George W Bush: I Have Come To Realise Power Can Be Corrosive

[webfact]

'I've come to realise power can be corrosive': George W Bush admits he might have become carried away with fame
The president admitted power and fame can 'dim your vision'
He was speaking at a 100K bike ride attended by several injured veterans
Added he doesn't 'feel sorry for them' and that they were 'volunteers' in war
By DANIEL BATES

WASHINGTON: -- He was the most powerful man on the planet for eight years. Now former US president George W Bush has spoken frankly about the perils of leadership, saying holding on to power for too long can be ‘corrosive’.

Mr Bush, who served two terms in the White House, said he thought being in charge could ‘dim your vision’ because you get carried away with fame.

He admitted that while he was president he came to understand how ‘fame can become very addictive’.

Mr Bush said: ‘I’ve had all the fame a man could want... I don’t long for [fame]. Nor do I long for power. I’ve come to realise that power can be corrosive if you’ve had it for too long.

‘It can dim your vision. And so I came to the conclusion that, you know, I don’t long for fame.’

He also confessed he has deliberately avoided the limelight since leaving office.

It is unclear whether the comments will help to rehabilitate his image. A poll last year found he is the most unpopular living president, with 54 per cent saying they had an unfavourable view of him.

Full story: : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333977/George-W-Bush-Ive-come-realise-power-corrosive-Former-president-admits-carried-away-fame.html

-- Daily Mail 2013-2013-06-01

[Credo]

One of the very few truly insightful remarks ever made by the man.

[Mosha]

Hind sights a wonderful thing.

[Morden]

Power corrupts. If he didn't realise that before he took office he wasn't fit for the job.

I wonder who really had the power. He's too dim to run a hairdryer let alone an aggressive military power. It must have been those shadowy figures who always stood by his shoulder.

Whoever wrote his little speech should be sacked. How on earth could he be prompted to say words to the effect that 'he doesn't 'feel sorry for them' and that they were 'volunteers' in war'? He never did have much in the way of speaking skills, I suppose.

[BookMan]

Guy does not have a clue and why would he get one now?

Thousands of soldiers feel the war was futile. Sorry for themselves? Probably outright angry, and as they get older they should feel cheated and manipulated.

Of course the thousands who lost their lives in a war, that stands on the shakiest of ground, cannot really comment these days, can they?

Georgie starting the long haul on trying to re-write his own personal history of dubious decisions for going to war it sounds like to me

Asked if he felt responsible for their injuries, Mr Bush said: ‘Well, to a certain extent you can’t help it, because had I not made decisions I made, they wouldn’t have been in combat.

‘On the other hand, every one of these men were volunteers. None of them are angry. They don’t blame anybody. And so I believe strongly that the decisions I made were the right decisions.’

[Credo]

He will have more to say once they sharpen the rest of his color crayons.

[BookMan]

...

I wonder who really had the power. He's too dim to run a hairdryer let alone an aggressive military power. It must have been those shadowy figures who always stood by his shoulder.

.

Spot on Morden, He might well believe he made some decisions, but powerful business interests in the background were guiding this genial fool

[F430murci]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

[apalink_thailand]

Is he coming out with a new children's colouring book?

[bobl]

Power corrupts. Who knew. Thank God for Bush's insights.

[impulse]

I chalk him up as a man of integrity and principles who was led to that position by power hungry (and evil) men who then used him to pursue their agenda(s).

Had it not been for Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, I think he would have done okay. Not the best, but certainly not the tragedy his time in office proved to be.

Sadly, it will take the USA 100 years to live down that legacy. And I don't know if we have 100 years.

Edited June 1, 2013 by impulse

[Ulysses G.]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

[scorecard]

"He also confessed he has deliberately avoided the limelight since leaving office."

More to the point, nobody was interested in his comments etc., after he left office.

No wonder Colin Powell baled out as quickly as possible.

[Credo]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

Was that reported in Mad Magazine?

[Morden]

Hi IQ or not, he can't string together a coherent sentence and his grammar is appalling:

"One of the very difficult parts of the decision I made on the financial crisis was to use hardworking people's money to help prevent there to be a crisis." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 2009

"I've been in the Bible every day since I've been the president." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2008

[F430murci]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

Haha, 126 impresses you? Dim wit for a president, but maybe a rocket scientist for a Walmart greeter.

