Most of you probably know that my claim to fame in the blogosphere was starting Blogs For Bush back in 2003. In less than a year the site became one of the most highly referenced and highly visited political blogs of the 2004 presidential campaign season. My support for George W. Bush hasn’t waned, even though I haven’t always agree with the decisions he’s made. Since he left office I have been looking forward to the eventual publication of his memoirs. So, you can imagine how excited I was to finally start reading Decision Points when it was published last week.
Decision Points, unlike traditional memoirs chronicle the more consequential decisions he made during his life and presidency. As a supporter who didn’t always agree with his decisions, I was glad he chose to structure his memoir that way. I wasn’t expecting his words to change my mind, but it did offer fresh glimpses into the process he went through to reach the conclusions he did. Because of this memoir is even more important for his critics to read the book, and I highly suggest they do.
Decision Points also ties in stories from Bush’s personal life which would influence consequential decisions. When you learn about how his sister’s death, and his mother’s miscarriage during his youth built the foundation for his pro-life views, you understand more about his his position on stem cell research and abortion.
There are lots of interesting new facts that have been revealed in this book, and I certainly don’t want to spoil the experience of reading them yourself to learn them. But there are a few things I want to talk about.
Reading Chapter 5, “Day of Fire” gave me chills. And President Bush goes into a lot detail about the events of and following 9/11, from his initial reaction sitting in the classroom at Emma Booker Elementary School, to believing that Flight 93 had been shot down on his orders, his infamous visit to Ground Zero, and so on. You can’t help remembering that day, and what it was like for you. To get President’s Bush’s story was not only enlightening, but crucial to understanding so many decisions that followed that would ultimately define his presidency. In some ways, in was frustrating to continue reading how so many in Washington DC were slowly losing their resolve to do everything necessary to defeat terrorism. Often times, Bush had to make what would become unpopular decisions. But his resolve never wavered. When you read his account of 9/11, and understand the unique burden he had being President when the nation was under attack.
After nearly two years of waiting, Decision Points does not disappoint. It reinforced my feelings that we should be grateful as nation to have had the right leader in charge during such a consequential period in our country’s history.
I hope one day to meet George W. Bush. I hope I one day get to thank him in person for his leadership during a turbulent time for our country. After reading Decision Points you’ll have a better understanding of how turbulent they were, because while we all had opinions about what was going on and what should or shouldn’t be done, George W. Bush had the responsibility to act on behalf of a country moving into uncharted territory.
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