and many others because the mercury in thimerosal is believed to be a trigger of autism. Near the end of my post I asked what the safer alternatives to thimerosal were in regards to preserving vaccines. My thanks goes out to the two readers who addressed my question. Please see their comments to my previous post if you would like to know what they wrote.

I once read somewhere that a possible reason as to why President Bush is against the ban is because his father, Past U.S. President H.W. Bush, may have a business connection to the company that manufactures thimerosal . However, I was unsuccessful in my search to find a website to back this claim up. I'm not about spreading false rumors about our U.S. President nor am I into bashing President Bush. But, if anyone can find a credible website discussing this claim, I might write about it in a future post. Thank you for your interest in this topic.

Poll Question: Which of these living Presidents would you most like to have dinner with?

The poll has closed for the question "Which of these living Presidents would you most like to have dinner with?" The winner was Bill Clinton with 50% of the vote. George W. Bush got second with 24%. Jimmy Carter came in third with 14%. The first President Bush came in last with 10%.

Thanks to all who voted in this unscientific poll. Also, thanks to Jennie for suggesting this question.

Modern US President Continued

You Are Most Like George H. W. Bush

You're considered boring by people that don't know you well. But like Bush senior, you do crazy things. Maybe you'll end up banning broccoli in your house, or puking on the Prime Minster of Japan!

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

I have to admit that I agree with M on the validity of this test. First, I could have skewed the answer if I wanted because I could tell which answer was which president. Second, they were all "and" questions instead of separating them out, so most of the time there was no one good answer, just a lot of mediocre ones. But, hey, I guess it is all is in good fun, right, so I shouldn't be so picky?

My Search for Barbara Bush

I volunteer as a docent about twice a month at the National First Ladies’ Library in Canton, OH (I’ve mentioned it before). Last Friday was one of my days. We often get questions during the tours – that’s nothing new. Sometimes I know, sometimes I don’t – I’m always honest if I don’t and tell them where I think they can find out. Or I offer to help them look for it after the tour because we can often find the answer in one of the books we sell in the gift shop (and I’ve read about half of them, which is always helpful). Well, I got one of those questions on Friday. We were upstairs looking at all the First Ladies’ pictures when one gentleman asked me if we had a picture of a young Barbara Bush. This seemed like an easy enough question and I knew we had something by Barbara Bush downstairs. So after the tour, we went looking.

Well, the only book we had was Reflections by Barbara Bush, which is about her life after the White House. No help there. We didn’t have any biographies of either Bush (we have a strange and always changing variety of books in the gift store). And none of the First Ladies’ compilation books we had had anything but the traditional pictures of grandmotherly Barbara Bush. By this point, this was driving me nuts (I have to follow up any quest – forgetting it is impossible for me). I had to find something. So we called over the actual library for help and started doing some Internet searches while we waited to hear back from them. Barbara Bush did not just appear with gray hair!

I had a feeling the Bush Presidential Library would be our best bet, but we could not find anything from the main page, so we had to turn to search engines. These of course gave us a lot of false links to the younger Barbara Bush (the current President’s daughter rather than his mother). But we found some hidden at the Bush Presidential Library! Then of course, as soon as we found those, the library called back with a book. So our visitors got to see the online pictures plus go over and peruse the book. They were quite happy and I felt satisfied.

In any case, since I did all that work, I thought I would share some pictures of Barbara Bush with you that you may not have seen in the past. As I guessed, she did not appear with gray hair! She was a very lovely young woman.

From the Bush Presidential Library’s online photo collection:

Barbara Bush as a teenager

George and Barbara Bush on their wedding day

George and Barbara Bush on their honeymoon

It is amazing when you start looking how much of the information available to us is the same. The same pictures, similar text and similar stories…there is a lot of diverse information out there, but it often takes time to find it!

I think this is also an interesting commentary on image as well. Barbara Bush has always given off a grandmotherly image. When we were seaching for these, we were discussing whether or not she had ever released any early pictures - as they don't really go with her "image." While First Lady, the image we saw of a sweet grandmotherly woman was what we were supposed to see and that is the one we remember. That does not necessarily meant that is all there is to know! Barbara Bush is really a fascinating woman. You can see one of my earlier posts to read some of her quotes and speeches.

Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush is known for some really humorous quotes. I thought I would include some for you all.

One of Mrs. Bush’s best known speeches was the one she gave at Wellesley College in 1990. You can get a copy of the text as well as an audio at this site. She ends on a fun note: “Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president's spouse. I wish him well!”

There is this one about George W. that is very funny: “I may be the only mother in America who knows exactly what their child is up to all the time.”

Here’s one of my all-time favorites, “I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up.”

This one about Clinton…well, it is true, but very pointed: “Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is.”

This is simple, but very true: “War is not nice.”

