no idea what the story was. i think one of the things that was the most surprising to me about learning about the history of medicine was how hard they had to hang on to be in the capital of wisconsin. they were in constant jeopardy of losing status and i think that that has something to do with how they began. it began at on a piece of paper. it was proposed that it would become the state capital but first the territorial capital area and there was this guy who was a land speculator and he had invested in this land and the only people that were really living here were those that had camp along the lake shores and there were those that set up shop and so he comes through and he sees this as muscle land and thinks, i think this would be a great town and this includes the

boundaries of a town and presented it to the territorial legislature and said that this is a band we really had to convince a lot of people and so i think that that has a lot to do with how with how madison grew and there were other places in the state that have more people living in them, larger industries, so the processor actually selecting a state or territorial capital is really just about convincing other legislators. put forth a good case as white as should be the center of the government and at the time a major center of population in wisconsin was in the southwest part of the state where people were doing lead mining. so some people have suggested that that is where the capital should be because that is where the people are. and there are also quite a

number of people in the green bay area, a lot of for traders along the great lakes and so, there was a heavy concentration of people there as well. in one of his arguments was that madison was centrally located and it will be easy for people all over the territory to get there if they need to be in touch with the government. and so really it's that the marketing job is selected as a territorial capital. and so he went to present his idea that madison could be the capital of worse it wasn't the only one competing to be the capital this territory and they met in the southwest part of the state and he was a little bit manipulative. honestly he has a financial stake and he named it after the

president, james madison, who had just died and he was trying to play on national sympathies. and he also named this and so he brings it over to this territorial legislator is needed and there are 19 other cities competing to be the capital. and so basically he starts to bite people. but the building that they were meeting and was a little bit chilly. you find lots of people complaining about the poor quality of the building and how cool they are. so he knows this as well as a bunch of buffalo robes that he starts to hand out to the territorial legislators, saying would you like to hear about my city? are you cold? here is a buffalo robe. and then he starts offering to sell the legislators when for a

discounted price. and so it does go through quite a number of votes until he's actually successful. so this carries a lot of weight because he had been in wisconsin for quite some time. he was probably the only person who had been to all of the cities that were under consideration. he had come to wisconsin in the 1820s and he was a very prominent figure here. so people were bound to listen to him and they did end up after many votes selecting madison as the capital and surprisingly he made a mint off of that position. so by the early 1840s they were experiencing a lot of immigration and as well as people from new york and new england, those are kind of the two main immigrant streams. by 1840 wisconsin has enough people to allah five for statehood utilizing 16,000

people. in wisconsin has way more than that. so there were various groups that were trying to push forward to wisconsin toward statehood and there were differing political parties and so it took a while to get to the point without drafting a state constitution. so the democrats go to work trying to write this state constitution. they think it is going to be an easy endeavor. just a point where we can consider this took so long and no one thought that the constitution would be problematic. but it turns out that the constitution that they wrote was a little bit too radical for the people that were living here at the time and they had such controversial things as allowing african-americans to vote. and they also outlawed all banks. people were very distrustful of banks at the time. so they thought by outlawing the banks that they wouldn't have to worry about fraudulent activity

among banking employees. then another controversial measure is that they allowed married women to own property. pretty much every other state, a married woman owns property. these are radical provisions were included in the 1846 draft constitution. there was debate all over the state about how they were going to move forward and could they stand for this. it was eventually overturned and we just couldn't agree on this radical constitution. so we send the legislators back to the drawing board and a drop in new constitution that was finally approved and got rid of those measures that were in the original constitution. that one was finally passed so that they could become a state in may of 1848. by the time we get to the early 20 century, there's a man who is a landscape architect and city planner, who are came up with a plan for mattis and and he kind

of delivers this shocking message to the residents of the city and he says that addison has the potential to become a world-class city and he called it a model city. and he's not unsparing in his criticism of the city. but he also sees and presents specific plans for what the city can do to become like paris and new york and other places. i think for the first time people were reminded that they had the potential and that someone from the outside saw them as this fantastic place public possibilities. so that is where the subtitle comes from, that john no one called it a model city. a lot of the things that he had set out four to decades to develop. some had never come to fruition.

but in a lot of ways, the things that he suggested came through throughout the 20th century. and i think that that helps madison build the confidence. one of the things he he suggested in his plan for the city is that there should be an arboretum. and he thought there should be more green space in the city. and he thought that there needed to be a close pedestrian mall where people needed to gather together. it was actually open to traffic and they really thought the capital dome is the centerpiece of the community. and that's really something that is also helpful and has been

ever since then. he proposed several parts. and one of the things that is fascinating is we are completely surrounded by water. but up until recently it was hard to enjoy it. and so that is something that is definitely becoming much more important to the city ever since then. ..

