Bush Reads and So Will I, Part 2
by Candice Watters on 12/30/2008 at 9:09 AM
The contest between President Bush and Karl Rove that began in January 2006 didn't end there. "To my surprise," Rove writes, "the president demanded a rematch in 2007." And 2008. According to Rove, "a glutton for punishment, Mr. Bush insisted on another rematch."
What's the outcome of all this reading? For starters, victory for Karl Rove. He won the competition all three times. But not by much. In 2006 it was Rove 110, Bush 95. In '07, Rove 76, Bush 51. And last year's total, as of December 26, Rove 64, Bush 40. That's a lot of extra-curricular reading for the leader of the free world. And contrary to what most reporters would have you believe, those weren't comic books on his nightstand.
For starters, "Each year, the president ... read the Bible from cover to cover, along with a daily devotional." What else did he read in those three years?
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin; biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, Babe Ruth, King Leopold, William Jennings Bryan, Huey Long, LBJ and Genghis Khan; "A History of the English Speaking Peoples Since 1900," by Andrew Roberts; James L. Swanson's "Manhunt;" and Nathaniel Philbrick's "Mayflower." For fiction, he read eight Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald, Michael Crichton's "Next," Vince Flynn's "Executive Power," Stephen Hunter's "Point of Impact," and Albert Camus's "The Stranger."
Rove reports that "Nearly half of his 2006 reading was history and biography, with another eight volumes on current events (mostly the Mideast) and six on sports."
That's a hefty list for anyone, let alone someone shouldering the responsibility of the presidency. But he's no lightweight. Rove says,
There is a myth perpetuated by Bush critics that he would rather burn a book than read one. Like so many caricatures of the past eight years, this one is not only wrong, but also the opposite of the truth and evidence that bitterness can devour a small-minded critic. Mr. Bush loves books, learns from them, and is intellectually engaged by them.
Whatever your thoughts about our president (I happen to admire, respect and revere him), his love of books is something we should all aspire to. When he leaves the White House for the last time on January 20, I will miss him greatly. But maybe now he'll have the time and leisure to really read a few books. He's earned it.
1. Marc said the following at 9:46 AM on Dec 30:
I don't know if Mr. Rove knew this or not, but having President Bush read all of those books served as a type of therapy, if you will, from all the nonsense the President got (whether he deserved it or not).
2. Jacob said the following at 9:47 AM on Dec 30:
Despite my disappointments with President Bush, I am still thankful for his relentless work to defend our country from further terror attacks.
Incidentally, does anyone know if there is a comparable listing of what Obama has been reading over the last year? I'd be curious to see what's been on his nightstand.
3. April L. said the following at 11:12 AM on Dec 30:
Thank you for this post, Candice. I love reading. And I love President Bush. His example has inspired me to read more non-fiction this year! Also, I have not read through the Bible in a year for a long time, so I think I will do that this coming year as well.
To start out 2009, I have these on my reading list:
Gold Cord, by Amy Carmichael
A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, by William Law
Thr Chronology of the Old Testament by Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones
Unwrapping the Pharaohs by John Ashton and David Down
Also, at least the first volume of Luther's sermons!
One book I have been longing to reread is Hidden Art by Edith Schaeffer.
And I WILL get to every last book by C.S. Lewis that I have not yet read this year if humanly possible!
These selections should get me through January at least, don't you think?!!
Any other non-fiction suggestions?
4. (The Canadian) Andrew R said the following at 7:43 PM on Dec 30:
"That's a lot of extra-curricular reading for the leader of the free world."
No kidding. I'm a student, and I barely had the time to get through a few books, let alone 95. As great as it is to read books, I do wonder if perhaps President Bush could have spent his time a bit better.
5. John said the following at 4:58 PM on Dec 31:
From the way he's been working, it appears as though he's been reading The Communist Manifesto.
He had so much going for him until March 2003.
From that moment on it's been down hill.
Did he miss the parts of the bible that make it clear that charity is personal and not the job of government?
Candice,
How can you revere a man who says that Islam is a religion of peace and that they worship the same God as he supposedly does?
6. Jo said the following at 11:04 AM on Jan 3:
Andrew (4):
"As great as it is to read books, I do wonder if perhaps President Bush could have spent his time a bit better."
Haha - gotta admit, I had the same thought.
7. Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D. said the following at 1:33 AM on Jan 19:
Yes, the media attacks on Bush were disgracefully unprofessional. He has his faults, but he's no dunce.
All the same, if only he would include in his reading list Jim Powell's FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression and Amity Shlaes' The Forgotten Man. Then he wouldn't be so ready to spend like a drunken sailor (and at least sailors spend their own money, as Reagan pointed out).
Bush and Cheney are so afraid of being compared to Hoover's alleged "do nothing" presidency, yet these books show that Hoover was an rabid interventionist, big spender and protectionist—just like Obama. FDR, whom Obama admires merely extended these policies disastrously, which made the Depression "Great".
‘In May 1939, Treasury Secretary Henry J. Morgenthau Jr., one of Franklin Roosevelt's best friends, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee: “I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started… And an enormous debt to boot.”’ [from New Deal or Raw Deal? How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America, Mises Review).