This one is a good way to look at losing an election: “One thing I can say about George... he may not be able to keep a job, but he's not boring.”

Okay, I have to end with something good, rather than just funny, so here is an uplifting one: “If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.”

I pulled these quotes from:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/barbara_bush.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/barbara_bush.htm
http://www.whatquote.com/authors/362-Barbara-Bush.htm

There are lots more…as well as from lots of other Presidents and First Ladies.

World War Two and George HW Bush

The first President Bush was a war hero. He was a navy pilot during World War Two. By 1944, he had flown 58 combat missions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded aboard the San Jacinto.

He also almost died. Wikipedia notes, "After finishing flight training he was assigned to Torpedo squadron (VT-51) as photographic officer in September 1943. As part of Air Group 51, his squadron was based on U.S.S. San Jacinto in the spring of 1944. San Jacinto was part of Task Force 58 that participated in operations against Marcus and Wake Islands in May, and then in the Marianas during June. On June 19 the task force triumphed in one of the largest air battles of the war. On his return from the mission Bush's aircraft made a forced water landing. A submarine rescued the young pilot, although the plane was lost as well as the life of his navigator."

In all, the San Jacinto suffered a 50% casualty rate among pilots during the war. President Bush was very fortunate to have survived World War Two.

What if Bush had died like his navigator did in 1944? How different would history have been? How would this impact the current world? There would have been no George HW Bush vice-presidency or presidency. Further, George W. and Jeb would have never been born so they would not now be President of the USA and Governor of Florida. I have the feeling that alternate history writers are going to have a field day with this scenario someday.

History of New Zealand

History of New Zealand. This is a history of the Oceania nation of New Zealand. It is brief but informative.

The site notes the role of the first President Bush. It states, "Implementation of New Zealand's policy effectively prevented practical alliance cooperation under ANZUS, and after extensive efforts to resolve the issue proved unsuccessful, in August 1986 the United States suspended its ANZUS security obligations to New Zealand. Even after President Bush's 1991 announcement that U.S. surface ships do not normally carry nuclear weapons, New Zealand's legislation prohibiting visits of nuclear-powered ships continues to preclude a bilateral security alliance with the United States. '

From the site:

Archaeological evidence indicates that New Zealand was populated by fishing and hunting people of East Polynesian ancestry perhaps 1,000 years before Europeans arrived. Known to some scholars as the Moa-hunters, they may have merged with later waves of Polynesians who, according to Maori tradition, arrived between 952 and 1150. Some of the Maoris called their new homeland "Aotearoa," usually translated as "land of the long white cloud."

In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, made the first recorded European sighting of New Zealand and sketched sections of the two main islands' west coasts. English Captain James Cook thoroughly explored the coastline during three South Pacific voyages beginning in 1769. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries lumbering, seal hunting, and whaling attracted a few European settlers to New Zealand. In 1840, the United Kingdom established British sovereignty through the Treaty of Waitangi signed that year with Maori chiefs.

American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II

American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This site is promoting a book by Duane T. Hove. In addition to teaser material to encourage purchase of the book, there are a variety of pictures of American Presidents in uniform during the Second World War. I have not read the book so I can not speak to the quality of that source but the topic does look interesting.

From the site:

Presidents Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George Bush served their country as Navy Reserve officers in World War II. Most biographies gloss over this important period of the presidents' lives and are often inaccurate. American Warriors reconstructs the presidents' wartime roles in the Pacific Theater based on interviews with more than one hundred World War II veterans and on primary sources such as action reports, ships' logs, war diaries, and letters.

George H. W. Bush Quotes from Wikiquote

George H. W. Bush Quotes from Wikiquote. This features a collection of verified quotes from the first President Bush.

From the site:

"This is bigger than politics; this is about saving lives, and I must confess I’m getting a huge kick out of it." -- 2005 February 20, on serving with former political rival Bill Clinton in their efforts to raise money for tsunami recovery

"Most of the money that President Clinton and I raised has not been spent yet, and it will go into reconstruction." -- 2005 February 20 - said in tsunami-ravaged southeastern Asia alongside former political rival Bill Clinton in their efforts to raise money for tsunami recovery

"For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan. We've had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We've had some sex...uh...setbacks."

"We're enjoying sluggish times, and not enjoying them very much."

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."

"I'm conservative, but I'm not a nut about it."

"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God."

The Successes and Failures of George Bush's War on Drugs

The Successes and Failures of George Bush's War on Drugs - Offers an in-depth look at Bush's plan to fight illegal drugs and the results of the actions he took, from a pro-legalization organization.

