in the campaign in which george w. bush was elected in the -- and the blessing was that a large portion of the country thought that george w. bush was stupid. the reality is that he's an exceptionally bright policy person. i spent my career in government policy and george w. bush is one of the sharpest policy minds i've ever encountered in decades. but that was not the reputation he had. we had a political necessity to run a campaign that was chock-full of substance. that would have been george w bush's instinct anyway. we ran a campaign that was disciplined in setting out in one month it would be to health care policy in the next month would be tax policy and the next month with the energy and environmental policy. there were speeches that went with that. fact sheets that went with that. with the end of the campaign we published a 300 page book of campaign speeches and policy papers that were the governing agenda for the first hundred days that mac was talking about. so that made the conundrum period you're talking about m

now he has zeroed in on the president of george w. bush. he is very critical of our 43rd president, no question whether it's been miss guided invasion of iraq or torture tactics, the fumbled response to katrina, there, there is much to be critical about. he places responsibility for the administration's resonating failure firmly on the former president, notwithstanding the influence that also. [inaudible] but as a reviewer in the new yorker said his book doesn't feel like a hatchet job. it's in the word of the new york times, a comprehensive and compelling narrative and they said life with a sense of history. one of the most interesting tidbits i learned about him from the acknowledgment in bush the book, he still composes in longhand on yellow legal pad. he then has someone type up what he would written. when you consider this book is almost 800 pages and print, that's a lot of legal pads. please join me in welcoming jean davis smith. [applause] >> thank you very much. this is my introduction of the third viagra fee here up politics and pr

moore's berman in his book george w. bush's drinking, mentioned he stopped drinking but didn't take the steps necessary to grow up. seriously, i look around and think i have treated alcoholics who are running around unimpaired and still thinking and acting on impulse and doing all sorts of stuff. on the abraham lincoln, sort of like getting up in front of the mic and saying i know what you need, let's do this, asking if you have any reflections? >> that is interesting, i didn't know that but i think you are absolutely right. >> i am a college student in the washington dc area and several years ago a few years ago i read your biography -- are you able -- several years ago i read your biography of president eisenhower which is one of the most interesting and meaningful books, one of the most interesting and meaningful books i have read. my question is as follows. i know for example i read for example that you served in berlin in the us military. would you say you had any situations in the context of writing biographies and if you

in the campaign in which george w. bushas elected in the -- and the blessing was that a large portion of the country thought that george w. bush was stupid. he's anity is that exceptionally bright policy person. i spent my career in government policy and george w. bush is one of the sharpest policy minds i've ever encountered in decades. that was not the reputation he had. we had a political necessity to run a campaign that was chock-full of substance. that would have been george w. bush's instinct anyway. we ran a campaign that was disciplined in setting out, in one month, it would be the health care policy in the next , month, it would be tax policy, and the next month with the energy and environmental policy. there were speeches that went with that. fact sheets that well with that. -- that went with that. we had a 300 page book of campaign speeches and policy papers that were the governing agenda for the first hundred days that mac was talking about. so that made the conundrum period you're talking about much easier for

of thenthere a portion governor bush and george w. larcenyommitment, personal commitment to making sure things are done properly. he not only walked into the building with george w. bush, he walked out of the buddy with george w. bush and walked out of the building with a different part of the presidency. he was deputy director of management. the management and management. the same job that lisa brown was assigned to buy president obama and put a twist on it to make .er key performance officer i will let her talk about what that means. johnson was the executive director of the obama transition planning group which means he was the guy who started way back before obama was a presumptive candidate. he was the guy who major to know what they were doing if they one and he is now midway through the m initiation has walked out of the building on his own into the executive branch and if you hething about the agency, -- is the person whose job it is to make sure ambitions of the secretary and ambitions of the president are the actual output of

george w. bush. george w. bush: make sure we reform the system, to have the system in place that leaves no child behind, that stops asking how old you are, if you are 10 we put you here and start asking what you know and if you do not know what you are supposed to know, we won't make sure you do early before it is too late. al gore: parents should have more choices to send their kids to a safe school, we need to make education the number one priority in our country and treat teachers like the professionals like they are and that is why i have made it enough one priority in my budget . >> the contenders, key figures who ran for the presidency and lost but change political history, tonight the 1970 democratic nominee and former u.s. senator from south dakota, george mcgovern. george mcgovern: we will come to admire this country not simply because we were born here but because of the kind of great and good land that you and i wanted to be -- want it to be and together we have made it, that is my hope a

