NEWSWEEK: What was W like as a child? GEORGE BUSH: We never thought of George as a rebellious lad. BARBARA BUSH: None of our children was rebellious, which is not to say they didn’t have glorious moments… They didn’t, to our knowledge, use drugs. They got good marks and if they didn’t, they got grounded.
What did he want to be when he was growing up? BB: A baseball player… He’s still mad at me. He thinks I threw away his baseball cards. “They’d be worth millions now.” I’m quoting him: “Millions now.”… I did not throw them away!
Were you a tough father? GB: When they did something I would just go silent. BB: George W and [his brother] Marvin were coming [home]. They knocked down every garbage can on our street… They came in and the children said to [W], “Dad wants to see you.” So [W] comes in [with his hands on his hips]. “Yes?” George looks over his glasses at him and says not a word [except] “I’m disappointed.” Out he went. He looked like a dog who put his tail between his legs.
Did you try to teach W the family business? GB: Everything was pretty much learned by example. There weren’t a lot of family rap sessions along the way.
How would W be a different president than you were? GB: He’s facing different times. He would try to do in Washington what he has done in Texas, bring people together. But I think I tried to do that. Sometimes we were not successful, but a lot of times we were. If he ends up with control of both houses of Congress he’ll get an awful lot done. If he doesn’t, he’ll still try very hard to bring them together.
Some people are worried he’s not ready yet. GB: You’re never ready to be president. I had a big resume and I was ridiculed for it… Nobody [said], “By God, he’s the best-qualified guy.” It was, “Well, he did these different jobs but he jumped around.”
Look at [W’s] record: governor of the second biggest state… Gore attacked him on missile defense and it fell flat because standing with George were Brent [Scowcroft], Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Colin Powell. Who the hell knows everything about every issue? Nobody. You’ve got to get good people, get them to perform and lead them.
Was W’s service during Vietnam a subject of family debate? BB: No, because he signed up and he would have gone if the Texas Guard had. GB: I was terrified every day he was taking off in jets. I’ll tell you, [criticism that W may have joined the Guard to avoid service] really irks me. Look at the guy I ran against.
Your son may just win. GB: It is impossible to describe how [we] feel… People ask and I say, “Leave out Republican, leave out Democrat… how would you feel if your kid was about to be president of the United States?” This is not about my legacy here. It’s certainly not about vindication. We feel the pride any mother and father would feel if their kid was a candidate for president. It’s mind-boggling.
You know how painful it can be to be president. Is it worth it? BB: Ask us if we would do it over again? Absolutely.