[F430murci]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

Was that reported in Mad Magazine?

Skip the hoax part, but look under IQ estimates by academics. 1206 in SATs.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Presidential_IQ_hoax

1206??? Dumb fer sure. They say GW second to last in IQ for Presidents since 1900.

I think his epiphany mentioned in OP would be expected for someone occupying the position of President that is lower in intelligence.

Edited June 1, 2013 by F430murci

[Morden]

With apologies to Oscar Wilde:

To vote for an idiot once is unfortunate. To vote for him twice is carelessness.

[BookMan]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

Was that reported in Mad Magazine?

Self reported probably

IQ alone is not a determiner of the decisions he made as President and certainly 126 is nothing special

[Mosha]

With apologies to Oscar Wilde:

To vote for an idiot once is unfortunate. To vote for him twice is carelessness.

Especially when he's inflicted on the rest of the "free" world.

[Ulysses G.]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

IQ alone is not a determiner of the decisions he made as President and certainly 126 is nothing special

It is considered exeptional and it is higher than John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower - all of who were presidents in office since 1900.

Bush's SAT scores and grades at University were very similar to Al Gore and he invented the internet!

Edited June 1, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[BookMan]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

IQ alone is not a determiner of the decisions he made as President and certainly 126 is nothing special

It is considered exeptional and it is higher than John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower - all of who are presidents in office since 1900. .

Im sorry UG, but it is not considered exceptional at all. It is considered 'High'. Exceptional would be the upper range beyond that.

Many TV posters would claim to have this upper range.

[Payboy]

I guess he's talking about new killer power.

[Credo]

Obviously he is an example of a little bit of knowledge being dangerous.

[Ulysses G.]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

It is considered exeptional and it is higher than John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower - all of who are presidents in office since 1900. .

Im sorry UG, but it is not considered exceptional at all. It is considered 'High'. Exceptional would be the upper range beyond that.

Many TV posters would claim to have this upper range.

Different sources have different classifications, but as 140 is considered a genius, 126 is a darn good score.

[chuckd]

At least this thread will permit all you US haters to get your rocks off at Bush.

All of you folks claiming he is stupid does not speak well for a couple of highly regarded Ivy League Universities. Bush obtained a Bachelor's Degree from Yale University and graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School.

A couple of other items you folks might not realize. Bush could not have gone to war in Iraq and Afghanistan without the support of the Democratic party. They (Clinton, Kerry et al) voted FOR the wars.

This little comment can easily be applied to the current resident of the White House:

"To vote for an idiot once is unfortunate. To vote for him twice is carelessness."

Edited June 1, 2013 by chuckd

[Morden]

At least this thread will permit all you US haters to get your rocks off at Bush.

All of you folks claiming he is stupid does not speak well for a couple of highly regarded Ivy League Universities. Bush obtained a Bachelor's Degree from Yale University and graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School.

A couple of other items you folks might not realize. Bush could not have gone to war in Iraq and Afghanistan without the support of the Democratic party. They (Clinton, Kerry et al) voted FOR the wars.

This little comment can easily be applied to the current resident of the White House:

"To vote for an idiot once is unfortunate. To vote for him twice is carelessness."

Look at it this way. If the US administration and military kept their noses out of the business of other countries, there would be a great deal less criticism.

[BookMan]

Different sources have different classifications, but as 140 is considered a genius, 126 is a darn good score.

It is above average UG, I am not saying it is a bad score at all

If IQ scores where the deciding factor in leadership (and i don't think they should be) then I would prefer the leader of my country, and certainly the leader of the US, to have an exceptional score; to be in the top elite range.

[F430murci]

I am nohh a smarrrt man.

His IQ is reportedly 126. He is far from stupid.

IQ alone is not a determiner of the decisions he made as President and certainly 126 is nothing special

It is considered exeptional and it is higher than John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower - all of who were presidents in office since 1900.

Bush's SAT scores and grades at University were very similar to Al Gore and he invented the internet!

Uhm, 143 is higher than 119 or your score for him at 126.

