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The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush Kindle Edition

by John Sununu (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 192 ratings
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George H. W. Bush’s former Chief of Staff offers a long overdue appreciation of the man and his universally underrated and misunderstood presidency.

“I’m a quiet man, but I hear the quiet people others don’t.” —George H. W. Bush

Though 41st president George Herbert Walker Bush is remembered for orchestrating one of the largest and most successful military campaigns in history—the Gulf War—John H. Sununu argues that conventional wisdom misses many of Bush’s other great achievements.

During his presidency, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union collapsed. Bush’s calm and capable leadership during this dramatic time helped shape a world in which the United States emerged as the lone superpower. Sununu reminds us that President Bush’s domestic achievements were equally impressive, including strengthening civil rights, enacting environmental protections, and securing passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 1990 agreement which generated budget surpluses and a decade of economic growth.

Sununu offers unparalleled insight into this statesman who has been his longtime close friend. He worked with Bush when he was vice president under Ronald Reagan, helped him through a contentious GOP primary season and election in 1988, and as his chief of staff, was an active participant and front-row observer to many of the significant events of Bush’s presidency. Reverential yet scrupulously honest, Sununu reveals policy differences and clashes among the diverse personalities in and out of the White House, giving credit—and candid criticism—where it’s due.

The Quiet Man goes behind the scenes of this unsung but highly consequential presidency, and illuminates the man at its center as never before.
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    432 pages
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  4. Publisher
    Broadside e-books
  5. Publication date
    June 9, 2015
  6. File size
    13034 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

George H. W. Bush is much too modest to brag about what he accomplished as the forty-first president of the United States. As a result, the conventional wisdom about his presidency misses many of his greatest achievements. Now this unique insider account by former chief of staff John H. Sununu finally gives this indispensable president full credit for the positive impact he had on the United States and the world.

Though Bush is rightfully remembered for orchestrating one of the largest, most effective military campaigns in history—the first Gulf War—Sununu argues that this success overshadowed many of his other significant accomplishments. Most important was Bush’s calm and capable leadership during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Bush’s domestic accomplishments were equally impressive. During his single term in office, he passed more domestic legislation than almost any other president, which included strengthening civil rights, breaking a twelve-year logjam to enact environmental protections, passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, and negotiating the 1990 budget agreement that generated federal surpluses and a decade of economic growth.

As chief of staff, Sununu was an active participant in and a front-row observer to the most significant events of the Bush presidency. He reveals policy conflicts and clashes, as well as inside alliances among the diverse personalities in and out of the White House.

About the Author

John H. Sununu served as Chief of Staff under George H. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.

Qarie has narrated over 30 series for the Discovery, Learning Channels & The BBC, as well as providing the inflight programming for Virgin Atlantic Airlines & BBC radio plays. He has voiced over 80 video games for the Playstation & Xbox, and was a guest voice on Comedy Central's Drawn Together. He was made an Associate Artist of The Purple Rose Theatre in 2007.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NLMC9EO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Broadside e-books; Reprint edition (June 9, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 9, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 13034 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 192 ratings

About the author

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John Sununu

John Sununu

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John H Sununu was the 75th Governor of New Hampshire and served at White House Chief of Staff to President George H. W. Bush from 1989-1992. After leaving the White House He started JHS Associates, Ltd, an international strategic business consulting firm, where he has served as President & CEO since that time. From 1992 until 1998, co-hosted CNN’s nightly “Crossfire” program, a news/public affairs discussion program. In addition to his three terms as Governor, he he Governor gained both regional and national recognition through his chairmanship of the Coalition of Northeastern Governors’, the chairmanship of the Republican Governors’ Association, and his election in 1987 to the chairmanship of the National Governors’ Association. In 2010 he served as Chairman of the NHGOP and in 2012 was a prominent Romney campaign surrogate and steering committee member.

Prior to his term as Chief of Staff and his service as Governor, he had nearly 20 years of experience as an educator, engineer, small businessman and community leader. He served as President of JHS Engineering Company and Thermal Research Inc. In addition, he helped establish and served as chief engineer for Astro Dynamics Inc. from 1960 until 1965.

