Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Decision Points by George W. Bush

Book Description:  In this candid and gripping account, President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal life.

George W. Bush served as president of the United States during eight of the most consequential years in American history. The decisions that reached his desk impacted people around the world and defined the times in which we live.Decision Points brings readers inside the Texas governor’s mansion on the night of the 2000 election, aboard Air Force One during the harrowing hours after the attacks of September 11, 2001, into the Situation Room moments before the start of the war in Iraq, and behind the scenes at the White House for many other historic presidential decisions.For the first time, we learn President Bush’s perspective and insights on:His decision to quit drinking and the journey that led him to his Christian faithThe selection of the vice president, secretary of defense, secretary of state, Supreme Court justices, and other key officialsHis relationships with his wife, daughters, and parents, including heartfelt letters between the president and his father on the eve of the Iraq WarHis administration’s counterterrorism programs, including the CIA’s enhanced interrogations and the Terrorist Surveillance ProgramWhy the worst moment of the presidency was hearing accusations that race played a role in the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, and a critical assessment of what he would have done differently during the crisisHis deep concern that Iraq could turn into a defeat costlier than Vietnam, and how he decided to defy public opinion by ordering the troop surgeHis legislative achievements, including tax cuts and reforming education and Medicare, as well as his setbacks, including Social Security and immigration reformThe relationships he forged with other world leaders, including an honest assessment of those he did and didn’t trustWhy the failure to bring Osama bin Laden to justice ranks as his biggest disappointment and why his success in denying the terrorists their fondest wish—attacking America again—is among his proudest achievementsA groundbreaking new brand of presidential memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on eight remarkable years in American history—and on the man at the center of events.

My Review: President George W. Bush is one of my favorite presidents. I love his family!  The dignity of his wife, Laura, and his daughters are the epitome of southern ladies.  
As I began reading Decision Points I realized what a great responsibility our president has.  Not only because he runs our country but because he also has family to "run."
At the very end of the book on page 476 George W. Bush writes, "The day after I left office, I started writing this book.  Working on it has been a great opportunity for reflection..." I found this interesting because it seems that George Bush wanted to capture and not forget any part of his presidency.  I like that!  
In this memoir he writes about the Lazarus Effect on page 333.  if you've read the Bible you know that Lazarus was a dead man, raised again to life by Jesus.  In this chapter George Bush writes about meeting and talking with an AIDS support organization, TASO, Mohamad in Entebe, Uganda. "The patients there reaffirmed my conviction that every life has dignity and value, because every person the mark of the Almighty God."  This one sentence out of the whole book sums up why I think that George W. Bush was one of our greatest presidents . . .  he saw value in every human.
He also writes about 911, about the war, about the terrible toll this attack took on our country and he writes about his feelings through it all. 
 As I was reading this memoir I realized what a great man of integrity and faith George W. Bush is!  He gave some of his best years for our country and he made some very hard decisions .... Decision Points is a grandtastic book....not just a memoir but a testimony of a great person.  
Thank George W. Bush for your leadership and for writing a book for future generations.
*This book was provided for review by Waterbrook/Multnomah*

GEORGE W. BUSH is the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001-2009. He previously served as Governor of Texas. He now lives in Dallas, where he founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University.

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