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CNN seems like an unlikely venue for a gauzy tribute to two recent Republican presidents, but that was exactly what “The Bush Years: Family, Duty, Power” delivered.
The six-part documentary, which aired in March, provided a very different view of its presidential subjects than “Tricky Dick,” a four-part exploration of Richard Nixon’s destruction that aired on many of the same Sundays and bled into April.
In the first CNN Original Series, George H.W. Bush is an easy figure to like. He’s a doting family man, war hero, and diligent politician whose work brings him into a position of prominence despite his privileged upbringing as the son of a U.S. senator and Wall Street banker.
The “Fathers and Sons” episode tracks Bush’s early years. Bush’s rise is interspersed with plenty of archival photos and videos that color in the portrait of this Greatest Generation hero, especially the episode’s archival footage that shows him being rescued at sea from his downed U.S. Navy aircraft.
In “The Price of Loyalty,” the subjects intersect with Nixon’s appointment of Bush as ambassador to the United Nations in 1971. About two years later, Bush took the somewhat thankless job of chairman of the Republican National Committee. This episode could have been called “Bush: The Functionary Years.”
The series hits its stride in “A Family Triumph,” which recounts his ascension to vice president after Ronald Reagan outmaneuvered him at a 1980 New Hampshire debate. Episode Four, “First Family,” fills the time until “Sibling Rivalry,” which explores the early lives and political rise of Jeb and George W. Bush. The family expects more-accomplished Jeb to take the mantle, but George W. overcomes his dissolute lifestyle to purchase the Texas Rangers and eventually win an unlikely election against popular Democrat Texas Gov. Ann Richards.
George W. eventually follows his father into the White House. The series takes a softer approach in dealing with the still-controversial Bush 43 presidency, but interviews with other family members and V.P Dick Cheney add welcome context. Neither of the former presidents are interviewed for the series.
While the Bush series treats its subjects as American political royalty, “Tricky Dick” approaches the presidency and life of Richard M. Nixon as a study of self-destruction.
Promotional materials for the show have drawn parallels with the Donald Trump presidency. While this is still debatable, Nixon remains a fascinating, if infuriating, leader whose presidency ultimately fell victim to his own shortcomings. The series, which presents new footage of Nixon, casts an appealing spell with its heavy reliance on archival film to recount Nixon’s rise and fall.
In “Will to Win,” we learn that the young Nixon was an opportunist, but the series takes off with “Nixon’s the One.” We see Nixon struggle as Eisenhower’s barely-acknowledged vice president, and later fall short during the run against JFK in 1960, largely in part to a disastrous TV debate performance. A failed run for California governor in 1962 leaves Nixon fuming at his media enemies, as he scolds the press with, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”
“Storm Clouds” begins with Nixon’s presidency after a stunning 1968 comeback and tightly-managed campaign that included a promise to end the Vietnam War.
One of Nixon’s own quotes provides the backdrop for “And Then You Destroy Yourself” – the crescendo of anti-war protests, the Watergate scandal, resignation, and life after the presidency. Throughout the series, we hear Nixon intone, “But those who hate you don’t win, unless you hate them. And then, you destroy yourself.”
While “Tricky Dick” may not provide many new insights, it sums up Nixon’s journey into the dark as well as any other documentary out there.