A couple months back the movie W was on TV, it had been a while but I did enjoy the movie the first time I saw it and since there was nothing else on decided to watch it again. During the moving I was searching the Internet for various "facts" and read the below synopsis for George's book. I bought the book on my Kindle the same night and dug into reading it once I finished my Harry Potter book! It was so good and I feel like I have a whole different view point of George Bush's presidency. He really conveys how hard these decisions are, how much intelligence and time go into the "evidence" of the decision that is being made, and also how much the public and news criticized not only the big decisions but down to the simplest misnomer in a speech addressed to school children. I may not support or have voted for all the presidents that are elected but no matter the president the job is equally as hard. I do believe that George Bush did the best he could have done with the information he was given and also with what he personally believes in morally and politically. After reading the book I also won't be watching the movie W again. The movie portrays George as a spoiled rich kid who coasted into the Oval Office on his Daddy's money and political connections. Up until he was president he was considered a failure and most criticize that his presidency was also...if you are watching the movie but I feel different and get a different point of view that is more authentic and has more explanation in the book. If you haven't read this book you should try it out especially if you are around my age and probably didn't care that much when this sort of thing was happening on the news. Democrats and Republicans alike could benefit. (warning it is LONGGGGGGG)
Synopsis from Amazon
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 faith
- The selection of the vice president, secretary of defense, secretary of state, Supreme Court justices, and other key officials
- His relationships with his wife, daughters, and parents, including heartfelt letters between the president and his father on the eve of the Iraq War
- His administration's counterterrorism programs, including the CIA's enhanced interrogations and the Terrorist Surveillance Program
- Why 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 crisis
- His deep concern that Iraq could turn into a defeat costlier than Vietnam, and how he decided to defy public opinion by ordering the troop surge
- His legislative achievements, including tax cuts and reforming education and Medicare, as well as his setbacks, including Social Security and immigration reform
- The relationships he forged with other world leaders, including an honest assessment of those he did and didn’t trust
- Why 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 achievements
Since leaving office, President George W. Bush has led the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The center includes an active policy institute working to advance initiatives in the fields of education reform, global health, economic growth, and human freedom, with a special emphasis on promoting social entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for women around the world. It will also house an official government archive and a state-of-the-art museum that will open in 2013.
Happy Reading!
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