George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 244

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“There were some wars and many incidents that almost led to war, but still, my approval rating is overwhelmingly high, needing no further explanation. It’s a bit regrettable for China, but I’ve filled the empty vaults with gold on paper. Most of what you’ve done has turned out as you intended and has been realized. And you haven’t raised that damn ‘tax.’ So, what are you so dissatisfied with?”

There was only one person in the world who could talk to him like this. The Chief of Staff could barely approach this level, but even he wouldn’t dare to evaluate the President’s performance so directly. He only voiced opposition in areas where he genuinely disagreed. Even then, he would usually yield when the President strongly insisted.

So, even as he’s slowly redistributing power, who is this arrogant man evaluating George W. Bush, who is still the supreme ruler, right in front of him?

“Father.”

George H.W. Bush. Commonly referred to as ‘Father Bush’ to distinguish him from the current President, George W. Bush.

“Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that word, ‘Father.’ You don’t visit often enough.”

His words were blunt and full of dissatisfaction, but he maintained a kind expression, with uncontrollable smiles crinkling around his eyes.

“I have so much work that I barely sleep. I’ve decided to put aside personal matters as much as possible while I hold this title.”

It was a common excuse that everyone makes to their parents at least once in their lives. It’s just that Bush’s job is a bit unique.

“I thought so too when I was President, but as you know, it didn’t actually work out that way. Humans are not machines. Unlike machines, you can’t just replace parts and keep running 24/7, 365 days a year. No matter how outstanding a person is, they need to rest after a marathon.”

It was truly a sound argument. And at the same time, it was the reason why ‘spiritual strength’ [a concept emphasizing mental fortitude and perseverance] didn’t work well in this era. Spiritual strength is now often treated as an outdated concept, but there was definitely a time when it was effective. After the Industrial Revolution, with the development of automation, it became more of a hindrance.

However, spiritual strength wasn’t a completely useless tool. If it was applied to oneself rather than forced on others, it could still be a valuable asset. Of course, there were times when it went too far and hurt oneself. At least Bush himself thought he was adjusting well.

From the beginning, the ‘spiritual strength’ in question wasn’t just a solitary effort. If it’s shared between two people, wouldn’t it be possible to accomplish twice the work? In reality, it was observed that he could concentrate for longer periods than others.

“By the way, you’ve gotten a lot bigger since I last saw you… And I mean it.”

Father Bush never thought he would say such a thing not just when his son was a child, but even after he had grown up and become president. It wasn’t a metaphor; President Bush’s physique was noticeably larger each time he saw him. The reason was obvious: Bush had suddenly started intense exercise during his term.

“I realized late in life that the saying ‘health is wealth’ isn’t just a figure of speech, but the literal truth. I started exercising after feeling the aging process all over my body.”

“It seems the position makes the man, and the previous position you held wasn’t enough.”

The previous position he held was ‘Governor of Texas.’ Bush closed his mouth. He had nothing to say. That’s because the person he was talking to now was ‘Bush’s father.’

To be honest, this whole situation was still awkward. Three years should have been enough to get used to it, but how could he get used to it when they only met once in a blue moon? Wouldn’t it be more of a problem if he *did* get used to it?

Father Bush took a sip of coffee, seemingly understanding his son’s silence, and then opened his mouth.

“My life has changed a bit since you became President.”

“How so?”

“Right. I can still clearly picture the CIA Director begging me to stop you.”

One might ask, ‘Why did he come to Father Bush of all people?’ There are many reasons. Not just many, but an overwhelming number. First of all, Father Bush, as everyone knows, was a former President. Moreover, he was also the former 11th Director of the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency]. And he was also the only person who could potentially influence a maverick President and unofficially intervene in state affairs.

“Hmm, what did you do?”

It was more like a simple Q&A than a heartfelt conversation between father and son, but President Bush was genuinely intrigued. To think that the Director would meet his father behind his back.

“What did I do? I just reasoned with him and sent him back.”

Father Bush had a very pleasant expression just thinking about it, and even that expression conveyed dignity. President Bush judged that it probably came from experience, although he didn’t know the specific details.

“These days, he seems to have just gotten used to the enormous workload. But still, his face looks pale when I meet him sometimes. If I had told him to do it, he would have hanged himself.”

He mimicked choking himself and stuck out his tongue, laughing so hard that he even spat. And it was understandable. President Bush also imagined the scene of the CIA Director begging Father Bush to do something about his son and couldn’t stop chuckling for quite a while.

