George Bush

George Bush

           The nomination of Tower by President George H.W Bush as a secretary for defense led to many uproars from his colleagues due to the former senator’s actions. Mr. Tower became a womanizer and an alcohol addict. History has compared the confirmation made by Judge Brett Kavanaugh to that judge Thomas Clarence a Supreme Court judge in 1991 (Bowen 206-208)

. However, not long before that, another Washington appointment encountered allegations of sexual harassment that involved a Texan. Tower served the U.S. Senate for four years before he became the secretary of defense.

When the process of confirming Tower as a secretary of defense began, Tower passed all the paper confirmations and looked good from many perspectives like academics, achievements, and commitment to objectives (Bowen 206-208). He was an expert in defense as a senator. His nomination was not a mistake or out of divisiveness. Nevertheless, his nomination begun to get holes as Tower’s addiction problems began to unravel. He had a significant alcohol addiction, and all his colleagues in the Senate knew about it. The addiction began in the earlier days of the cold war. The senators had to make a life and death choice as they feared that his addiction problem could put the country’s reputation in jeopardy.

Moreover, Tower had made a name for himself at Capitol Hill with women. He was attracted to any woman unless she was over 90 years or on a hill. He was careful about which women to share the elevator with. Many of his colleagues described him as a woman chaser, a skirt-chaser, and a bottom-pincher. Most male colleagues and few female ones did not like his company (Bowen 206-208). That is why they did not want to defend him in his nomination as the secretary of defense. They described him as a veteran senator, full of arrogance, and off-putting. Despite the protection that all the senators give once one of them is nominated, they were unwilling to defend senator Tower. He was left to dry. Historians and researchers say that the allegations against the senator were politically exaggerated, especially the sexual allegations. Senator had many adversaries, and they used his weaknesses to destroy him during nomination.

Like all leaders, American presidents need to know when they have reached their loyalty limits (Bowen 206-208). They have to get ready to cut all ties with friends who have questionable pasts. Many leaders and many Democrats believe that the president had set Tower to fall (Dowd). Like his friend, he saw all the red lights, but he ignored them. President Bush failed to read Tower’s misconduct. In the process, it was the presidents, reputation, his candidature, and his re-election that was at risk.

Mr. Bush, however, stuck with Tower and defended him. President Bush was soft-hearted and loyal to his friends despite their weaknesses and the risk they put to his leadership (Nelson and Perry). He chose to stick with Tower and Clarence Thomas.

When the senators blew up the nomination, the president still stuck with the beleaguered nominees. He even made it his duty to try and help them through rehabilitation. Bush again invited them for dinners and always gave them other job offers (Dowd). This is a loyalty that historians feel is beyond the limits of a leader, especially the president of the United States. The history records that a soft-heart and a blinding loyalty towards such friends can cripple the president’s political future of re-election.

Work cited:

Bowen, Michael. “41: Inside the Presidency of George HW Bush. By Michael Nelson and Barbara A. Perry, eds.” (2016): 206-208.

Dowd, Maureen. “THE NATION; In 1994-Model Politics, Loyalty Is Often Optional Equipment.” Nytimes.com. Web. 12 Mar. 2020.

Nelson, Michael, and Barbara A. Perry, eds. 41: Inside the presidency of George HW Bush. Cornell University Press, 2014.