"HE'S DYING INSIDE"
Former President Bush has repeated in virtually everything he has conducted since 2001 that he does not give his son, the current president of the United States, any advice on politics or world affairs.
The elder Bush made it sound like his son hadn't asked for advice, which may be true, but those statesmen of the former Bush regime are reportedly furious at what the current president has done to world harmony, the image of the United States abroad, and the reluctance of his neocon council of advisors to listen to the wise words of the old guard.
With the 'War On Iraq' rapidly becoming one of the most disastrous misadventures in generations, elder statesmen such as James Baker III and Henry Kissinger are now not only being listened to in the White House, they are helping to shape current and future international policy, particularly how the US will fight the 'War On Iraq' through 2007.
The former president Bush recently said of his son, "I am very proud of our president. I support him in every single way with every fiber in my body."
That's not a ringing endorsement from the former president. That's practically a cry for help.
From the New York Daily News :
....one of the worst-kept secrets in Bush World is the dismay, in some cases disdain, harbored by many senior aides of the former president toward the administration of his son - 41 and 43, as many call them, political shorthand that refers to their numerical places in American presidential history.
...as the war in Iraq has worsened and public support for the current administration has tanked, loyalists of the elder Bush have found it impossible to suppress their disillusionment - particularly their belief that many of 43's policies are a stick in the eye of his father.
"Forty-three has now repudiated everything 41 stands for, and still he won't say a word," a key member of the elder Bush alumni said. "Personally, I think he's dying inside."
The ultimate sticking point for the old guard is Iraq. They cite the appointment of 41's close friend and former secretary of state, James Baker, to chart a new Iraq policy as belated vindication.The 41s remain incensed, however, that Brent Scowcroft, 41's national security adviser and once a top outside adviser to this administration, has been demonized since he wrote a 2002 article opposing an Iraq invasion.
"What Brent said is now the accepted wisdom," a senior 41 hand said, "and everyone believes 41 agrees with him, though he'll never say it."
While the 41s do most of the finger-pointing, aides to the current president reject the criticism as nitpicking from out-of-touch malcontents.
They also bash the 41s for going public, charging much of the damaging material in Bob Woodward's new book, "State of Denial," was provided by 41 partisans.
Another top former 41 loyalist confided that several ex-colleagues remarked on a perceived "stature gap" between father and son,,,The 41s concede their broadsides are awkward for their ex-boss, but say they're motivated by a desire to protect his legacy.
In fact, the 41s suggest a singular irony: The unpopularity of the son's administration may be rehabilitating the father's.
"By comparison, the old man looks better and better," a senior 41 hand said, with undisguised satisfaction.