>> next on booktv, president george w. bush discusses his biography of his father, president george h.w. bush with andy card who served as white house chief of staff for president bush 43 and secretary of transportation for president bush 41. this is about 50 minutes. [applause] >> today is a very special day in the life of the george bush presidential library foundation. it is special because we gather

for the national book launch of "41: a portrait of my father," fittingly on veterans day. today we have both the author and subject, son and father, the 43rd and the 41st presidents of the united states here at the bush library center. this morning will consist of a moderated discussion about "41." our moderator served as deputy chief of staff to the 41st president and later as the 11th united states secretary of transportation. he also served as chief of staff to the 43rd president of the united states, and most recently as acting dean of the george bush school of government and public service here at texas a&m university. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the honorable andrew card. andy? [applause] >> thank you. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the 46th governor of the state of texas and the 43rd president of the united states, the honorable george w. bush. [applause] >> thank you all. [applause] >> mother -- [laughter] thanks, mother and dad, for being here. thank you all for coming today for this distinguished author series. [laughter] i don't qualify. [laughter] [applause] anyway, i have written a book, kind of a surprise to people in parts of our country that i can

write, much less read. [laughter] but i thank you for your interest. i will just tell you right up front that this is a love story. it's not an objective analysis of president bush. this is a story about an extraordinary man who, in my judgment, is the finest one-term president our country's ever had. and -- [applause] anyway, my old pal, andy card, is going to ask some, i'm sure, difficult questions. [laughter] and i'm thrilled to be here. proud to be here with fred and, ryan, thank you very much for serving. i see we have some ambassadors here. thank you all for being here, and thank you for serving our country as well. >> mr. president, it is a thrill to have you on the campus of texas a&m, and the bush school, the bush library, the bush museum, this is all exciting for us because, believe it or not, we've got tremendous pride in you and your dad and your entire

family. and this book that you wrote is, it's more than a love story. it's actually a story written about how to fall in love. not only with people, but with public service. and the bush school, which is the greatest legacy that your dad has left for the future, is actually a place where the invitation to be a noble public servant is offered, trained and performed. and so it's great to have you on the campus of texas a&m at the bush school. but why did you write this book when you did? >> uh, well, i wrote it when i did because i wanted dad to be alive. [laughter] to be able to see how much not only i care for him, but a lot of people care for him. secondly, his presidency in many ways was overshadowed by his predecessor, and that's understandable. people are beginning to reassess

the presidency of 41, and i wanted to be a part of that process. and i wanted him to know that the process was going to take place. this guy was a great president. and since the beginning of people understanding that, i wrote it because david mccullough's daughter planted the seed. she told me one time at the ranch, you know, i wish my dad always wished he could have read a book by john q. adams about his father, john adams. i said, i can do that. [laughter] and so that's why i wrote it. and thank you very much for your interest in it. it's a pretty good read. we've got a big print version for some of you. [laughter] >> it's funny you should mention john adams, john quincy adams. your dad was actually born in

massachusetts -- >> yeah. on adams street. >> on adams street. >> interesting. >> named for both of the adamss. >> yeah. >> and your grandfather had a tremendous influence on your dad that ended up being an influence on you. >> correct. >> so could you tell me what you think the legacy of love gave to your dad that allowed you to get the legacy of love that made concern. >> well, it's that public service matters, that we're blessed to be americans and that part of that blessing requires us to serve others. a real lesson. plus, if you're a lousy golfer, play fast. [laughter] he was a great gopher. golfer. dad was a good golfer. i'm not a good golfer. anyway, prescott bush, very successful wall street guy, ends up being the town moderator in greenwich, connecticut. so a lot of his buddies were

probably drinking martinis and playing gin at the country club, he's working on behalf of others. and i'm confident that set a profound example for dad. and is his service set an -- and his service set an example for his children, of which i was one. >> it was funny, i remember when your dad was first running for president in 1979, he held a press conference right around when he announced his candidacy, and it was in boston. i remember a reporter saying why were you born in milton, massachusetts? [laughter] and i was impressed with his response. he said, i wanted to be close to my mother. >> yeah. [laughter] that's kind of funny, because when i was running for governor, i kept asking mother how come i was born in connecticut. [laughter] >> but in this book you've written about the phenomenally close relationship that your dad had with his mother.

>> yeah. very close. and, you know, i tell -- excuse me, i tell the story about, so she passed away right after the '92 election which had to have made the '92 election results even tougher. and dad and daro, my sister, go to see ganny -- that's what we called her -- and they opened up a bible. he was actually reading a bible verse to her. and out spilled these letters that he had written to her from the war zone. and they were very close. and she's an angelic person. very competitive, needless to say. kind of a, runs heavily in our gene pool, competition. [laughter] but, yeah, she's a sweet, sweet lady. and, you know, i was fortunate to get to know her and, of course, dad was really fortunate to be raised by her. >> well, and you were fortunate to be raised by as well -- >> by mother? well, you don't know, andy, you're stretching it there a

little bit. [laughter] you know, i used to say in these campaigns i had my daddy's eyes and my mother's mouth, and you're learning why i said that. [laughter] >> but i was touched early in the book, you describe how your dad wrote a letter to his girlfriend, and he said i want you to, basically, be the mother of my children -- >> yeah. >> and what wonderful children they produced. >> well, i'm glad. [laughter] no, that's right. dad, there's letters that dad has written scattered throughout the book. he's a great letter writer. and it seems to be a lost art, so maybe one of the things this book will do is remind people of how important writing letters are. but it's -- and so scattered throughout the book is a series of letters, some of which he wrote mom, some of which he wrote to all of us, some of

