Bush, George H. W.

2 autograph notes on cards lettered The President and with presidential seal, [Washington,] 19 September 1989 (2 pp.) & 16 May 1991 (1 p.) — typed letter on Vice Presidential letterhead, 1 page, [Washington,] 26 August 1988 — typed letter on The White House letterhead, 3 pages, 17 April 1991. Accompanied by 3 autograph notes and letters to Cramer signed by Barbara Bush ("Barbara"; "Bar"), all as First Lady, [Washington,] 19 September 1989 to 27 February 1992,   totaling 8 pages on various stationery — 3 autograph notes and one typed letter to Cramer from others including Bob Dole, Joe Biden, and Christopher Cox, 1991–92, totaling 7 pages on various stationery. All of the letters save one accompanied by their original envelopes.

Accompanied by 3 autograph notes and letters to Cramer signed by Barbara Bush ("Barbara"; "Bar"), [Washington,] 19 September 1989 to 27 February 1992, totaling 8 pages on various stationery — 3 autograph notes and one typed letter to Cramer from others including Bob Dole, Joe Biden, and Christopher Cox, 1991–92, totaling 7 pages on various stationery. All of the letters save one accompanied by their original envelopes.
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What It Takes: President Bush passionately defends operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Richard Ben Cramer forged a permanent spot in the literature of the American presidency with his meticulous study of the 1988 presidential campaign, What It Takes: The Way to the White House (1992). The four letters here by George Bush span the period from the campaign trail to the high water mark of his presidential popularity.

In the letter of 26 August 1988, Bush declines to have Cramer accompany him on the final stretch of the campaign: "For you to do the 'history' of it all properly, you would need a disproportionate amount of access. Herein lies the rub. It is hard for me to explain to you the time pressures on a candidate at this level of American politics. You would be one more body on the press plane. … It would do you no good at all. My decision has nothing to do with leaks or psychobabble." Still Bush invites Cramer to join him soon for horseshoes, as a fifth son, or as a skeptical historian: "The Bush welcome mat is out." The note from May 1991 is much more personal, written after now-President Bush had read an excerpt from Cramer's book in Esquire that touched on the death of the Bush's second child: "As I read about Robin the tears literally flowed. You understood. Thank you for your compassionate treatment of our still beloved 4 year old."

The final letter of the sequence, 17 April 1991, is the most consequential, as Bush details how he evolved his Gulf War strategy against Saddam Hussein, who he calls "a Hitler, junior grade." "Along with focusing on the immorality of aggression, I did try to 'cast the matter as a struggle against Saddam Hussein.' As the outrage of the aggression set in, people began to properly identify Saddam Hussein as brutal and without moral claim. I can't document how this became a face-off with a bully, it just evolved. … It made it easier to muster public opinion when I had this picture of 'evil' so clearly in my mind. … I think holding those innocent civilian hostages did a lot to crystallize my thinking about Saddam. The arrogance and irony of his referring to them as 'guests.' and the staking them out as possible military targets helped convince me of his unredeeming evilness." Still, Bush concludes that he doesn't think "there is anything here that can help you understand 1988, because I don't think there is a 'new George Bush.' … I think those who know me, Richard, were not surprised by the way this all came together."

Barbara Bush's letters are focused more directly on Cramer's writing. After the Esquire excerpt appeared, she sent him, 15 May 1991, "a few minor corrections. I am only aiming at facts—not feelings." The corrections include some dates and addresses, and most humorously the note that "George was teasing when he pretended to be shell-shocked on our honeymoon. He thought that was funny." What It Takes did not please Mrs. Bush, however. In February 1992 she wrote that she stopped reading half way through: "In my opinion you had pre-conceived ideas about George and have painted a picture of a man and family I don't know."