an attack on jeb bush by attacking george w. bushwant, the world trade center came down during his time. >> hold on. you can't blame george bush for that. >> he was president, okay? don't blame him or don't blame him but he was president. the world trade center came down during his reign. >> the world trade center came down during his reign. remember that. >> excuse me, the world trade center came down during the reign of george bush, right? it came down. >> reporter: trump said this in august 2015. >> the last thing we need is another bush, believe me. >> reporter: and this six months later. >> the last thing we need is another bush. that i can tell you. >> reporter: donald trump never let up on his attacks against jeb bush. >> jeb, oh. jeb. he's asleep. he's asleep at the wheel, folks. >> reporter: trump did not pull punches with most of the republican candidates, but he seemed to relish jabbing jeb bush the hardest. >> jeb bush is a total lightweight. >> reporter: and even did so after bush ended his candidacy. >> jeb is gone. he

as you remember, the cover of newsweek magazine, the wind factor with george w. bush, both candidates were trying to prove that they were men who could handle the arts. you. john dickerson, thank it's a wonderful book. it is called "will. stop.it is called whistle still ahead, some strong polling clintoncame out of the campaign this week. the digits when we come back. ♪

the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run, if we were to do so. >> president george w. bushapologized to cindy sheehan for his policies. but he did say that he sympathize said with her. and he never disparaged her. whatever you think about president george w. bush and the war in iraq, he didn't tell a gold star family and a grieving mother that she had no right to speak her mind about the death of her son in an american war. veterans are often treated as political footballs in our country. but they and their families have never quite been treated the way they are in this campaign right now, by the republican nominee for president. joining me now, the founder of iraq and afghanistan veterans for america, paul rieckhoff. thank you for joining me. >> good to see you. >> am i right to say this is new? i never want to say -- this is an unusual situation, with the khan family. >> this is totally unprecedented. the wars have been unprecedented to start with, because such a small percentage of the american population has served. but a direct attack on a gold star family for their pa

it's not our oil. >> c-span: was the motive for george w. bush, do you want to go to war? what's the reason? spee2 it's a very good question why president george w. bush, white vice president cheney, why secretary of defense donald rumsfeld, why they committed so many innocent lives in this country, think about the soldiers who went to iraq deeply committed to securing the united states, why were they sent to iraq? that's a very serious question. interestingly, one of the people who signed up to be in the military who ultimately wasn't was edward snowden, one of the great whistleblowers of our time. he ended up having both his legs were broken in training and he did not go into the military. he ended up working with nsa. but he had a deep commitment to the united states and ended up showing it in a different way. >> c-span: from their perspective though, why do you think, was rumsfeld and george w. bush, were they evil people? >> guest: i mean when you look at the actions they engaged in, where they evil actions committing so many lives leading to the loss of not only ameri

advised presidential candidates in their debates going back to richard nixon, ronald reagan, george w. bush. and of course this is something in which he brings a great deal of expertise. the two of them talk frequently, have talked frequently even before roger ailes left fox news. formal debate prep has not

but let me tell you -- because i was there, covering george w. bush. >> yes. >> matt is exactly right. he worked very hard to do comprehensive immigration reform in 2005, 2006. guess what happened? it split the republican party open. and it opened -- it helped open one of the initial massive divides within the party through it the establishment versus the base. that was about spending, but

if jeb bush heard you say that george w. bush's policy is like donald trump's, i think he would be under the covers. >> dana, i talked to the bush campaign at the time. the fact is this. jeb bush made a mistake because actually what trump is saying on the bottom line is that you're going to have to follow the law. once you follow the law to the t, there is a chance here if you meet certain specifications. i think that strikes a very reasonable chord. let's start looking at the policies and stop looking at all the heat. >> i just want to many could back to the fact nothing has changed. donald trump over a year ago said build a wall, deport 11 million people. that's his position today. it has not changed. >> yes. >> it has not changed. >> i agree with bill. >> okay. we have trump next wednesday on immigration. let's recreate this then. stay with me. you are a fascinating panel. i have more for you. hang tight. >>> coming up -- listen to this. >> what the hell do you have to lose? give me a chance. >> so we've heard that a couple of t

many from the george w. bush administration saying the gop nominee fails the test of being commander in chief. he put out a statement from the candidate. it says, quote, the names on the letter are the ones the american people should look to for answers on why the world is such a mess and we thank them for coming forward so every one knows who to blame for the world being so. it is time that they are held accountable for their actions. i talked to a trump advisor saying the officials from the bush administration are the ones who took the country into the war in iraq although donald trump suggested he was in favor of the war. he continues to hold up the iraq war for being responsible for the violence in the middle east. alison and ryan. >> jim, thanks for that. >>> the cornerstones of the tax plan are lower rates and tax code. here is what he would do if elected. three tax brackets. 12%, 25% and 33%. there are currently seven brackets. the highest is 39.6%. trump proposed dropping the top rate to 25%. a move would