which he wrote me when i was president. and it marrieded. andy was there -- it mattered. andy was there, it mattered to be able to get these notes from dad or phone calls from dad because in that he was president, he knew what the pressures of the job were like, and he knew moments can be, you know, very trying. and to have him interject some humor and/or a love note really made a huge difference during my presidency. you know, look, i recognize there's a lot of psychobabble about our relationship, and that's not exactly our long suit here in this family, but anyway, it's -- there was, people don't, can't possibly comprehend. and hopefully this book, one reason i've written it is to help people understand better. when you admire somebody as much as people admire george h.w. bush and he offers help or comfort, it means more than any advice he can possibly give. i've been asked about,

obviously, during my post-presidency and during the presidency, are you calling him for advice? and in the book i make it clear that, you know, not really. and it shocks people to hear that. and one reason why is had i said, help, i need your advice, he would have said, send your briefers. this is a man who had made presidential decisions. he knows you don't make presidential decisions off the cuff. as andy will testify, we got plenty of opinions off the cuff. [laughter] you want to listen to people who know what the hell they're talking about, like ryan crocker, for example. and when you're president, you've got enormous resources at your disposal that will help you make informed decision. well, george h.w. bush knew that better than anybody, so his great contributions to my presidency was the comfort he provided. and by the way, i had to comfort him at times, because our roles got reversed. i was miserable at times when he was president and didn't handle it very well. and mother used to call me and say you need to call your dad.

and i'd say -- president at this point -- why? because he just read some editorial, and he's upset. and so i'd call him, can you believe what they said about you? i'd say, dad, don't worry about it, i'm doing fine. so our roles got reversed in kind of a unique way, and this book, i think, will bring the life of the presidency from a father and son perspective to you in a story that only one person can tell. >> this book is a biography of your dad -- >> yeah. >> a little bit of a biography of your mother. it's an autobowg my of you -- autobiography of you, but it's also a unique story about how to carry burdens, how to deal with failure, how to be humble in success. and your participants had a lot -- parents had a lot of

failure, they had a lot of struggle. >> yeah, they did. >> and that had an impact on you growing up, losing a sister -- >> yeah. >> -- being involved in the challenges of moving and different jobs and whatever. can you talk about some of that aspect in the book that you -- >> well, so here's a guy who runs for senator of texas twice and loses and runs for president of the united states in a primary against ronald reagan in the state of texas and loses. ends up being president. and all the time was still a great father. in other words, defeat didn't define george bush. there's something greater in life than, you know, chalking up political victories or political losses. it taught me, and i'm confident it taught jeb, that, you know, you don't need to fear failure. if you fear failure, you know, it'll cause you to make decisions that, you know, probably prevent you from living life to the fullest. but george bush is a great risk taker. i mean, running for the senate

in '64 was risky. nobody even heard of the guy, you know? he's coming out of houston, running against ralph yarborough. there's a lot of races you can't win. it's kind of like golf, if you don't get enough strokes, you can't win on the first tee. he couldn't win that race in retrospect. goldwater landslide, the johnson landslide against gold wader made it impossible to win, but nevertheless, he ran. here's the thing that fascinates me about dad -- a lot of things fascinate me about him, but catch this. so he is all world at yale. fy beta cap -- phi beta kappa in two years. that part of the gene pool got diluted. [laughter] he's a the captain of the yale baseball team, they came in second in the nation. he's married with a kid, he's, you know, bigtime on campus. his father's wall street, his

grandfather's wall street, and everybody says, wall street. and he moves to odessa. [laughter] it's an extraordinary person to make that kind of decision. by the way, it's an extraordinary woman to have said, i'm with you. [applause] so as i say in the book, we get out there, and dad finds us a place to live. and it's a duplex. [laughter] on seventh street with one of the few indoor bathrooms on the street. a bathroom we shared with two ladies of the night. [laughter] so much for the silver spoon stuff. [laughter] see, what happens is people develop myths about you in public life and, you know, i'm

sure there's people that have an image of dad that is not even close to reality. this book will help people understand what he's like. and is it objective? not at all, no. not even -- [laughter] not even close. [laughter] >> well, there is a pretty objective part about little toy soldiers. tell us about the toy soldiers. >> well, throughout the book i try to explain how he disciplined me. and by the way, contrast with mother. one time she caught me urinating in the hedges and washed my mouth out with soap. [laughter] dad, on the other hand, i'm playing with these little feeble-looking little toy soldiers, and he said where'd you get those? and i didn't have a very good answer because i'd stole 'em.

