¬ Largely eschewing the public spotlight after the 2010 release of his memoir Decision Points in favor of his painting, many were quite surprised to learn last year that former President George W. Bush had again picked up the pen to craft a very different sort of portrait than the ones he had been producing. This masterful biographical work on President George Herbert Walker Bush, fittingly titled 41: A Portrait of My Father, comes across as a genuine labor of love from a son for his father and one former Leader of the Free World to another. Indeed, through his crisp and candid prose, Bush the Younger truly does achieve his expressed purpose of writing “a love story,” as he told CNN’s Candy Crowley during an interview on “State of the Union.” In so doing, he not only provides readers with insight into his subject but into himself as well. As one might expect, then, 41 does not offer any groundbreaking factual revelations on either his or his father’s time in the Oval Office. Nor does it shed new light on the major decisions that either of them made. Any reader looking for an unbiased, purely biographical account of Bush the Elder’s extraordinary life in the same vein as other noted works on the former president and his time as Commander in Chief such as George H.W. Bush: The 41st President, 1989-1993 by historian Timothy Naftali or George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee by author Herbert S. Parmet will undoubtedly be quite disappointed. Nevertheless, this makes Bush
The book, John Adams, by David McCullough, is a powerfully written biography of one of our nation’s greatest heroes. This biography explores Adams’ life in great depth, unveiling a side to his life unbeknownst to those who have never studied his life in great detail. Through diary entries, letters, and various other documents, the reader grasps a sense of what Adams’ day to day life was like, and is also able to grasp the enormity of his lifetime accomplishments.
For my first interview, I chose to analyze my grandfather (William McGlone) and his personal work histories. At age 84, he had quite an extensive work life. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1956 with a B.A. in Communications, he began his job search with a strong focus on advertising.
The election of 1980 marked a ‘new political era’ that was ushered in by President Reagan and that followed on through the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton. These presidents were inaugurated at different times and succeeded the successes and the failures of their predecessors. Having came from different political backgrounds and having unique political and social beliefs, Bush, Reagan, and Clinton can only be analyzed through their foreign policies, domestic policies, achievements as well as shortcomings, and legacies.
“[A] recent author and public figure…[Colin Powell, wrote a] book, My American Journey, [that] helped me harmonize my understanding of America’s history and my aspiration to serve her in uniform…Powell gave me another way to think about the American dilemma and, more than that, another way to think about my own life” (Moore 131-2). Author Wes Moore wrote the book The Other Wes Moore, both an autobiography and a biography about a man who shares his name and has a similar backstory, to demonstrate how people’s destinies are primarily influenced by the environment into which they are born. Examining stories including and similar to those of both Wes Moores, as well as reflecting on one’s own personal experience, can provide insight into
George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 cautions against government having too much/excessive amount of power. Winston Smith lives in a society where a totalitarian government tracks their citizen's every move through telescreens and thought police. The government is divided among the four ministries; the Ministry of Love, Peace, Plenty, and Truth. The excessive censorship in the society leads the citizens to be less individualistic and more alike to one another. Being in an environment where Newspeak is enforced, citizens are unable to express their originality. Orwell's 1984 is a very effective cautionary tale through its characterization of Winston who lacks heroic characteristics, its conflict of man vs society, and its use of dialect.
Having similar passions can create family bonds and rituals that can be passed down generations. In From Father, with Love by Doris Kearns Goodwin, her and her father share a bond through their love of baseball, and this bond makes Goodwin nostalgic towards the end of the passage. She reveals the passion she had with her father through memories and subsequent bonds she developed with her friends and children. When her father dies, the significant connection between them is lost as she then becomes ambivalent towards baseball and despondent. Eventually Goodwin gets back into baseball and finds bonds with other women who share her similar passion of enjoying baseball.
In conclusion, I applied what I have learned from American Government to give an informative view into a president who had a somewhat important role in the American political system 136 years ago which still applies to today. This in return was done using the three skills I have learned: knowledge of the American political system as well as the history of it, how the events correlate to today and how to research a
"The Martin Van Buren Administration." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students, edited by Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle, Gale, 2002. Research in Context, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=MSIC&sw=w&u=avlr&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CBT2304200039&it=r&asid=dd16c6eb024e7b33de8c96ac86e84450. Accessed 14 Nov.
Across time, political leaders have often been remembered for their greatness by how they faced challenges than with what particular skills or abilities they had during their time in office. This statement is known to be true as political leaders are often expected to solve certain issues or challenges when in office and if their contributions benefit the state or country. Additionally, history books, records, and scholarly journals will take note of a leader’s response to challenges, how they are handled, and if the issue is solved more than whether they adequately used certain skills and abilities to solve the problem. In short, challenges, when faced, allow the political leaders to be remembered more so than their talents.
Pitts starts by letting the President know one simple fact, “you were elected as chief executive of the United States,” leading into the description of what this entails. What should be expected during this time in office, and what not to expect. As Pitts continues the reader quickly sees the freedoms that are being infringed upon.
The modern presidency has in a sense become a double-edged sword in that presidents have become beneficiaries of anything positive that can be attributed to government, but also can be blamed for anything bad occurring in society. Quite simply, the modern president has become the center of our political system (The Modern Presidency, 2004). The men who have dealt with this double-edged sword known as the modern presidency have often walked a very fine line between effectiveness and ineffectiveness, but all have attempted to use their power in one way or another.
In the novel 1984 the author, George Orwell, tells us a story about Winston rebellion against the Party by having a secret relationship with Julia. They found a hiding place in Mr. Charrington’s building, by which they spend months together. Being unaware that there was a telescreen hidden they were found and imprisoned in the Ministry of Love. In a chapter of the novel, Julia and Winston experience a rocket bomb giving him the impression that she was dead.
George W. Bush is one of the most controversial figures in recent memory. From his boyhood boarding schools and military background to the election in 2000, Bush has been the beneficiary of preferential treatment. Coming from a family of wealthy politicians and businessmen, he did not have to want, or work very hard for anything. That is, until his presidency pushed him on to the global scene making it nearly impossible to underachieve like he did in school and in the military. Several encounters with both the law and the Securities and Exchange Commission weren’t enough to check the Bush privilege. In fact, his family influence was strong enough to infiltrate the U.S. military, Florida, and U.S. Supreme Courts during his time
George W. Bush prided himself on his decisiveness. Bush’s management style was structured around a desire to preserve the time of the president and produce swift action. Bush’s management style was a product of his past experiences as a former governor of Texas and business executive and his business school education. His life experiences had taught him to delegate and trust the abilities of his immediate subordinates. (Allen & Broder, 2004) Joe Allbaugh, a top aide and 2000 campaign director, described Bush as the “best one-minute manager” and a “fantastic delegator.” (Public Broadcasting Service, 2004) President Bush once described his own decision making style by stating “I’m not a textbook player. I am a gut player.” (Pfiffner 2011, 249) This preference was reflected in the way his White House organized his access to information.
George W. Bush, the 43 President of The United States of America, is one of the greatest leaders we have ever seen. In this essay I will describe why, I feel that Mr. Bush is a highly qualified leader for this country. Mr. Bush is highly educated, has the aptitude for being the President and is a great communicator. Mr. Bush is also a person of strong constitution or stability, extremely motivated and cooperative. The later being extremely important when one considers the close ratio of Democrats to Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate. Due to his high level of leadership potential I am of the opinion the US is currently being lead by one of the most capable and qualified candidates of recent memory.