From the site:

United States President George Bush officially began his "war on drugs" on September 5, 1989, when he gave the first prime time address of his presidency, in which he outlined the federal government's strategy for eradicating drug use. The plan called for $7.9 billion from Congress, a $2.2 billion increase from the previous budget. Of the $7.9 billion that Bush asked for, 70% would go to law enforcement, which included $1.6 billion for jails. However, only 30% went to prevention, education, and treatment. The Bush administration sought to wage its war by primarily focusing on demand in the United States, which, to Bush, meant attacking and arresting the drug user, rather than focusing on prevention, education and treatment, or interdiction (Trying to reduce the supply of drugs). Since the federal government has very limited police power, it would have to wage this war through the coercion of states. States that did not comply with the Bush plan would be penalized with a reduction in funding from the federal government.History

Every president since Eisenhower had created new measures to decrease drug use in the United States, but, until 1979, none had actually succeeded. In 1989, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released a report stating that there was a 37% drop in casual (non addicted) use from 1979 to 1989.3

Despite this trend, drug abuse and addiction had become a serious and dangerous problem in the 1980's, due to a rise in the popularity of casual cocaine use among the middle and upper class, and the invention of crack cocaine, a smokable, more potent form of cocaine, used primarily by poorer, drug addicted people. Before long, cocaine became the main export of Colombia, and a major product of Bolivia and Peru. Crack became so prevalent that by 1990 it cost only 35 cents to import and manufacture a vial (a common quantity) of it. Moreover, despite the interdiction efforts of President Ronald Reagan, the wholesale price of cocaine dropped from $60,000 per kilo in 1980 to $10,000 per kilo in 1988. All of this drug use amounted to immense profits; drug lords were getting $80 billion in tax free profits every year.

George H.W. Bush State of the Union Addresses

George H.W. Bush State of the Union Addresses. Here is access to the four State of the Union Addresses delivered during the presidency of the first President Bush. The 1991 address is of particular note as it was delivered during the First Persian Gulf War. Note that the 1989 address is not officially recognized as a State of the Union Address. Regardless, it was perceived as being a State of the Union Address by the press and the public at the time it was delivered and is commonly remembered as being a State of the Union Address.

George H.W. Bush First State of the Union
George H.W. Bush Second State of the Union
George H.W. Bush Third State of the Union
George H.W. Bush Fourth State of the Union

History of Panama

History of Panama. Two American Presidents (Reagan and H. W. Bush) played a major role in the history of Panama in the late 20th Century. This essay has some details.

From the site:

The United States froze economic and military assistance to Panama in the summer of 1987 in response to the domestic political crisis and an attack on the U.S. Embassy. General Noriega's February 1988 indictment in U.S. courts on drug trafficking charges sharpened tensions. In April 1988, President Reagan invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, freezing Panamanian Government assets in U.S. banks and prohibiting payments by American agencies, firms, and individuals to the Noriega regime. When national elections were held in May 1989, Panamanians voted for the anti-Noriega candidates by a margin of over three-to-one. The Noriega regime promptly annulled the election and embarked on a new round of repression. By the fall of 1989, the regime was barely clinging to power, and the regime's paranoia made daily existence unsafe for American citizens.

On December 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush ordered the U.S. military into Panama to protect U.S. lives and property, to fulfill U.S. treaty responsibilities to operate and defend the Canal, to assist the Panamanian people in restoring democracy, and to bring Noriega to justice. The U.S. troops involved in Operation Just Cause achieved their primary objectives quickly, and troop withdrawal began on December 27, 1989. Noriega eventually surrendered voluntarily to U.S. authorities. He is now serving a 40-year sentence for drug trafficking.

George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush. This is a good biography of the first President Bush. It is from USA Presidents.

From the site:

George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 , 1924 ) was the 41st President of the United States ( 1989 - 1993 ). Previously, he served as director of the CIA in 1976 - 1977 , and the 43rd Vice President of the United States under President Ronald Reagan ( 1981 - 1989 ).

His son, George W. Bush , is the 43rd President of the United States. As a result George H. W. Bush is sometimes referred to as "the Elder Bush", "Bush the Elder", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41", or "the first President Bush" in order to avoid possible confusion between his presidency and that of his son. (Note that contrary to popular conception outside the U.S., Bush and his son are not " senior " and " junior " but rather just father and son with very similar names.)

George Bush's father, Prescott Bush , served as a Senator from Connecticut and was a partner in the prominent investment banking firm Brown Brothers Harriman.

George Bush attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts from 1936 to 1942 , where he demonstrated early leadership, captaining the baseball team, and was a member of an exclusive fraternity called the A.U.V, or "Auctoritas, Unitas, Veritas," Latin for "Authority, Unity, Truth". His roommate at the boarding school was a young man named Edward G. Hooker. It was at Phillips Academy that Bush learned of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor , and after graduating in June, 1942 , he joined the US Navy .

He was a naval aviator during World War II , the youngest ever at that time, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in the Pacific Theater .