[laughter] and the next thing i know, i'm marching back, and he's taking me back -- now, keep in mind i'm about 6, by the way, not 26. anyway -- [laughter] so we go back to the store, and per his instructions i walk in and apologize to the manager. it wasn't simply not putting them back in this little bowl that i'd taken them out of, it was apologizing. and, you know, learning responsibility. and that was it. there was no follow up, no harsh follow up, no you'll be confined to your room, none of this. it was like this is what we expect. but his way he disciplined was, was instructive to me as a future father, but it also meant we were, stayed very close to him. we tested their patience, i can assure you. [laughter] i can't speak for my brothers and sister, but one of my favorite stories is not in the

book which speaks to dad's leadership. it's the time mother says to me your dad and i would like to talk you to dinner. i'm 18 years old. didn't really happen that much. and so i'm saying to myself, okay, dinner with mother and dad, sure, let's go. we get there, she can barely contain herself, and she says i discovered an ashtray under your bed, you smoke. [laughter] and dad looked at her and said, so do you. [laughter] and that was the end of the conversation. [laughter] i mean, very wise. think about that anecdote for a while. it's, you know, he's a solid guy. [laughter] >> well, your dad has set a remarkable experience in life

where he has joined the military right outside of andover, on his birthday he goes off to war, and the story of your dad writing letters back to barb, the story of your dad losing a friend, and it ended up being the first of many letters that he had to send and that you had to send that you never wish you had to send once, never mind thousands of times. >> yeah. >> tell us about that. >> well, first of all, you're the guy who whispered in my ear, second plane's hit the tower, america's under attack. you were there. nobody wants to be a wartime president. nobody should hope to want to be a wartime president. but i watched this good man become great commander in chief because, first and foremost, he cared deeply about the troops that served underneath him and their families. which is essential if you end up having to be the commander in chief. and he wrote letters, a lot of

great letter writer. one of my favorite stories in the book, so jenna asked him on his 90th birthday -- you might remember that moment when he dives out of a helicopter at age 9 t 0. amazing feat. says, do you still think about the people with whom you served? he said he thinks about delaney and white all the time, those are the two guys on the airplane that died when he got shot down. it's amazing, isn't it? centisomething years later -- centisomething years later he still thinks about delaney and white all the time. what i didn't realize is dad had invited delaney and white's sisters to the oval office when he became president. they were still on his mind. he was still thinking about how to help heal the wounds of these sisters that never really got to know their brothers. yeah, that's just one of the most difficult aspects of the presidency. to be the comforter in chief.

and i learned at the knee of a master. >> well, here we are on veterans day, and we pay respect to all of those who did make sacrifices for us. but i also know that the burdens of the presidency are pretty great. you helped your tad carry the -- your dad carry the burdens. how did your dad help you carry the burden? >> well, first of all, he served as a great example. look, you never know what it's like to be president until you get in there. but i had a sense of what it was like particularly on our family. the biggest burden, by the way, it's not a burden to serve something you love, and i love america. that's not a burden. it's just in maybe, you know, you don't sleep as well as you should at times. but it's not a burden. secondly, if there was a worry, it was about barbara and jenna. i put in the book that when dad

decided to run for president, one of the things he never had to worry about mother being able to handle the job. and laura gave me the same gift. it's a liberating feeling, just so you know. and for me, andrew, the burdens were how the experience would affect our girls. and they were not very happy about the fact that i was going to run for president. i mean, it's like, you've ruined our life. [laughter] you can't win. [laughter] you are not as cool as you think you are. [laughter] i heard it all. [laughter] but, you know, i had seen family grow stronger, and i knew that would be the case. and so that burden wasn't a burden. in terms of dealing with the pressures, he helped a lot by just checking in on occasion. but i also know that when you surround yourself with competent, compassionate, decent people, it helps do the job. your chief of staff of a fine

staff. by the way, a very tough job, he had, but he handled it with great grace, and people loved andy in the white house. >> that's a good transition to an uncomfortable time. [applause] >> yeah. >> on september 11th after i whispered in your ear -- >> yeah. >> -- those fateful words, the second plane hit the second tower, america is under attack, and you rose to phenomenal responsibility, and you led decisively with optimism. i remember being on the plane, and you were telling us we were going to go back to washington, d.c., and i was suggesting that you really didn't want to make that discussion at that time. and you -- >> i was hot. >> yes, you were pretty hot. >> i made it clear i didn't like your recommendation. >> correct. [laughter] >> however, i took it. [laughter] >> i but i remember the phenomenal concern you had for your parents. >> yeah. >> and you ended up tracking

your parents down, and they were in wisconsin or minnesota -- >> wisconsin. >> wisconsin. >> yeah. i said, where are you? first of all, the communications -- as andy will attest -- were terrible. >> not as bad as he says. [laughter] >> either that, or they're denying me certain information in which case you were terrible. [laughter] let me just say that i couldn't -- we had trouble making connections. >> we did. >> and i finally found mother and dad. dad got on the phone, so comforting. unbelievably thoughtful person. one of his really great strengths and it's one reason he was such a fabulous president, was because he could think about the other person. how does the other perp feel? that's -- person feel? that's why he was so effective about gorbachev, for example.

