1 GEORGE W. BUSH AND THE LANGUAGE OF COMMAND:
A DAILY DIARY
The most mysterious thing about George W. Bush is that there is little mystery to
the man. Despite the sharply ambivalent feelings he inspires in his fellow Americans,
virtually all feel that they know him. The President’s suitability or unsuitability lies in
his clarity and that naturally divides people: Bush is a saint or a zealot; a patriot or a
barking nationalist. Bush champions family values and that makes him a hero to some;
for others, it makes him meddlesome. Bush’s style gives him a sense of command for
many but his detractors find him imperial. All of these George Bushs have walked the
public stage, especially since September 11, 2001. Love him or hate him–and most of the
nation opts for one of these poles--George W. Bush is who he is.
These things were not always true. As governor of Texas, Bush was hardly an
ideologue. He was instead a pragmatist, quickly befriending the Democratic lieutenant
governor at the time–Bob Bullock. Bush made him his mentor and Bullock was charmed
by that. Mr. Bush also adopted his (Democratic) predecessor’s education policy, tweaked
it a bit, and called it his own. Bush talked to those he needed to talk to and he made the
trains run on time. As Governor, Bush also did the things Republicans wanted him to
do–lower taxes, execute felons, and cozy up to Big Business–but he showed little interest
in creating a New Frontier or, for that matter, a New Texas.
Given these rather atheoretical roots, what explains the George W. Bush who
became president, created a Republican ascendency in Washington, and launched his
Convention