Former US President George W. Bush publishes a new book.
In doing so, he campaigns for migrants - and that annoys many Republicans.
Washington - After moving out of the White House, George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009, devoted himself to two things: gardening on his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and painting.
Now Bush has reported back spectacularly on the public stage - and presents himself, surprisingly for many, with quite progressive features.
On the one hand, his book “Out of Many, One” has just been published, which contains the pictures of 43 immigrants with whom Bush spoke personally.
He then immortalized these migrants in oil and also described their fates.
George W. Bush surprises with portraits of migrants
On the other hand, on his book advertising tour, which also includes appearances in TV shows, the ex-president also took a position on the hot topic of migration.
Due to the crisis on the southern border of the USA, this has come back into the focus of heated political debates.
The majority of America's Conservatives would like to continue the isolation from immigrants advocated by Donald Trump and the construction of the Wall, which Joe Biden had stopped for the time being.
Ex-President and hobby painter George W. Bush is committed to human immigration policy
In contrast, Bush honors in this book, of all things, the contributions of migrants to society in the United States. At the same time, the Texan, whose home state is particularly badly affected by the currently almost unchecked influx of illegal cross-border commuters, is also campaigning for the legitimation of millions of these immigrants. In a guest
post
for the
Washington Post
Bush demanded that young people in particular who were brought to the United States by their parents without permission should be granted US citizenship.
He does not want a direct amnesty for all people living illegally in the USA.
But at least, according to Bush, they should be given the opportunity to acquire one of the coveted “green cards” and ultimately even citizenship through a “gradual process”.
Certain achievements in the field of work and proof of the English language should make this possible.
Bush stressed that he wanted to give the immigration debate a “humane face”.
For some Democrats, however, the Republican's swing, whose popularity rating has risen significantly since leaving the presidency, is not easy to accept.
Although the 74-year-old has a close friendship with the Obamas, for example, part of the left in America cannot help him with the war against Iraq after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the circumstances surrounding the fight against Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda forgive. The left-wing US cultural historian Jackson Lears criticized the
Guardian
that it was an "absolute scandal" that Bush was now being rehabilitated in this way. After all, Bush, with his nationalism and militarism and his rhetoric, was even more offensive than Trump.
But "number 43" prefers not to talk about his vulnerable past in his current media appearances. Instead, he pretends to be a warning and moralist - and urged, among other things, members of Congress to reduce their often harsh rhetoric in the immigration debate. He hopes, says Bush, to enforce a “more respectful tone” towards the migrants.