and so he was very comforting. mother got on the phone, i said, you know, where are you? and she said, wisconsin. i said, why are you there? she said, you grounded our plane. [laughter] man, did i need to laugh at that moment. [laughter] and i think andy was in the room when i did that, in the cabin when i did it. it was awesome be, you know? it was a moment of levity. one of the things dad taught me is that you have got to laugh in life. and i'm convinced that one reason why both mom and dad are, they've got such a wonderful sense of humor is because they don't take themselves so seriously that they're not burdened by, you know, doubt and that they're able to -- i don't know if you remember, mother, you used to have a mat that said birds soar because they take themselves lightly. and it was -- i don't remember

it, but anyways, i think it was a bathroom mat. [laughter] very thoughtful anyway. laugh -- [laughter] >> i have witnessed or been the brunt of many of the practical jokes that i learned are really a bush trait. i was surprised to read in your book about a rubber onion. >> yeah. so in midland there was a guy who went to yale. not a lot of yale graduates in midland in 1948. [laughter] and his name was earl craig, very formal kind of guy from pennsylvania. affectionately known as the earl of craig. [laughter] and he used to love to take his martini and dramatically take the toothpick out and bite the olive in a very grand fashion. so dad puts the rubber olive in there. [laughter]

he -- very funny man. [laughter] and -- >> you inherited the same trait. >> i don't know, yeah. he sent jokes in to andy at times. andy would come in, so in the book i put this one. humor really helps. we had a joyful white house. we, believe it or not in spite of the pressures and traumas and stuff, we laughed and enjoyed each other's company a lot. and for those of you running organizations or thinking about running organizations, i'd strongly suggest making sure there's a sense of levity where you work. and so anyway, i can't remember what it was, but andy gets this e-mail from dad and comes in and says this is from your father. i said, okay. a guy gets arrested for stealing a can of peaches, and he and his wife go before the judge, the judge says how many peaches in the can, he says, six. he says, fine, i'll sentence you

to six months in prison. before he could leave, the wife raises his hand, and he stole a can of peas! [laughter] >> one thing that you said when you were commander in chief that, quite frankly, surprised me, and that was when you said -- and this was during the early talk of the greatest generation, and is you didn't want us to talk about the greatest generation as much. you said we shouldn't use those terms. what was your thinking on that? >> refresh my memory. i've changed my mind. [laughter] on veterans day in front of world war ii vets, of course they were the greatest generation. laugh -- [laughter] i don't remember that. >> i think you were saying that the greatest generations are

also still ahead for this country. >> oh, i gotcha. >> and there are servants out there every day. >> got it. >> so we celebrated those who were being great every day. >> i appreciate that. that's right, yeah. well, 68. my memory's fading. >> in your book you describe some of the traits of decision making that you learned from your dad -- >> right. >> -- and some of the decisions that you learned because of your dad. >> right, right. >> and you want to talk about some of the tough decisions that have to be made -- >> yeah, sure. look, in order to lead, first and foremost, you have to know where you're going to lead. you can't be befuddled or doubtful. there has to be a certainty. clarity in vision and a certainty in purpose. and dad had that. this shall not stand. when he said this shall not stand, i remember watching on tv -- this was saddam hussein's

invasion of kuwait -- you know, i knew he meant it. and the purpose, of course, was to defend an ally from a ruthless thug. and he defined that in terms of our national interest, and it was a clear, clear position. and he didn't waver, you know? it was a lot of angst and pressure. curiously enough, when it came time for congressional authorization which neither of us needed to get but both of us decided to and, frankly, his decision to do so was instructive to us in the white house -- >> report in. >> -- it was a close senate vote. like 52-48 or something like that. i mean, it wasn't an overwhelming sentiment to supporting this shall not stand. but they went and achieved the objective. to show you how things have changed in the post-9/11 world, like dad we decided to go to the

congress. unlike the vote when he was proposing to get saddam out of kuwait, our vote was overwhelming to authorize or the president to deal with saddam hussein. overwhelming. matter of fact, a lot of people now currently in the administration were strong supporters of that referendum. >> that's right. >> so, and tactically i learned a lot from dad. strategically, i learned a lot from him. from a strategic perspective, you've got to understand your national interests, define 'em and act on 'em. tactically, you've got to learn tow to achieve -- how to achieve objectives. you set the goal and what tactics are necessary to achieve the goal. and in the book you'll see that there's a constant comparison between types of decisions we made and lessons i learned in making those decisions. >> one of the great experiences that helped to give you better perspective was your involvement

in your dad's successful run for the presidency. >> yeah. yeah. >> and you hadn't been that engaged in his other campaign for the presidency. you were peripherally involved. >> yeah. i'd just gotten shellacked from running for congress. wasn't quite ready to fire it back up again. [laughter] came in second in a two-man race, andrew. >> well -- [laughter] but you played a significant role on the campaign. and in the book you talk about some of the roles you played. >> yeah. well, what happened was i merged my independent oil exploration company into a larger company. we got some liquidity and was kind of figuring out what to do. dad had a big meeting at camp david to introduce us to his campaign staff-to-be in 1987. so i flew up there, laura flew up there with me and brothers and sisters. very thoughtful of george -- and his brothers and sisters, by the way. so he's got the family there, making sure everybody's included

in the process. and so lee atwater, the hot shot political consultant, is there, you know, and i'd been reading about how lee had allegiances maybe elsewhere. and so had jeb. so lee finishes his presentation, any questions? i said, yeah, how can we trust you? jeb followed up and said what he's saying is if a grenade, we want you on it first. [laughter] and that was loyalty matters. and purpose matters. and so lee wisely approached both jeb and me and said if you guys are worried, why don't you come up here. and i mentioned it to dad, and he thought it was an interesting idea. so there was -- so laura and i and the girls moved up as kind of an adventuresome moment. we moved out of midland, sold our house, bought one in washington, and so i was in the campaign. no title. but as dad said, you don't need