“So, are you trying to finally use the vacation time you haven’t been able to take all this time?”

Father Bush said that while casting a fishing line against the backdrop of the mountains. The fishing line went down towards the bottom of the lake with a splash at a moderate distance, leaving only a red float bobbing on the blue surface.

“Something like that.”

In fact, it was more accurate to say that the amount of work had suddenly decreased significantly. Of course, the remaining workload wasn’t negligible, but it was embarrassingly light compared to before. It wasn’t a joke; he was seriously thinking, ‘Can I even justify accepting the country’s salary with this little work?’ so you can imagine the difference.

“Hmm. With your personality, I thought you’d be playing golf.”

“Golf is good, but I suddenly wanted to go fishing.”

It wasn’t like he was just holding a fishing rod without a hook like Jiang Taigong [a legendary Chinese strategist who famously fished with a straight hook, waiting for the right opportunity], but he also genuinely wanted to relax for a while. Until now, it had been like running a marathon non-stop. Speaking of vacation, he had once gone to Australia. But due to an incident, he could only experience the nature of Australia for a few hours.

“It’s not because you want to drink, is it?”

He said, glancing at the bottle of alcohol next to Bush. Alcohol is strictly prohibited during golf, but not necessarily during fishing. It was common for fishermen who were tired of the boring wait to have a drink while fishing.

“I thought you were taking care of your health earlier?”

“I’m healthy now, so I can drink.”

If he said he couldn’t drink anymore because of his health, Father Bush was the type to quit drinking with superhuman self-control. But President Bush was more the type to cultivate his body so he could drink. And that’s what he actually did. Both this body and the soul inside it were inclined to enjoy alcohol, so he had a drink every day before going to bed after working out.

Some say that drinking before bed interferes with sleep, but who cares? It’s not like he could drink it during work, could he? Besides, doesn’t cognac always come at the end of a full French course meal?

Originally, the after-dinner drink was meant to be enjoyed before going to sleep. Of course, President Bush’s diet wasn’t a full French course, but a full course of protein and fiber. He wasn’t really going to enter a bodybuilding competition, so he was doing it moderately.

Of course, it definitely wasn’t ‘moderately’ in the eyes of others, but if President Bush felt that way, then it was definitely ‘moderately.’ Even if it wasn’t, he would convince himself that it was.

“There are still mountains of unresolved issues. For example, the issue of medical privatization. The serious wealth gap. And there are also diplomatic issues.”

The diplomatic issues were problems that arose from President Bush forcibly meddling in various situations. There was no easy solution to that. The wealth gap and medical privatization issues weren’t exactly solvable in the short term either, but at least if he laid the groundwork well now, the next presidents would be able to make progress within 20 years. And since the wealth gap was a fundamental problem of capitalism itself, the only real solution was to increase welfare.

And although he didn’t say it, there were also the problems in the Middle East that continued to bother him, like the Kurdish independence issue. There was also the African issue, although it hadn’t been properly addressed yet. Africa shown on TV is usually like this:

Videos of starving and impoverished children drinking dirty water and pleading for donations, or animal videos shown in documentaries. Africa beyond the confines of TV is a bit different.

There are constant civil wars, and all countries have gained independence from Europe, but it is still a battleground for the whole world. It wasn’t like white people were blatantly exploiting it like before, but it had only changed from Europeans exploiting Africans to Africans exploiting Africans.

“To be honest, I can’t do it anymore.”

Father Bush wanted to ask, ‘Then why are you running for reelection?’ but he closed his mouth. He was still just President Bush’s father, but he had clearly matured. He wondered if it was the kind of elitist idea of ‘I’m the only one who can do it!’ but considering his son’s nature, it didn’t seem likely. He was a good kid, even if he was a little rough around the edges from before.

‘But you never know. The environment changes people.’

Thinking so, Father Bush decided to test him.

“There’s not even a month left until the election.”

“That’s right.”

“This time, everyone will be on your side. Not really the entire nation, but it won’t be much different. At least there won’t be a case where your approval rating is fluctuating around 50%.”

This was a well-known fact. That’s because everyone was saying it, and the Democratic Party had already conceded defeat and put forward a young candidate who was not even well-known as the next candidate, so the situation was hopeless.

Of course, that ‘unknown candidate’ was unknown from the Democratic Party’s point of view. But it was a significant concern for President Bush.

“What would you do if the next president, in your opinion, is the world’s biggest moron who would start a nuclear war right away?”