Midland is really underappreciated as an influence on George W. Bush, Mr. Engel said.
These were the years when the elder Mr. Bush was on the road, selling oil parts and leaving the children with their mother, Barbara. Her strong personality and famously sharp tongue would influence the swagger and blunt speech of the younger Mr. Bush.
This is why he says he has his fathers eyes and his mothers mouth, Mr. Engel said.
After leaving the White House in 2009, Mr. Bush and the former first lady, Laura Bush, returned to Texas and in the years since have pushed for better treatment of wounded veterans and expanded school and community libraries, Mr. Brinkley said.
Both have largely stayed out of politics, but Mr. Bush, who did not support Mr. Trumps candidacy, has spoken out against the bigotry and white supremacy that have been parts of the current presidents tenure.
On Wednesday, Mr. Bush condemned the siege on Capitol Hill, which he said was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes.
Mr. Brinkley said of Mr. Bush: Hes never going to be seen as a top-tier American president due to the failure of the Iraq war, the tanking of the economy under his watch, his inaction during Katrina. The list is long.
But Mr. Bushs consistent disavowal of Mr. Trump, he said, puts him on the winning side of history.read more
George W. Bush’s Childhood Home Eyed for National Park Service Inclusion