a title. i mean, proximity to power's power. it's the way it is in the white house, it's the way it is in life. so i was there as kind of a loyalty enforcer. surrogate, you know, i did a lot of things. and it was a great experience to watch him. he ran a great campaign. if anybody ever wonders how to become the nominee of a party from vice president to president, how to succeed a president, read book. because he handled the timing superbly during the campaign. president reagan, first of all, you know, these midterms and all that stuff, reagan lost -- the party lost eight seats in '86. a fact people forget. in the book i put in there that people get kind of tired of a president after six years. i'm an expert on that. [laughter]

and -- >> not as tired as you get of the chief of staff. [laughter] >> ann i drew, please. [laughter] and so there was big pressure on dad to distance himself from reagan, you know? but he would never do that to a friend. he, but he also had the wisdom necessary to know that in a campaign you wanted to make sure the person with whom you're affiliated with is as strong as possible going into a general election. not weak. and so it's a classic case of understanding human nature and politics. >> well, when your dad's term as president ended and he moved pack to texas -- >> yeah. >> -- that was the beginning of a transition for you as well. >> correct. >> and you started to think about what you might be doing.

tell us a little bit about the conversation of entering the political arena again. i know you ran for congress, but -- >> yeah, that's right. well, it wasn't much of a conversation because he knew that on a decision like this whether it be for governor or president, you've got to make up your own mind. and there was no question he'd say i'm for you. it wasn't one of these things, you know, i had to try to convince him that running for office was the right thing to do. his attitude is think about it, and once you make up your mind, i'm not going to tell you what you ought to do, once you make up your mind, i'm with you 100%. on the other hand, i called up mother when i decided to run against ann richards. [laughter] hey, mom, i'm going to run against ann richards, she said, you're not going to be able to beat her, she's too popular. [laughter] go figure. [laughter] dad leaves office, i don't think i put this in the book, i could not have run for governor had he been reelected. imagine trying to beat a popular

incumbent, and i would have been spending as much time, if not most of the time, defending decisions he made or distancing himself, myself from the decisions he made, and it would have been very difficult to get the kind of traction one needs in order to, you know, draw a contrast. and so in an interesting way his defeat empowered both jeb and me. to run for office. >> and that year was the year that jeb ran and you ran. >> right. >> and the expectations were a little different than some people thought. >> you know, i don't know, i don't pay attention to any of that. [laughter] i thought i could win. you know, i really did. and, you know, i was hoping jeb would win. but, yeah, i mean, people, people draw conclusions for the wrong reasons. anyway, in the book there's a story about election night. i called dad and said i'm getting ready to go declare victory, and he said

congratulations, son, mom and i are very proud of you, but it's clear his heart was in florida, because jeb had lost. and one shouldn't be surprised once you get to know george bush by reading this book, it shouldn't surprise you that he cares more for the person who's hurting than for the one who's, you know, winning. and anyway, a sweet, sweet moment. it's all the psychobabblists trying to make a big deal out of that. obviously, it reflects some kind of love for one and not the other, expectations for one and not the other. read the book before you say that again. then you'll get a better feel for what you're talking about. >> family makes all the difference in the world to the bush clan, and they are, i'm going to say, the best example of unconditional love. you have experienced the unconditional love of your parents -- >> yeah. >> -- especially your dad. and tell me how you see that

impacting how you love your children -- >> well, it was a great example, but you never know what unconditional love means until your daughters turn to be teenagers. [laughter] then you learn. and so in the book i put this: i love you, there's nothing you can do to make me not love you, so stop trying. [laughter] [applause] >> that was a great quote. [applause] >> you're not going to ask this, but i'm going to tell you anyway. what's another great quote in the book? okay, it's this -- [laughter] it's about george bush and his faith. preach the sermon tailly, and if necessary -- daily, and if necessary, use words. [laughter] that summarizes the man. >> well, there was a debate taking place now in america that you have been party to and your

mother has been party to. and it relates to a very close relative of both of yours. >> george p. [laughter] yeah. mom's got -- look, remember, she's the one who said you're not going to win, she's too popular. so keep that in mind, andrew, when you're thinking about her wisdom. [laughter] >> do you want to share any familial insight into what's happening today? >> yeah. obviously, there's a lot of speculation on jeb. i can tell you that i can speak for 41 when i say this, he ought to run for president and would be a great president should he win. [applause] on the other hand, like secretary of state clinton, he's got as good an insight into what it's like to be president. these are the two most qualified people in being able to tell you

what it's like to be president. so jeb is making a very personal decision. you know, we can pressure him all we want, it's not going to matter. because he knows the consequences of his decision. first of all, he doesn't fear failure or success. and so he's, as he said, he's going to make sure it's the right thing for his family. and that's, that should be his priority. and so he's going to make a very informed decision. people are always saying pressure him to run. well, you know, you can't pressure somebody on such an important decision. i mean, it's not going to cause him to think positively or negatively if we all harass him. only he can decide. and that's what he's in the process of doing. and, you know, i don't know the timetable, andy. we'll see. and it would be, you know, awesome if he runs, and if he doesn't, we all love him. >> well, you and --

