A new autobiography by former Mexican president Vicente Fox presents a much different picture of his relationship with President George W. Bush than the one the White House presented during his tenure in office.
Revolution of Hope blasts the presidency of Bush, whose two terms in office coincided with much of Fox’s time as head of Mexico.
Last week, Fox explained his rationale for writing his book during an interview with USA TODAY at his ranch near Len, Mexico.
“You don’t write a book to please everybody; you write a book to tell the truth,” Fox said. “I wanted to go behind the scenes and convey the feeling that presidents are human beings, after all.”
In his book, Fox calls Bush “the cockiest guy I have ever met in my life” and attacks his stance on immigration, along with the GOP’s platform on the issue in general.
He also holds Bush and the White House responsible for the war in Iraq, blaming Bush’s stubbornness for the international backlash the war has sparked.
Though he describes warm relations with Bush, Fox also calls the president’s Spanish “grade-school” level and says, “I can’t honestly say that I had ever seen George W. Bush rise to the top of the U.S. political scene and getting to the White House.”
Fox ridiculed Bush as a “windshield cowboy,” i.e. a cowboy who prefers to drive rather than ride horses. He recalled a meeting in Mexico shortly after both men had been elected in which Fox offered Bush a ride on a “big palomino” horse. Fox, who left office in December, recalled Bush “backing away” from the animal.
“A horse lover can always tell when others don’t share our passion,” he told The Washington Post.
Bush has spoken of his fondness for shooting doves and cutting brush on his Crawford ranch in Texas, which he bought in 1999. The property reportedly has no horses and only five cattle.
Fox also sounds off on his “close but rocky relationships” with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuela President Hugo Chávez, according to the book’s publisher, Penguin.
Fox is the latest old friend to turn on Bush as he faces a lonely 18 months in office as a lame duck, taunted for failures in Iraq and at home.