Fox and Bush, pictured in 2006, appeared to enjoy a warm relationship.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The two leaders shared a border for six years, but former Mexico President Vicente Fox gives a tough assessment on President Bush in a new book out next month, according to U.S. News and World Report.
In "Revolution of Hope," set to hit book stores October 4, Fox calls Bush "the cockiest guy I have ever met in my life," and is sharply critical of the president's Iraq policy and his immigration stance, according to the magazine.
Though he describes warm relations with Bush, Fox in the book also calls the president's Spanish skills "grade-school" level and says, "I can't honestly say that I had ever seen George W. Bush getting to the White House."
In addition to Bush, 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 books Publisher, Penguin.
Fox served as Mexico's president from 2000-2006.
The autobiography is co-written by Robert Allyn, a Texas-based political consultant who has advised both Fox and Bush.
– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
From CNN Politics
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Coming from someone who lived under the Bush (non)governship of Texas….his(Fox) comments are a surprise? Most people who live or lived in Texas while Bush jr. was governor of Texas could have told you that…and SURPRISE!! not everyone in Texas loves W!!!
Well, that's a relief!! I've been avoiding Texas like the plague, between leading in executions and sending us your village idiot to govern the nation, I had all but given up hope for the Lone Star state!! Said somewhat tongue-in-cheek.....
Fox's remarks about Bush's Spanish skills being at a grade school level is due to the fact that at every opportunity he insisted on inflicting his "expertise" on a pained Fox. Then again, Bush also butchers the English language, so why should he do any better in Spanish?
He who is free of sin let them cast the first stone....Fox should attempt uniting the wealthy elite in his country and try to solve his nation's internal problems. I wonder why his fellow countrymen want to leave his country for ours? Instead he writes a book so he can increase his persoanl wealth even more so.
The US may not be perfect but we certainly have an outstanding system of checks and balances...I don't want to live elsewhere.
I am not a Bush supporter on any level, but I have listened to Vicente
Fox speak English, and you know, the guy is up in the night saying someone doesn't speak a language well, he could use a little practice....and i like the guy.....
Fox is throwing rocks?
President Bush's spanish is grade school level?
I venture that his spanish is much better than the english of his countrymen who have fled to the US for work.
In Fox's six years as president of Mexico what did he do to improve things in Mexico so that his people didn't feel the need to risk thier lives and resources to get to America for work?
The man was an IDIOT and he's got some nerve to enough think of himself in the same league as President Bush !!!
I felt bad for the people of Mexico!
Who cares??? Why didn't this ex-prez do something about his country to stop the illegals in the first place? Should our president be fluent in Spanish, stop his illegals,stop the war, and let's cross our fingers and hope everything get's better. Ok. Por favor, Presidente Fox!!!
This from a man who can't figure out how to put any infrastructure into his country so he sends them all to us and demands WE take care of them? Now THAT'S cocky!
Why doesnt anyone consider this? Why do the presidents Spanish skills matter? He knows more than any of you anti bush idiots could even consider. He addresses problems and issues that you cant even imagine. So why you dont mind paying for these illegal immigrant(Cockroaches) to have their children here and cheat the system your watching our economy crash and burn. The x leader of mexico is a joke.
Fox's thoughts and a book? Are you kidding me? What has he ever accomplished? (oh right ... high crime, polution, dirty water, corrupt government, no border security or penal system, high unemployment, no healthcare, and millions of Mexicans who want to leave his country). We really want advice from someone like him .......... lol
Sounds like he has Spanish skills on a par with his English skills.
I only wish the powers to be would see this as well. Bush is an idiot and should be impeached. I invaded another country unprovoked...anyone else would have been tried and hung for a war crime.
Bush's English skills and foreign policy knowledge are both below "grade school" level. He is also failing at balancing our budget by wasting all our country's wealth overseas. Yet he is STILL the commander in chief...
Bush gives hope to all imbeciles and illiterates that you too, if you know the right people and are willing to ignore the Consitutition, can be president...
How does Fox not like the President's immigration policy. The President's the one that went to bat for him, trying to put to gether a guest-worker program adn not wanting to deport the 12 million illegals. The President sacrificed his own popularity rating in his own party while doing that. And Fox in turns repays him this way?