>> one time, by the way -- [laughter] i heard him say he doesn't like the idea of a political class, the idea of bush/clinton/bush have been obama/bush troubles him which speaks to his own integrity. i said, well, how does this sound? bush/clinton/bush/obama/clinton? [laughter] the point is, you don't get to pick the environment in which you run. [laughter] and so his decision's a very personal decision. he doesn't listen to all that kind of stuff about, you know -- anyway. >> well, you and your family have had a long history of nicknames for a lot of people, and your dad's nickname kind of growing up was. [laughter] >> yeah, half-half because such a generous person. mine was all half. [laughter] >> ellie the elephant -- >> i had never heard that until

i researched the book. >> i never had either. >> yeah. evidently because he buzzed a circus, and the elephants went wild or something like that. so his crew mates call him ellie the elephant. [laughter] >> he was the chairman of the party. >> yeah. by the way, during watergate, it's amazing that he came out unscathed. this was a miserable period for baby boomers, by the way. and i was going to harvard at the time which is kind of a tough place to go when your dad's the head of the republican party during watergate. >> i was on the ballot. >> you were on the ballot. you won though. >> i won. >> anyway, it's an interesting -- so u.n. party chairman, cia in china. no president has ever had one of those jobs, much less all four. >> well, he also wrote a letter to president nixon. >> he did, yeah. >> and it was a courageous

letter for a chairman of the republican party to write. >> yeah. which was get out of office. you need to leave. and, you know, he couched it, of course, in much gentler terms, you know? your contributions will be recognized and stuff, but the letter was, you know, time for you to go. the next day, he went. the interesting thing about george bush is that he never, you know, i mean, it would have been easy to start thumping your chest during that period and say, you know, i told him to go. because, you know, this was a very tumultuous time, and it would have been politically expedient to have claimed credit for one of the reasons nixon left office. but he wouldn't do that, of course. it's not in his nature. but ultimately, history sorts things out, and the truth becomes revealed, and this is part of the process of getting people to see the truth of his presidency and his life. >> and your dad also frequently was invited my presidents -- by presidents to take on

responsibilities. >> correct. >> and sometimes those responsibilities ran counter to the expectation. people were suggesting maybe he shouldn't do things like that. >> yeah. >> but i was struck in the book how the noble servant bis the invitation -- gives the invitation that if the president wants you, you should find a way to say yes. >> correct. >> and that seemed to be how he lived his life and practiced -- >> well, one anecdote in the book is this, mother and dad are riding their bikes in china, beijing. a messenger comes up with a top secret message. and it's, turns out it was gerald ford asking george bush to come back and run the cia. in other words, reenter the swamp of d.c. this was an ugly period for the agency. post-watergate, you know, a lot of, a lot of acrimony and very low morale. and, you know, as i understand,

you wept, mom wept when she knew that the person she loved dearly was heading back in. but he wrote, he wrote -- and in the book is the letter he wrote to kissinger and ford, ford or and kissinger and talked about, you know, if the president asks, you know, i have the responsibility to do. >> and that has defined -- >> and i asked, by the way, i asked him and clinton to run the tsunami relief. and they did, and did well, by the way, and ended up in one of the most unique friendships in our history. the guy who beat george bush in '92 will tell you that dad has become like a father figure to him. which speaks volumes for both. bill clinton's great respect for george h.w. bush, and george h.w. bush's great humility, that he wouldn't allow an election to

intercede in a what is a unique friendship. i think it's remarkable. i really think it's, you know, an amazing story. >> has that friendship -- [applause] has that friendship spilled over to you so that -- >> yeah. >> or is there -- >> well, he calls me w., and i call him bubba. [laughter] no, yeah, we get along fine. [laughter] we're the only two baby boomer presidents. and, you know, he was born in august of '46, i was born in july of '46. we were both governors of southern, southwestern states, you know? we both like retail politics. we're both, you know, we both can talk a lot. [laughter] now we're both grandfathers. and so we have, you know, a lot

in common, and we both are members of this very exclusive club, and that is -- >> and you both love the same man. >> and we both love george h.w. bush, we really do. >> i've been a witness to that. i watched a very memorable trip to the pope's funeral. >> yeah. that was great. so we set up a delegation. you were on it, andy, but you weren't on the official delegation, sadly. the official delegation was laura, me, dad, clinton and condi. and, like, you were an alternate. [laughter] you made the plane, but, of course, since you set the manifest. [laughter] anyway -- yeah, we got along fine going there. and it was a good experience. he's a, bill's an interesting guy. it's safe to say i call him friend and dad calls him friend too. >> well, the relationship that your dad has had with a fellow who is not only his political

adversary, but beat him, and the dialogue that they have has become so respectful and loving -- >> yeah. >> -- that it's a great example of what should be happening in america today. do you think there's any chance that america will get back to the day of -- >> yeah, i think so. i think the world's been somewhat polluted by the anonymity on the blogosphere where people can say anything they want with no sense of responsibility. but, yeah, it has to. i mean, at some point in time. we'll see. it's kind of hard to watch only because you want to make sure decent people in our country say public service is worthy, and it's noble, and, you know, it's not a sacrifice. and i'm afraid a lot of people look at the harshness in the arena and say why would i want to do that or why would i want to put my family through that? for the good of the country, we've got to tone it down. >> well, you're a living example

of a legacy that your dad gave to america by allowing you to answer the noble call of public service. and i was impressed in the book how the roots of that i'm going to say trait that you love america enough to give it all started with your grandfather and your grandmother and the fact that you've never practiced brag doe shah. >> yeah. >> well, maybe you have a few times, but your dad hasn't. >> i never would have got to be governor of texas, you know? [laughter] >> well, a great gift, and we are thankful that you told us the story of not only 41, but your dad and your mother and your siblings and your love for this great country, and you give us a chance to have some insight as well to a great family who gave us much more than we are willing to acknowledge. [applause] >> thank you very much.