Name Political Party Lifespan Time in Office Uncorrected IQ Average[11] Corrected IQ Average[11] Cumulative Average[11] Other IQ Estimates

George Washington None/Federalist 17321799 17891797 130.0 135.0 132.5

John Adams Federalist 17351826 17971801 132.5 152.5 142.5

Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 17431826 18011809 147.5 160.0 153.8

James Madison Democratic-Republican 17511836 18091817 127.5 155.0 141.3

James Monroe Democratic-Republican 17581831 18171825 118.6 129.7 124.1

John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 17671848 18251829 165.0 172.5 168.8

Andrew Jackson Democratic 17671845 18291837 120.0 132.5 126.3

Martin van Buren Democratic 17821862 18371841 127.3 139.5 133.4

William Henry Harrison Whig 17731841 1841 127.9 140.0 133.9

John Tyler Whig 17901862 18411845 130.1 142.4 136.2

James Polk Democratic 17951849 18451849 124.4 136.1 130.2

Zachary Taylor Whig 17841850 18491850 120.1 131.3 125.7

Millard Fillmore Whig 18001874 18501853 129.1 142.9 136.0

Franklin Pierce Democratic 18041869 18531857 128.5 141.1 134.8

James Buchanan Democratic 17911868 18571861 120.7 131.2 125.9

Abraham Lincoln Republican 18091865 18611865 132.5 147.5 140.0

Andrew Johnson National Union/Democratic 18081875 18651869 120.1 131.3 125.7

Ulysses Grant Republican 18221885 18691877 117.5 122.5 120.0

Rutherford Hayes Republican 18221893 18771881 127.9 140.0 133.9

James Garfield Republican 18311881 1881 135.1 147.9 141.5

Chester Arthur Republican 18291886 18811885 135.1 147.9 141.5

Grover Cleveland Democratic 18371908 18851889, 18931897 125.1 136.8 131.0

Benjamin Harrison Republican 18331901 18891893 125.9 138.4 132.2

William McKinley Republican 18431901 18971901 124.4 136.0 130.2

Theodore Roosevelt Republican 18581919 19011909 135.8 148.8 142.3

William Howard Taft Republican 18571930 19091913 122.2 131.7 126.9

Woodrow Wilson Democratic 18561924 19131921 119.5 102.4 110.9

Warren Harding Republican 18651923 19211923 118.1 130.5 124.3

Calvin Coolidge Republican 18721933 19231929 121.0 133.2 127.1

Herbert Hoover Republican 18741964 19291933 125.0 134.6 129.8

Franklin Roosevelt Democratic 18821945 19331945 133.6 145.7 139.6

Harry Truman Democratic 18841972 19451953 122.9 132.2 127.6

Dwight Eisenhower Republican 18901969 19531961 125.7 138.1 131.9

John F. Kennedy Democratic 19171963 19611963 143.6 157.8 150.7 119.0[14]

Lyndon Johnson Democratic 19081973 19631969 122.8 132.9 127.8

Richard Nixon Republican 19131994 19691974 126.0 136.1 131.0 143.0[15]

Gerald Ford Republican 19132006 19741977 121.8 132.4 127.1

Jimmy Carter Democratic 1924present 19771981 137.3 152.9 145.1

Ronald Reagan Republican 19112004 19811989 125.1 134.9 130.0

George H. W. Bush Republican 1924present 19891993 124.6 135.7 130.1

Bill Clinton Democratic 1946present 19932001 141.3 156.3 148.8

George W. Bush Republican 1946present 20012009 119.8 130.0 124.9 119.0[16]

Barack Obama Democratic 1961present 2009present N/A N/A N/A

[BookMan]

At least this thread will permit all you US haters to get your rocks off at Bush.

All of you folks claiming he is stupid does not speak well for a couple of highly regarded Ivy League Universities. Bush obtained a Bachelor's Degree from Yale University and graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School.

A couple of other items you folks might not realize. Bush could not have gone to war in Iraq and Afghanistan without the support of the Democratic party. They (Clinton, Kerry et al) voted FOR the wars.

This little comment can easily be applied to the current resident of the White House:

"To vote for an idiot once is unfortunate. To vote for him twice is carelessness."

Why do people always assume that a dislike or criticism of a US President (past of present) implies a dislike of the US? It does not and it seems spurious to even link the two.

Indeed criticism of a US President does not even imply dislike of said President.