I think Pres. Bush has one major lesson to learn: the people you try to help in this world never show gratefulness..1)The Iraqi people for whom you've toiled so much political capital, even risking losing re-election in 2004 stab you in the back and don't try to work things out, 2) Vic Fox chastises you despite what I edscribed above, 3) Most of the GOP Senate and Congressmen you helped get elected pretend they don't know you when your popularity is down, ..and the list goes on and on.
Anyway Mr. President, keep your head high. You're a rare object in politics-someone who's really in in for what they believe (rightly or wrongly) and not for popularity points.
Frankly, I think George Bush could care less about what anybody's opinion of him is, I find him to be entirely stupid - This guy we know as George Bush, President of the United States knows that there are Americans who will follow him to hades as long as he says what they want to hear, it does not matter that it is lies and this is how he became president saying what a certain group of people want to hear. What matters is he and his family has enough money to literally buy an entire country and perhaps that's what America is really all about.
Well, at least in the US a President can't change the Constitution to suit himself and pocket millions of the much coveted dollar for personal wealth.
mexican president fox says bush's spanish
is grade school level. that's all?
i think everything he does is grade school level.
he doesn't make total sense.he tries to be a grandstander.usually,making a fool of himself. i.e.:wearing a flight suit!
making a speech under a banner saying
mission accomplished!"how this man can
look in the mirror and feel good about
himself is beyond me.oh,in response to
a threat by osama himself,bush used an
old line from western movies-bring them on.
please cnn, stop giving me reasons to defend bush. mexico's former president running his mouth about anything is pretty funny. talk about the pot...
President hit the nail on the head and it is unfortunate that it is the truth. It is in his walk, his manner and his speech.
George W. Bush thinks he was elected dictator and the republicans are not realistic enough to understand that he represents them. They have allowed Bush to set the tone of the republican party and it will be there for years to come. Bush has beat out Hoover as the political punching bag for the at least two decades.
We need a two party system, but we need for them to work together to keep both from going overboard and the republicans could not handle the power they were given by the American people.
I was a tradesman before retirement and the quickest way to ruin a good worker was to make him or her foreman and they did not have the capacity to handle the power. They then were not good as a boss or when put back as worker they held animosity against everybody that had worked for them because they blamed the setback on the workers instead of realizing they could not handle authority.
Don't know what is more depressing:
Fox, head of a narco-state calling someone "cocky" after exporting poverty to the U.S., screwing over his own citizens while declaring their "rights" to leave his country and giving them instructional manuals on how to do so.
or
Far left liberal crazies who cheer him solely for this insult to Bush.
...sick of it all...
The President of Mexico is a sleazy, corrupt, criminal. Who cares what he thinks or says about President Bush? Why does it even warrant space in national news?
Obviously if Former President Fox is complaining of his relationship with so many different world leaders, maybe he should be looking at himself as the problem in those relationships rather than blaiming others for his relationship problems.
This is something, seeing that Mr. Fox is an ex-Coke exec and world renowned politician. Mr. Fox miss the point of W being dumb as a fence post, too.
Time to switch American't to American again.
Did we really think his Spanish would be any more intelligent than his English?
Hold it. Fox and Bush were compadres. On the first trip as president Bush traveled to Vicent's Ranch. So, these guys were in very good terms. SOrry about no habla espanol.
Wow, candid and spot on!! Bush is quite possibly the worst President in this nation's brief history. It's hard to conceive of a guy or lady doing a worse job!! He has ruined our worldwide credibility and goodwill and taken thousands of American lives in the process. Dreadful.
What does Mexican politics have to do with American politics? Sure, someone will say, "Mexican politics is important because . . " and then that person will proceed to give a bunch of excuses that are irrelevant to American politics. Look, when Tony Blair comes out with a book I will pay attention. Mexico has done nothing substantially for America and our politics, therefore, I will continue about my daily life knowing that Bush can hardly speak good english and and it sure does not matter if he knows a lick of spanish. By the way, I have seen cockier posts on this CNN blog (including my own) then I have ever seen out of Bush. Hypocrites.