[applause] >> booktv is on facebook. like us to get scheduling updates, behind the scenes pictures and videos, author information and to talk directly with authors during our live programs. facebook.com/booktv. >> this week booktv takes a look at some of the nonfiction books on library journals 2014 list of best books.

>> to see other notable books of 2014, visit booktv's web site, booktv.org. >> be well, i think within the last 50 years what we've seen is increasing consolidation. but the big problem that the food industry faces in the united states at least is that there's too much food. we produce in this country plus imports, less exports roughly twice the number of calories that the population needs on a daily basis. there are about 4,000 calories available in the food supply every day, and people need about 2,000. these are ballpark figures. so the food industry is very competitive. and it has to find lots and lots of ways to sell food. and in doing that, as the number

of calories in the food supply increase, the food industry became more competitive and had to find more and more and more ways to push food on people. and it did that very effectively; hence, obesity. >> host: how did it do that? >> guest: well, we have to go back in history to the 1970s. starting in the late 1970s, early 1980s, three things happened. the first was agricultural policy changed so that instead of paying farmers not to grow food, we paid farmers to grow as much food as they can. they did, and that's why there are more calories in the food supply. the second had to do with wall street. wall street in the early 1980s changed. there was a shareholder value movement that insisted that instead of those lovely blue chip stocks that you never hear about anymore, but those lovely blue chip stocks that gave long,

slow returns on investment, forget about them. we shareholders want high returns on investment, and we want them right now. so for food companies that were trying to sell food in a very competitive environment, now they had an additional pressure. they had to produce growth, evidence of growth to wall street every 90 days. this put them under enormous pressure. and so they began to look for ways that they could sell more food, and they got one break also in the early 1980s after president reagan was elected on a deregulatory agenda, the deregulating of marketing to children occurred. so it was then possible for food companies to market directly to children in a way that had never been done before. and that combination of things plus deregulation of the food and drug administration, removal

of resources from the food and drug administration gave food companies the opportunity to market in ways that they never had before. and they did that by making larger portions of food. if there is one lesson i would love to get across, it's that larger portions have more calories. larger portions started coming in in the early 1980s. they also put food everywhere. if you live in new york and you go to a drugstore or like duane reed, it looks like a grocery store now. there's food at bed bath and beyond, there's food at staples. there's food everywhere. it used to be that libraries wouldn't allow any kind of food anywhere near the library. now every library has a café in it. so these are ways of selling food. and we're humans. humans eat when food is in front of us.

and the more times we see food a day, the more food we eat. >> you can watch this and other programs online at booktv.org. >> as 2014 is coming to a close, many publications are putting out their year-end lists of notable books. these nonfiction titles were included in publishers weekly's best nonfiction books of 2014:

>> to see other notable book selections, visit booktv's web site, booktv.org. >> there's two reasons that the bike so taboo in afghanistan and

why women have never been allowed to ride, and one is the fact that you're straddling a bicycle. motorcycles, horses, bikes, women ride side saddle on the back. but more importantly, you can get past that controversy. more importantly, it's that the bike is independent travel. so in a country that's repeatedly ranked the most oppressive place in the world to be a woman, the last thing men are going to allow is independent mobility. so the bike literally is a symbol of freedom. it literally means freedom for women. >> and you've written quite extensively how afghanistan is not the first one to address the women and the biking issue. >> yeah. it's fascinating, because as i started to dive into this and really trying to understand why, what is the taboo, how deep does that go, does a foreign woman starting to ride, can that ripple out? and time and time again when you look at this country and say, well, you know, these women are being insulted, rocks are thrown at them, they're slingshotted,

why is it so controversial? when i started looking back to the women's suffrage movement in the u.s., women who started riding bikes at the turn of the century, late 1800s, petticoats, buttoned up underneath their necks, they were labeled promiscuous and immoral. and this has been replicated in, you know, in britain, in france. basically everywhere women have started to ride bikes, we've turned over the apple cart, you know? it shakes things up. and it scares, you know, the men that women are going to be able to go wherever they want, however they want. and so it's fascinating to me that this parallel is there. it's a isn'tly spread, but whenever women -- a century spread, but whenever women have started to ride bikes, it has rocked the world. >> watch this and other programs online at booktv.org. >> coming up, adam tanner talks about the collection and use of

personal data by private companies, and he questions what it means for our privacy. as a case study, he uses caesars entertainment which mr. tanner says has perfected the practice of gathering personal data from its customers. he spoke at the fordham university school of law in new york city. ..