After the War he attended Yale University , and was inducted into the secret society (essentially a fraternity) Skull and Bones , helping him to build friendships and political support. Joining the fraternity a year after him at Bush's request was William Sloane Coffin , a fellow classmaste from the Phillips Academy. They would remain friends and, at times, enemies, throughout their lives, though Coffin became a notable anti-war activist of the political left.

Different Views on G. W. Bush

Different Views on G. W. Bush. The library community is divided on the current Bush Presidency.

Check out Librarians Against Bush and Librarians for Bush. I'll almost certainly vote for the President. I like having a First Lady who is a librarian.

Medical History of President George Bush

Medical History of President George Bush. Describes all of Bush's ails, from his thyroid to his abnormal heart rhythm to his vomiting on the Japanese Prime Minister.

From the site:

As a high school senior Bush almost died from a staphylococcal infection in his right arm. He spent weeks recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital. Antibiotics, in the form of sulfa drugs, were available in that era, but, curiously, they were not used [3a].

Bush's plane was downed twice during his service as a Naval Aviator in World War II. On the second occasion, he struck his head on the tail of the airplane as a result of being ejected from the plane, sustaining a deep gash in his forehead. Effects from smoke in the cockpit and swallowing seawater after landing in the Pacific Ocean nauseated him. He was rescued by an American submarine some hours later [3b].

Bush had bleeing ulcers in the 1950s-1960s timeframe, the last apparently in 1960. He also suffered from heartburn about this time, which he treated with Pepto-Bismol [3c].

Bush came from athletic parents and has participated in athletics and fitness activities most of his life. He began playing tennis at age 5 and was on the baseball team in college. He began regular jogging at age 51, while head of the CIA. In 1991 he was quoted as saying: "I used to do four miles in about eight minutes and fifty seconds per mile, but age has been catching up with me." [3d].

LT(JG) George Bush, USNR

LT(JG) George Bush, USNR This is an article about the first President Bush. It focuses on Bush's navel career and tells why he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

From the site:

Upon hearing of the Pearl Harbor attack, while a student at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., George Bush decided he wanted to join the Navy to become an aviator. Six months later, after graduation, he enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday and began preflight training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing the 10-month course, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on 9 June 1943, several days before his 19th birthday; making him the youngest naval aviator then.




After finishing flight training, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron (VT-51) as photographic officer in September 1943. As part of Air Group 51, his squadron was based on USS San Jacinto in the spring of 1944. San Jacinto was part of Task Force 58 that participated in operations against Marcus and Wake Islands in May, and then in the Marianas during June. On 19 June, the task force triumphed in one of the largest air battles of the war. During the return of his aircraft from the mission, Ensign Bush's aircraft made a forced water landing. The destroyer, USS Clarence K. Bronson, rescued the crew, but the plane was lost. On 25 July, Ensign Bush and another pilot received credit for sinking a small cargo ship.


After Bush was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on 1 August, San Jacinto commenced operations against the Japanese in the Bonin Islands. On 2 September 1944, Bush piloted one of four aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese installations on Chi Chi Jima. For this mission his crew included Radioman Second Class John Delaney, and Lieutenant Junior Grade William White, USNR, who substituted for Bush's regular gunner. During their attack, four TBM Avengers from VT-51 encountered intense antiaircraft fire. While starting the attack, Bush's aircraft was hit and his engine caught on fire. He completed his attack and released the bombs over his target scoring several damaging hits. With his engine on fire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft. However, the other man's chute did not open and he fell to his death. It was never determined which man bailed out with Bush. Both Delaney and White were killed in action. While Bush anxiously waited four hours in his inflated raft, several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine, USS Finback. For this action, Bush received the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the month he remained on Finback, Bush participated in the rescue of other pilots.

George Herbert Walker Bush (Penguin Lives)

George Herbert Walker Bush (Penguin Lives) This biography is by Tom Wicker.

From the book description:

No one is more qualified to give a fully rounded, objective portrait of our forty-first president than Tom Wicker. A political correspondent for The New York Times for more than thirty years, Wicker was a first-hand witness to and reporter of George H. W. Bush’s political rise and presidential reign. In George Herbert Walker Bush, Wicker provides a richly drawn and succinct overview of Bush from his New England roots, his decorated service in World War II, and his successful oil businesses to his shift to politics and rapid rise within the Republican party. As he describes changes within the Republican party in recent decades, Wicker charts Bush’s career, including in-depth analysis of his campaign tactics and his gift for creating friendships and inspiring loyalty which, Wicker argues, has been the key to Bush’s success. The result is a fascinating, timely glimpse into one of the most powerful families in America today, complete with insights into the current reign of George W. Bush, the continued legacy of the Bush family, and contemporary American politics.