The Governor attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and earned his Ph.D. there in 1966 in Mechanical Engineering. From 1968 until 1973, he was Associate Dean of the College of Engineering at Tufts University and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He served on the Advisory Board of the Technology and Policy Program at MIT from 1984 until 1989. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Governor is married to the former Nancy Hayes. They have eight children and sixteen grandchildren.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
192 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

David M. Rosenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Insider's view of the Bush White House
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book looking for a good substitute for a presidential memoir from the 41st president, since he's never published any himself. And "The Quiet Man" accomplishes this. Yes, it's unapologetically biased in favor of Bush, but that's taken as a given considering that it was written by an old loyalist and former chief of staff. It's intended as the first Bush administration's account of itself, and Sununu's flowing, readable prose does a splendid job of that. My favorite aspect of the book, however, was the light it shed on the inner workings of the White House. From his perch as chief of staff, Sununu had a unique perspective on the modus operandi of the White House, in some ways a clearer view than the president himself, whose contact with his own government is controlled by the chief of staff. It's a fascinating view at a poorly understood facet of the executive branch.

I would have liked Sununu to go into greater detail with the 1988 election, and at times his contention that Bush was both a more effective and more conservative president than his predecessor seem a bit over the top. But on the whole a very good, enlightening read, and a must for any political junky.
5 people found this helpful
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Ed Murnane
4.0 out of 5 stars it was enjoyable and a good tribute to a President who deserves a lot more ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
Governor Sununu had a front row seat for the early stages of the Bush administration and it was interesting to read his perspective. I played a less significant role in the administration and may have seen some events and some participants from a different perspective. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable and a good tribute to a President who deserves a lot more credit and respect than he has received. That's what happens when you follow a Ronald Reagan and are followed by a Bill Clinton. Both Reagan, whom I loved, and Clinton had far more bells and whistles. One of Sununus's stories I most enjoyed was the Joe DiMaggio-Ted Williams trip to the All Star Baseball game in Toronto. I was on that trip and am the proud holder of a baseball autographed by these two legends.
One person found this helpful
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Karen Ziminski
5.0 out of 5 stars The First President Bush
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
The author was a three-term governor of New Hampshire who worked on George H. W. Bush's presidential campaign and then served as his chief of staff when he was elected president. He says, "Bush's expertise was the art and the talent to frame the results of negotiations in such a way that there were no losers, only winners."

Bush's term is best remembered for Desert Storm, a massive but brief military action to kick the Iraqis out of Kuwait that most would consider a success. It was a good memory refresher to go over the other things that happened during his presidency.

The book gives a good overview of Bush's political career without overwhelming detail. Sununu is a big fan of Bush, and about the only criticism he has is of his choices for the people who ran his campaign for re-election, which he lost to Bill Clinton. Personally, I think Bush was one of our better presidents, but not so perfect as Sununu paints him.
3 people found this helpful
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Firegerry
5.0 out of 5 stars The Quiet Man, A Class Act!
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent account of the 41st President of the United States. Governor Sununu obviously spent a lot of time fact checking his recollection of many of the events he covered in this very well written book. I think the portrayal is fair and gives a real inside look at what went into the Presidency during a very tumultuous time, the first Gulf War. I have read some reviews from those who even call themselves critics of Mr. Bush and even they agree this is a truthful account of a man we now realize was a great President and a consummate gentleman.
7 people found this helpful
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Glen Farber
5.0 out of 5 stars “The Quiet Man” fills in the questions about the first Bush presidency.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It reminded me of the chaos of the times and the quiet and thoughtful guidance of George Bush and his amazing team. I must admit that I didn’t realize just what was really going on at the time we were living through it. It reminds me that I need to be careful of where I get my news.

I mainly remember the senior Bush from his retirement days. He was always kind and positive about everything. He was a part of his community and a graceful participant in many events. This book reminds me of how fortunate we are to have Americans like George Bush who are willing to serve our country.
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