George H W Bush Lambasts Son's Administration

Former US President George H W Bush has broken his silence about his son's administration in a biography, lambasting key figures Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

The nation's 41st president says Vice President Cheney was an "iron ass" while Defence Secretary Rumsfeld was an "arrogant fellow", reports the New York Times and Fox News.

Mr Bush told his biographer that Mr Cheney "had his own empire there (in the White House) and marched to his own drummer".

He described the Vice President as exerting too much "hard-line" influence in George W Bush's administration to "use force to get our way in the Middle East".

Mr Bush also said he believed Mr Cheney had been influenced by his "tough as nails, driving" wife, Lynne.

Of Mr Rumsfeld, he said: "There's a lack of humility, a lack of seeing what the other guy thinks. He's more kick ass and take names, take numbers."

"I think he served the president badly," he adds.

But Mr Bush also criticised his son, saying the buck stops with him.

He said George W Bush failed to rein in Mr Cheney and Mr Rumsfeld.

The Bush patriarch also criticised his son's use of strong rhetoric as president.

"You go back to the 'axis of evil' and these things and I think that might be historically proved to be not benefiting anything," he said, reports the Times.

Shown a transcript of his father's remarks, former President George W Bush expressed surprise.

"I disagree with his characterisation of what was going on," he said, reports the Times and Fox News.

"I made the decisions. This was my philosophy."

Mr Cheney told Fox News he took pride in being described as "iron ass".

He said his tough approach was justified because the 9/11 attacks were worse than Pearl Harbor.

The new biography shows that 91-year-old Mr Bush has lost none of his bite despite suffering frail health from Parkinson's disease.

His remarks come as his youngest son, Jeb Bush, struggles in his campaign for the White House.

Jon Meacham's book, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, is published next week by Random House.