If reports of a Mitt Romney Comeback weren’t enough to make this a sort of medieval Lenten Friday of bad memories and dark forebodings, there’s this report from Politico‘s David Nather:
George W. Bush worked on the book in secret for two years, without a book deal, without dribbling a word out to Bush alums or other Republicans who would have leaked it in a second. As far as the outside world knew, he was just spending all of that time working on his paintings.
Only his family and friends knew about the secret book project. And, of course, he told the star of the book: his father.
Now I suppose it’s theoretically possible the book will be some sort of deep Oedipal classic exposing worship and hatred of his father as the emotional factors that led him to strut across an aircraft carrier in flight gear to celebrate a non-existent victory in an unnecessary and disastrous war. But that would be too much to hope for, wouldn’t it? Seems W. wants to make his relationship with his father was peachy keen:
[Bush wants] to set the record straight with the public that he really does admire and love his father, the World War II veteran who’s still jumping out of planes at age 90. According to people familiar with the project, that’s one of his biggest motivations in writing the book.
Politico being Politico, Nather’s piece wouldn’t be complete without talk of how a book about the dynastic past might affect the dynastic future, or more specifically, a Jeb Bush presidential campaign in 2016:
The timing of the book won’t be ideal for another Bush: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who will have to decide around the release date whether to try to become the third Bush president. He’d be competing for attention with his brother’s book about his dad, and the whole setup might spark yet another round of speculation about the brothers’ rivalries.
Or something. You know, it might be better for all concerned if Jeb just ruled out a presidential run and then those of us who are thoroughly sick of this family’s issues could safely ignore them for a good long while.
