FINEMAN: You’re in a remarkable situation. You weren’t even in elective office five years ago, and now here you are…
BUSH: On the verge! Yeah, it’s amazing. I couldn’t agree more.
Are you ready?
It’s hard to describe what it’s like to juggle three or four balls at the same time. There were people flying in during this time [the run-up to his launch] for a lot of political, financial and policy reasons. But I was really concentrating on the [Texas legislative] session. It’s been a lot of work. But you know something? That’s good. Because the process determines who’s got what it takes. And there’s some of it I’m not going to like. I feel liberated in the sense that if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. I’m not going to feel any worse about myself, or any better. You may say, “Well, he’s kidding himself.” But I’m telling you, that’s the way I feel.
Have you talked to your father about what it’s going to be like?
I saw it about as close as you can, and I absorbed it.
Has he given you advice?
Yeah. He said, “Son, I love you.” His attitude is that if they compare me with him and I come out favorably–he accepts that as a dad. And if I come out unfavorably, I’ll accept that as a son.
Your family has been at the center of American politics for a half century. Does it stand for something, and if so, what?
Honesty, integrity, serving for the right reason.
Which is… ?
America, and what America stands for. America’s greatness. And for selflessness: not in there to make money, not in there to end up in a position where you can just influence your own future. I think the circumstances obviously have changed dramatically between 1950 [the era his grandfather Sen. Prescott Bush entered politics] and the year 2000. There’s a world of differences, but some things are the same: to bring integrity and decency to the process and to serve for the right reason, which is country above self. But I’m going to have a specific agenda that addresses what I think are the big concerns as we go into the 21st century.
You’ve said that you want to be president to help “those who are left behind.” Where in your own rather privileged life did that goal come from?
I was a senior at Yale in 1968, watching on TV as cities burned and people acted out their frustration and anger with violence. It made a deep impression on me–that they could feel so hopeless.
Are you saying you can get a sense of purpose in politics from watching events on TV?
Aren’t you a baby boomer, too? Didn’t you see things on TV that affected you? That’s the way our generation learned about things. I remember very well being at college, and my friends and I sat there glued to the TV after Martin Luther King was shot, and later Bobby Kennedy was shot. The country was in crisis. Later, I worked in a poverty program in Houston. We were trying to find role models for poor people–athletes, for example–that they could look up to. But so many people in the Third Ward had no hope: no education, opportunity or access. And then, as governor, I’ve traveled through Texas and seen too many people who’ve had bad choices in life. The challenge of the 21st century is to see that everyone gets the education and access to opportunity so they’ll make better choices–on their own–in the high-tech society we’re building. Not equal outcomes, but equal access.
You talk about “access.” Don’t you have to admit that you’ve had more than your share?
There’s no question that I am a blessed person. I was blessed by a family that gave me unconditional love. I was blessed by a family that taught me the value of education–and made sure I got a very good education.
But didn’t you have more than equal access to financial and political opportunities?
Look, having the name “George Bush” opened some doors. But it closed some, too. And the name brings with it the burden of high expectations–very high. That’s the challenge for me now: to see if I can meet or even exceed those expectations.
Have you read biographies of your father?
No. But I read a lot. Sometimes I get going on a history book and then slip into a mystery. And in the morning I read the Bible. It’s a reading program called “The One-Year Bible.”
What portion did you read today?
There were two. One was in Acts. It was about the faith of the Disciples, about how they cried out for Jesus. [The other] was in Kings. It was about King Solomon, who became king when his father, King David, died. And it was about how Solomon exacted revenge upon those who had been unfaithful to his father.
No, you don’t!
