Decision Points
Eric Draper (photograph pages) and David Lindroth New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 2010. Ninth Printing [stated]. Hardcover. xii, 497, [3] pages. Cloth over boards. xii, Illustrations (most in color). Index. Signed by the author on a Decision Points bookplate on the fep. Laid in are two candid color photographs, approximately 6 inches by 4 inches, of former President Bush at an event--presumably the event where this signed copy of his memoir was obtained. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009, and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. The eldest son of Barbara and George H. W. Bush, he was born in New Haven, Connecticut. After graduating from Yale University in 1968 and Harvard Business School in 1975, Bush worked in oil businesses. He married Laura Welch in 1977. He defeated Ann Richards in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election. Upon taking office as President, Bush pushed through a $1.3 trillion tax cut program and the No Child Left Behind Act, a major education bill. In response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, Bush created the Department of Homeland Security and launched a "War on Terror" that began with the war in Afghanistan in 2001. He signed into law the Patriot Act in order to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. In 2003, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq, with the administration arguing that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed an active weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program, and that the Iraqi government posed a threat to the U.S. During his second term, Bush reached multiple free trade agreements. In 2007 he launched a surge of troops in Iraq. Derived from a Kirkus review: In a page-turner structured around important decisions in his life and presidency, Bush surprises with a lucid, heartfelt look back. Despite expected defenses of past decisions, Bush is candid and unafraid to say when he thinks he was wrong. Critics on both the left and right are challenged to walk in his shoes, and may come away with a new view of the former president—or at least an appreciation of the hard and often ambiguous choices he was forced to make. Aside from the opening chapter about his decision to quit drinking, the book is not chronologically ordered. Bush mixes topics as needed to tell a larger story than a simple history of his administration. Certain themes dominate the narrative: the all-encompassing importance of 9/11 to the bulk of his presidency, and how it shaped and shadowed almost everything he did; the importance of his faith, which is echoed in every chapter and which comes through in an unassuming manner; the often unseen advisor whom the president conferred with and confided in on almost every subject—his wife, Laura Bush; and the wide array of people who helped him rise to the White House and then often hindered him once he was there. The book is worthwhile for many reasons. Even if many readers may not agree with his views on the subjects, Bush’s memories of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and other major events are riveting and of historical value on their own. Additionally, Bush provides insight into the daily life of the president. The author accepts blame for a number of mistakes and misjudgments, while also standing up for decisions he felt were right. Honest, of course, but also surprisingly approachable and engaging. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: No Child Left, Terrorism, Laura Bush, Tommy Franks, Andy Card, Dick Cheney, Steven Hadley, Hurricane Katrina, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Colin Powell, Karl Rove, Rumsfeld, Stem Cell Research, George W. Bush, U.S. Presidents
ISBN: 9780307590619
[Book #81419]
Price: $850.00