Reading this at The Washington Monthly, I started to wonder what George W. Bush’s future holds after he leaves office. Bill Clinton has gone on to run a number of different charities and is among the most popular people in the world. He is respected and adored in much of the world for his humanitarian efforts. George H. W. Bush (41st president) went on to make a ton of cash in a number of private ventures and speaking engagements. Jimmy Carter has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts, including founding Habitat for Humanity, and peace negotiations around the world.

Somehow, I can’t see George W. Bush having the respect to pull of the deals that his father has, and I’m not sure how many people will want to see him speak. I don’t think of him as a humanitarian or even intellectually curious enough to explore the world around him. If I were to predict, I think we’ll see a pattern like his father’s, as partners and friends attempt to use his name to set up deals. I suspect that his name and his presidency have booked him some favors with a few countries, but that list is going to be small. The Saudis, maybe some Central Asian countries?

Wonder what the rest of you think. Any predictions?

On a random note, if you peruse the Wikipedia pages for Clinton, and Bush 41 (and even Reagan, Carter, Ford), you see very different post-presidential careers, almost fitting the conventional wisdom for a Democrat and a Republican. Clinton went on to have a significant charitable career while Bush 41 went on to rake in the cash.