one of the things that george w. bushelieved in it was okay to put people from both parties, especially where we should be bipartisan on foreign policy. to see these people acting like partisan hacks for democratic party i think it is disheartening. cheryl: interesting you would say that. julie, it is interesting that hillary had interesting moment here because she can lean on her experience as secretary of state traveling the world. donald trump, remember he was supposed to go to israel last year, he didn't go, frankly leadership there didn't want him. and then he is not really had any overseas jaunts except to sell properties in ireland, scotland. this seems to be a moment to pounce on him, foreign policy or lack there of. >> especially going to mexico today with a man who compared him to adolf hitler and mussolini. chief ethics attorney for george w. bush. >> who is that. i never heard of them. >> these are no name people. got to do ther. >> top ethics guy in the white house. >> do you he no the name. say the name? >>

you worked for george w. bush. ou let them know, hey -- >> i sent e-mails out. >> you sent e-mails out. >> right. >> did they write back? >> no. >> it's weird. i haven't heard from jeb bush, george w. bush or george h.w. bush or any of their spouses who are strong women in their own right, about who they're going to vote for. >> one option is to not vote. that's an option i had. but i think that's letting ourselves off the hook. i actually think that hillary clinton has the experience. she has been around. she knows how the system works. i think she would make a darned good president. i would have preferred jeb bush, but i think hillary is a great choice. i am afraid of what donald trump would do to this country. >> what are you afraid of? what do you mean -- other than -- >> first of all, look, the economy is important to me. his plan -- i love the tax cuts. i am a republican. but then he has this sort of import substitution strategy, which is a strategy like an underdeveloped country. very poor countries think tha

once george w. bush former boss, he said to me he read a book of mine but he wasn't going to say a word about it because it might hurt me. >> exactly. >> directly ahead, a five exclusive, brand-new information on the isis report which may have been altered by top pentagon officials. an update you won't see anywhere else. so please stay with us. way. way. that's 9,429 miles away. wendy's only uses fresh beef from ranches close by. so we don't have to freeze it. then add six strips of bacon, cooked fresh in an oven never a microwave. topped with plenty of... (all together) cheese! without a single veggie to get in the way. proving once and for all... . or or to make the baconator. this car is traveling over 200 miles per hour. to win, every millisecond matters. both on the track and thousands of miles away. with the help of at&t, red bull racing can share critical information about every inch of the car from virtually anywhere. brakes are getting warm. confirmed, daniel you need to cool your brakes. unders

even when the republican candidate was george w. bush, who sort of lived in maine, who summered in maine or whatever, his parents lived in maine, john kerry beat george w. bush in maine by almost ten points while also losing the rest of the country to george w. bush. maine is not going to help. current polling has donald trump losing in florida, ohio, pennsylvania, michigan, new hampshire, even missouri. hillary clinton right now is currently taking down her ads in virginia and in colorado. not because they think that i losing there, but because her campaign is getting so confident that she has put virginia and colorado away, they don't even need to try there anymore and waste their money. they've got them in the bag. and in the face of that, donald trump is campaigning in maine. he's not going to win maine. what is he doing in maine? even if he did win maine -- i mean, there is the political scientists among us, will note, if they're drunk, will note that there is the drunk political scientists among us will note that there is an argume

many from the george w. bush administration who wrote the letter saying the gop nominee fails the test of being commander in chief. here is a partial of the letter. quote, the names on the letter are the ones people should look to for why the world is a mess. we thank them for coming forward so every one knows who to blame. they are nothing more than the failed washington elite looking to hold on to their power. it is time they are held accountable for their actions. i talked to a trump advisor saying many former officials from the george w. bush administration took the country into the war in iraq although donald trump suggested he was in favor of the war. he says that iraq war is responsible for much of the violence in the middle east. >> thank you, jim. the cornerstones of trump's new tax plan lower rates and simple tax code. here is what he would do if he is elected. there could be three tax brackets. 12%, 25% and 33%. currently there are seven brackets. 39.6% is the highest. trump proposed dropping that top

at least george w. bush was on his way home from crawford from his vacation. >> his ranch, right? >> they were both on vacation when the disasters happened. the difference is bush ended hivacation. >> the president has been over and over again every day with his homeland security secretary which has been to the region as well as his fema director. wait a minute, that has always been to the region. what the news tells us from the bush case is that the fema director was an utter failure during katrina which is complete difference than this fema director. number three and most importantly and i think the most important thing that folks don't understand is even though donald trump went there, because his plane was there, what safety plane couldn't land? what plane of resources couldn't land? what police officers were taken off the street helping the survivors? that's the question. >> we know there are 13 deaths related. >> not at all, mark, not at all. >> hold on. hold on. we have had our final political thoughts there it's absolutely devastation down there. and these people have a lon

