Bush Can Teach Obama What Not to Do: Woodward

Woodward has seen all the mistakes and lived to tell about it
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 15, 2009 9:49 AM CST
Bush Can Teach Obama What Not to Do: Woodward
George W. Bush adjusts his head phone during a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, unseen, at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Dec. 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

George W. Bush’s presidency could teach Barack Obama many lessons—about what not to do. Bob Woodward lays out 10 of them in today’s Washington Post:

  • "Presidents need to draw people out and make sure bad news makes it to the Oval Office": Bush went into Iraq "without directly asking Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, or George Tenet for their bottom-line recommendation."
  • "A president must do the homework to master the fundamental ideas and concepts behind his policies": One general suspected Bush "lacked a basic grasp of what the Iraq war was about."

  • "Presidents set the tone. Don't be passive": Bush once watched Donald Rumsfeld snatch a document out of Condoleezza Rice’s hands. “I’ll let you two work it out,” he said, and walked away.
To see the complete list, click the link below.
(More Bush legacy stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X