Since we have the highest regard for Alan Greenspan we are looking forward to reading his new book, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World. His commentary on the Presidents he served is illuminating. Here are some selected quotes.
Nixon: “When Nixon left office, I was relieved. You didn’t know what he might do, and the president of the United States has so much power that it’s scary.”
Ford: “He always understood what he knew and what he didn’t know. Ford was secure in himself, probably one of those rare people who would actually score normal in psychological tests.”
Reagan: “He brought a sunniness and benevolence to the presidency that never wavered, even when he had to deal with a dysfunctional economy and the global danger of nuclear war. Under Reagan, Americans went from believing they were a former great power to regaining their self-confidence.”
Bush (George H. W.): “His bitterness surprised me; I did not feel the same way about him. … Bush had done an exemplary job on the most important issues confronting the United States. … If a president can earn re-election, he did.”
Clinton: “The president probably had a better hands-on feel for the economy than his economists.” On the Monica affair: “It seemed so alien to the Bill Clinton I knew and made me feel disappointed and sad,”
Bush (George W.): “Bush’s collaborate-don’t-confront approach was a major mistake and it cost the nation a check-and-balance mechanism essential to fiscal discipline.”
Having listened to Nixon talk about “how the Democrats were the enemy” in a profanity-laden discussion that “would have made Tony Soprano blush,” Greenspan declined when asked to join the administration after the election. He was the smartest guy in the room.