there is the fact that george w. bush had signed the agreement and set the date for that withdrawal. it is a massively complex problem, according to foreign policy experts at the research institute program and on and people who are experts on the middle east. it goes beyond one single policy decision about keeping or moving troops. furthermore, trump supported withdrawing troops from iraq as early as 2007 telling our very own wolf blitzer on cnn in 2007 in an interview that the u.s. should declare victory and leave because i'll tell you this country is just going to get further bogged down. roll the tape. >> how does the united states get out of this situation? is there a way out? >> you know how they get out? they get out. that's how they get out. declare victory and leave. because i'll tell you, this country is just going to get further bogged down. there in a civil war over there, wolf. there's nothing we're going to be able to do with a civil war. they are in a major civil war. >> so how can he keep blaming obama for

sn george w. bush the incumbent president and president bush called john kerry, the night of his big super tuesday wins and congratulated him. said he looked forward to the fight in the fall. then bush's campaign did something that wasn't very grabs or magnanimous, they went after kerry very hard. they went after him on the issue that many voters thought was supposed to be the strength for john kerry, remember he was a vietnam war hero. support for the war hero is when the campaign started. >> i'm george w. bush. and i approve this message. >> few vots in congress are as important as funding our troops if war. though john kerry voted for military action in iraq in 2002, he later voted against funding our soldiers. no, body armor and higher combat pay for our troops. no, better health care for reservists no, wrong on defense. >> you few then it was going to be a pretty long campaign, that was a brutal ad, right out of the gate from the bush campaign, it was a pretty major campaign of the sitting command

he not only walked into the building with george w. bush, he walked out of the building with george w. bush and walked out of the building with a different part of the presidency. he was deputy director of management. the management and management. the same job that lisa brown was assigned to buy president obama and put a twist on it to make her key performance officer. i will let her talk about what that means. chris lu, like johnson was the executive director of the obama transition planning group which means he was the guy who started way back before obama was a presumptive candidate. he was the guy who major to know what they were doing if they one and he is now midway through the administration, has walked out of the building on his own into the executive branch and if you anything about the agency, -- he is the person whose job it is to make sure ambitions of the secretary and ambitions of the president are the actual output of the agency. what i plan to do is ask a series of questions of each individual and author will have a check t

. >> i'm george w. bush. >> how do we know that's him? >> say something only george w bush would say. >> too many o-b y g-y-ns aren't able to practice love with him across the countr no doubt. >> this is merissa. >> everybody love yous and so do i. >> thank you. >> wait a minute. he called with a message for don. what did you want to say. >> good ridden >> you're not a ne person. >> shut up. >> let me say something. >> whoo. >> george, can you just endorse d so that he can help bill? >> i'm adamantly opposed to that. >> you're not very good. >> i find it interesting that when the heat got on you >> i'd like help. >> bill, hasn't donald trump given you enough help with the politically damaging things he said this summer? >> until the end of the summer, i hasn't thought i was coming back. >> what about the e-mails? >> part of a larger pat tesh of errors. >> don't do it again. >> okay. so clinton drove into a ditch, trump's off script and bush won't help. >> where do we go from here? >> howard online four. take us down the path. >> not only a

roger zackheim is the former secretary of defense under president george w. bush. nice to see you. why did you sign that? >> well, we could not in good conscience stay silent as donald trump to be next commander in chief. >> when did you decide he was unqualified? >> oh, well back. i consistently talked to al against trump. i signed a letter but it's certainly creche sescendoed in past couple of weeks. typical trump. >> why are you turning on your own party? >> well i think donald trump turned on the republican party, that's what's happened here. longstanding, national security policies, behavior that we'd expect from any commander in chief, any president, donald trump has essentially jettisoned, thrown it away. >> in discussions regarding national security, it was widely reported that the discussion of nuclear weapons came up saying we have them, why can't we use them? >> well that's a great point of why lack of temperament makes him unqualified for the job. he does not understand and doesn't have respect for men and women in you'll. and he's somebody quite frankly at the center.

