Late President George H.W. Bush was a cautious leader, but not timid, and he did have a vision when it came to foreign policy, according to retired Gen. Colin Powell, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first Gulf War under him.
"This was a man with vision; he just didn't broadcast it," Powell told "CBS This Morning." "He knew what he was doing. He was with (Ronald) Reagan for those years when the Soviet Union was started to come apart and Gorbachev came on the scene, and so he was ready to take over from Reagan and he knew what he was dealing with in Gorbachev."
However, Bush was cautious and would often listen and hold back before making a decision, said Powell.
"Whenever we had to meet on something, whether it was Panama or Desert Storm or Desert Shield, you would sit with him in the Oval Office, the 'Gang of Eight' we called ourselves, and we all knew each other from other positions," said Powell. "We were buddies but we knew how to fight and argue with each other, and we would do that in front of the president, and he would listen and start chewing his lip and asking a few questions."
But he would "take it all in" and decide what was best for the country and the world, said Powell.
"America's always been first in my heart, but to make America first, you have to be part of a broader world, and that's what he understood," said Powell.
Bush's time as a combat veteran also shaped his views, said Powell.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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