Whether he was tired, or just frustrated that voters might pick another unknown southern governor, he DID seem to give up in 1992. I read that he pooh-poohed many of his campaign advisors' suggestions throughout the campaign. Maybe 12 years in the Oval Office and next door was too much.
But the final reason he lost was that he didn't really try. I don't know why, but he just gave up. He didn't really seem to want it. He was tired.
There's no question that W's situation is not exactly analogous to dad's. And anyone would granting that the "read my lips" pledge and subsequent tax increase was a huge mistake.
Still, there's no denying that dad let himself get kicked around up and down about the economy, which was in about as good shape in '92 as it was in '96 when Clinton wouldn't stop crowing about it. It's hard to say for sure, but I think dad could still have won even with "read my lips" if only he'd responded to the economic complaints of Clinton more forcefully. In any case, it was a big blow to the party that dad didn't do a better job responding here. Even in '96, Dole was in worse shape than he otherwise would have been because too many people still thought Clinton saved the economy from a depression, and Dole's calls for tax cuts just weren't taken seriously by enough people.
Perhaps dad's failure here is an instance of what you're calling his giving up, his lack of desire or energy. Maybe so. But if there was any such lack, it hurt him specifically in his inabilty to reply forcefully on the economy (and elsewhere, too, perhaps).
This discussion of '92 makes me shudder, though. All that came after could have been avoided by a better campaign from Bush Sr. I hate to think about that.
What Bush knew about Clinton NEVER made it to the campaign.Or rather, was never allowed into the campaign by the Bush team A close look at Clinton's "career" as Gov of Ark would have seen this reprobate sent to Devil's Island, not the White House.
Vignette: (hey, every old guy needs one) Fired from GHWB's '92 campaign when I asked, "Are we in this to win, or what?" Case in point: ad mentioning that Bill Clinton pardoned Dan Lasiter on state cocaine charges (!no sheet!), took a $300 Thousand "Loan" from him, steered $500 Million in ADFA underwriting business to him, and handled it all throught the Rose Law firm. "Too controversial," said the Bush team, including the present recumbent. et à moi, la porte et la chute
No one but the ballsy English reporter Pritchard ever made any of this public, (at great hazard to his own safety) including the approximately $200 Million of bonded loan money that went south with members of the Clinton Gang. A lot of this was revealed, in of all places, on talk radio, especially by George Putnam of LA. He would regularly call the weird Clinton ex-crony, frog-voiced Larry Nichols in Arkansas and get the real low-down. Unfortunately, it was always inextricably entwined with delusional ramblings that destroyed its effectiveness.