By host Tom Ashbrook:

On 9/11, history marched in on George W. Bush. With wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, George W. Bush marched on history. Then, with re-election behind him and Iraq turning bloody, the famously stubborn man in the White House went almost silent.

Soldiers died, things came undone, hurricanes and scandal soured public life and President Bush’s poll numbers and public support plummeted toward the level of the second term Richard Nixon — the president who resigned.

Critics derided Bush as lost in a bubble of sycophants and fixed ideas. Now the president has pushed back, with a show of candor and talk of victory.

Hear about Bush at the end of a very bad year — in the bubble or breaking out.

Guests:

David Sanger, White House correspondent, The New York Times

Karen Tumulty, National Political Correspondent, TIME Magazine

Byron York, columnist, National Review and author of “The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy”.

Robert Dallek, presidential historian and author of several books about American presidents including Kennedy, Johnson, and Reagan. He is at work on a forthcoming book about Nixon and Kissinger.