Thank You, President Bush
Reflections on the War on Terror, Defense of the Family, and Revival of the Economy
By Aman Verjee, Rod D. Martin and Jeb Bush
World Ahead Publishing, Inc.
HC, 370 pg. US$24.99/C$32.26
ISBN: 0-9746-7011-1
In praise of the first term
By Steven D. Laib
web posted September 20, 2004
In pursuit of praising the president, World Ahead Publishing decided, in the words of its president Eric M. Jackson, that Thank You, President Bush: Reflections on the War on Terror, Defense of the Family, and Revival of the Economy was too important not to publish, regardless of profit and loss models. It is unabashedly a promotional work, praising President George W. Bush for the successes of his first term, and projecting what he should and hopefully will do in a successful second term. It contains a total of 24 chapters, with essays contributed by notables such as Stephen Moore and Phyllis Schlafly, and includes speeches by George Schultz, Richard Cheney and Bill Bennett. They cover, in some significant detail, President Bush personally, his actions in foreign, economic, and social policy, as well as his view of the role of the law in government and society.
While detractors will argue that this is just another piece of propaganda, the overall tone of the book is scholarly in virtually all respects. The facts and figures are well documented, with source material cited, hard numbers provided where necessary, and it is conceivable that this book could serve as an excellent reference on events and accomplishments of the years 2000–2004. In fact, it may actually become too high-brow in the section on economics, when Arthur Laffer and Aman Verjee spend a significant amount of time on number crunching, with accompanying charts and graphs. Still, one of the major bones of contention about the first Bush term has been economic performance. Laffer and Verjee take this situation well in hand.
Also providing excellent material are Star Parker on welfare reform, Marvin Olasky on faith-based public charities, and Candice Jackson on George Bush as a feminist. But in this reviewer’s opinion, where this compilation really shines the brightest is in the piece written by Dr. Jack Wheeler, entitled “Aeschylus and America.” Dr. Wheeler, who holds a PhD in Philosophy, cuts an Indiana Jones style figure in real life, having traveled world wide, studying primitive tribes and working with underground groups bent on promoting freedom and individual rights in regions dominated by authoritarian systems.
This article traces the history of democracy back to its roots in ancient Greece, which faced numerous challenges, including two invasions by Persia, which had a significant effect on the Greek psyche. Walker compares America’s moon landing of 1969 with the Greek victories at Marathon and Salamis, which led to self-doubt when it should have led to confidence. He asserts that America today must overcome self-doubt and the need for the approval of others in the same way that Greece did, paving the way for the Athens of Pericles.
In short, Thank You, President Bush is a testimonial to this President’s first term, a reference to his accomplishments, and also, as its editors likely intended, a tool for showing exactly why Mr. Bush should be re-elected, which is a recurring theme through most of the chapters. 
Steven D. Laib grew up a conservative in Berkeley California, during the 1960s. He holds a law degree from University of San Francisco and an MS (tax) from California State University at Hayward. He splits his time between a small law practice, a small manufacturing company and political research and writing.
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