George W. Bush Stays Out of the Presidential Endorsement Fray

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Last week, former Vice President Dick Cheney went from “literally Hitler” and “war criminal” to Democrat hero because he endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Democrats across the country could be suffering from whiplash from that dramatic about-face.

“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney said in a statement. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.”

Cheney’s daughter, Trump Derangement Turncoat Liz Cheney, spilled the beans about her dad’s endorsement at a conference in Texas. She also self-righteously declared that writing someone else in won’t cut it; for Liz, it’s Kamala or no one.

“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” the younger Cheney announced. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”

Naturally, the speculation began about whether Cheney’s boss, former President George W. Bush, would follow suit and throw his weight behind Harris. We have an answer to that question.

On Saturday, NBC News asked Bush’s office if he and Laura Bush would make an endorsement in this presidential race, and a representative replied with a terse “No,” followed by, “President Bush retired from presidential politics years ago.”

That declaration follows the pattern Bush has followed in the last two elections. The former president endorsed John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 but has stayed out of the fray in the last two cycles. Bush has admitted that he didn’t vote for president in 2016 and that he wrote in Condoleezza Rice for president in 2020.

Bush has been subtly critical of Trump, largely on foreign policy, for years; however, he has done so without referring to Trump by name. Part of his reason for not going on record as trashing Trump personally is that he doesn’t want to give the Democrats any advantage.

Furthermore, Bush expressed his gratitude that the would-be Butler, Pa., assassin’s bullet didn’t kill Trump:

Statement by President George W. Bush: “Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response.”

— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) July 13, 2024

Say what you want about Bush. I know that a lot of people on the right are critical of a lot of things about his presidency, and I agree that he’s not above reproach as a politician. But I also believe that he’s a decent and honorable man of faith and principle.

He may not like Trump all that much, and he may not cast a vote for him. But at least Bush isn’t deluded enough to think that a vote for Harris is a good idea.