Interview · moment 2 of 23
Bush Family Origins and the Death of George H.W. Bush
from Dead President with Russ Baker · #125
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
3 minGuest
Russ Baker discusses the Bush family lineage going back generations, including ancestors hanged as witches or made to walk the plank, and Tim and Ray react to the news of George H.W. Bush's death, joking about his infamous vomiting incident in Japan.
- 4:04Tim asks how far back Russ traced the Bush lineage and when they started to distinguish themselves among political dynasties.
- 4:32Russ explains his book is being published during George H.W. Bush's death and memorial, drawing criticism for revealing unflattering material.
- 4:49Russ mentions posting excerpts from the book on whowhywhy.org and getting traffic from people interested in critical coverage.
- 5:13Tim argues there's never a bad time for the truth and questions why we treat former presidents like a monarchy when the country was founded rejecting that idea.
- 5:34Question of whether presidents deserve the same reverent treatment as the British monarchy and where that tradition even originated.
- 6:05Tim notes he forgot to mention George Bush had actually died.
- 6:16Russ reveals Bush was 94 years old and had outlasted many people he wronged.
- 6:27Tim observes the media is very sentimental about Bush, despite him having no real disgrace except the vomiting incident in Japan.
- 6:39Bush threw up on the Japanese prime minister, which was so sensitive they had to avoid showing similar footage for the rest of his presidency.
- 6:56Tim jokes that throwing up on someone was essentially Bush's Watergate—his biggest scandal.
George H. W. BushBush dynastyGeorge W. BushAdams family