and he went to president george w. bush, and he said, you know, if we come up with drugs that can pass fda approval, will you direct the united states government under pepfar, one of president bush's major accomplishments, to buy these drugs? and president bush said, well, sure, but i doubt that you can do that. and bill said, well, let us try, and they tried and they got it done. i think, as i recall, 23 out of the 25 drugs passed fda approval. and george w. bush kept his word. so the american taxpayer began to save money. now, when i became secretary of state, we were treating 1.7 million people through pepf pepfar. and what i said was, if we can drive the price down, can we treat more people without adding another penny of taxpayer money. and indeed, we did. so that by the time i left, four years later -- >> but the cure of aids -- you're not suggesting. >> 1 million people. so, you know, i think that the work has been not only transformational, but it has really been in line with american interests and values. and we're

i am still incredibly grateful that george w. bush went to that mosque after 9/11 and john mccain, when confronted with the attacks on president obama's birth and his religion, basically said, wait a minute, he's an american citizen, he's a decent person. >> reporter: but clinton says groups mainstream." >> hillary clinton is going to try and accuse this campaign and all of you of being racists, which we're not. >> and jon karl with us live. hillary clinton giving credit to bob dole, john mccain, george w. bush. she knows what she's doing. >> reporter: yes, trying to the mainstream. he knows he has to broaden his appeal or he won't win. >> jon, thank you. >>> tonight, the outspoken governor of maine is now igniting a new political firestorm tonight. leaving a profanity-laced voice mail, threatening a lawmaker. david wright tonight with that audio. >> reporter: tonight, the governor paul lepage is in hot water for being a little too outspoken. he left this voice mail. >> you [ bleep ]. i want to talk to you. i want you to prove that i'

he went to president george w. bush. , will you direct the united states government under one of president bush's major accomplishments. president bush said i doubt you can do that. he said let us try and they tried and they got it done. 23 of the 25 drugs passed and george w. bush kept his word. the american taxpayer began to save money. when i became secretary of state we were treating 1.3 million people. what i said was, if we could drive the price down can we treat more people without adding another penny of taxpayer money and indeed we did -- >> but the cure of aids though -- >> you know, i think that the work has been not only tran transformational but it has been in line with american interests and values. we are going to do everything we can to make sure that that good work continues. that is going to take some time. >> but you all have done remarkable work in the fight against hiv and aids but you are not suggesting and nobody related with the foundation suggesting that will stop if you transfer those assets over

that is part of a reflection of then governor bush and george w. bush's commitment, long-standing personal commitment to making sure things are done sure things , properly. he not only walked into the building with george w. bush, he walked out of the building with a different part of the presidency. he was deputy director of management. the same job that lisa brown was assigned to by president obama and put a twist on it to make her key performance officer. i will let her talk about what that means. chris lu, like clay johnson was the executive director of the obama transition planning group which means he was the guy who started way back before obama was a presumptive candidate. he was the guy whose job it was to make sure they knew what they on.e doing if they w is the deputy secretary of labor. if you know anything about the agency, they are the guys who make the building run. the person whose job it is to make sure the ambitions of the secretary and ambitions of the president are the actual output of the agency. what i plan to do is ask a series of q

george h.w. bush's 82% in 1988. 78% was recorded by george w. bush in 2004.atched by mitt romney. >> all right. so donald trump not a socially conservative lifestyle, i think it's fair to say, traditionally. so what is resonating with those voters? what issue is he hitting that really count in this election? >> i think one thing that he's done, paul, that is important and it's sort of obvious but it gets missed a lot, is he has actually shown up to their audiences and asked for the vote. so that matters. you know, the presence, the physical presence of the candidate, a rhetorical appeal, an argument rhetorically that i share your values and i would say beyond that, his position on the sanctity of life, on traditional marriage, support for the state of israel, on religious freedom, particularly that progeny of cases by hobby lobby and little sisters of the poor and, finally, his full-throated opposition to the iran nuclear deal which i think resonates powerfully in this community because they consider iran to be a threat to the survival of the state of israel.

hillary clinton giving credit to bob dole, john mccain, george w. bush. she knows what she's doing. >> reporter: oh, she sure does. hillary clinton is trying to convince moderate republicans that donald trump is outside of the mainstream. trump knows he has to broaden his appeal or he won't win. >> jon, thank you. >>> tonight, the outspoken governor of maine is now igniting a new political firestorm tonight. while defending himself from allegations of racism, governor paul lepage leaving a profanity-laced voice mail threatening a lawmaker. david wright tonight with that audio. >> reporter: tonight, the outspoken governor of maine, a favorite of donald trump's -- >> you happen to have a truly great governor. he left this voice mail. >> i want you to prove that i'm a racist. i've spent my life helping black people and you little son of a [ bleep ], socialist [ bleep ]. i want you to record this and make it public, because i am after you. >> reporter: tonight, the state lepage ra lepage racist. earlier this week, lepage was talking about known drug dealers w