Decision Points

I am usually very skeptical about reading memoirs written by former Presidents, world leaders, and business executives. They seem to spend most of their time trying to press their particular points of view on their readers in an effort to bend facts to their own political or personal agenda.It was in this frame of mind that I recently picked up “Decision Points,” former President George W. Bush’s memoirs of his eight years in office (2001-2009). After I finished reading it, I found myself very pleasantly surprised. “Decision Points” is unlike most other presidential memoirs I have ever read.“Decision Points” is a very personal book by a very controversial president. Bush spends very little time on policy discussions or historical narratives in this book. Rather, he attempts to give the reader an idea of what he was thinking and feeling when he made some of his most important decisions. To be sure, some of his conservative ideology creeps into his prose, and some of what he writes sounds as if he is making excuses for the decisions he made, but by and large, his writing is free from the harsh partisan rhetoric so common in political memoirs today.I was also quite pleasantly surprised at the excellent quality of the writing in “Decision Points.” George W. Bush employed Christopher Michel, one of his former speechwriters, to ghostwrite the book, and I think Michel largely got it right. As I read “Decision Points,” I could hear echoes and cadences of Bush’s best speeches. Bush/Michel’s prose is simple, straightforward, easy to read, and quite enjoyable.You may notice that I have very little to say in this review about George W. Bush the president. That is by design. I have my own opinions about the man and his presidency, and I intend to keep them to myself. However, I will say that in “Decision Points,” Bush made it easy for me to set aside whatever preconceptions I may (or may not) have had, and come away with an appreciation for who he was and what he did during his eight years as President. “Decision Points” is one of the better presidential memoirs I have read in recent years. Highly recommended.

Grorge Bush may have stumbled over and mispronounced words when he was speaking, but the words he put down in this book were clear, concise and wonderful! He takes you through most of his adult life. His description of events on September 11th and the days ensuing are with compassion and clarity. A great read for anyone interested in getting to know and understand the man who was - and still is - maligned by the press and current administration. i'm a fan. . . .

Having experienced the ups and downs of the Bush II presidency, "Decision Points" explores the logic behind the tough decisions that George Bush made during his time in office, including the Global War on Terror, the Patriot Act, the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind Act, Hurricane Katrina, and tax cuts.Looking at the first year of the Bush presidency pre-9/11, it is interesting that Bush's push for tax cuts and elementary education reform sat well with Democrats and Republicans alike, given that Democrats were in favor of social welfare. In stressing the need to update the education system for elementary kids, Bush burnished his reputation as a passionate conservative.Talking about Bush's response to 9/11, the Patriot Act was a smart domestic move by Bush because the Global War on Terror raised the specter of homegrown Islamic extremism in the US, meaning that Bush would have to arrest and jail any Muslim American who might be sympathetic to al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group. I think that Bush made the right decision to go into Afghanistan when deciding on where the Global War on Terror should start because the Taliban sheltered al-Qaeda, and because Powell didn't take Rumsfeld's recommendation that the US start the war in Iraq. By instructing the Pentagon to attack Taliban targets in Afghanistan and the CIA to aid the Northern Alliance and conduct covert operations against al-Qaeda, Bush articulated a thoughtful division of labor between the CIA and Pentagon as to how the War on Terror should be executed.When talking about criticism of his reasons for the Iraq War, I like how Bush regretted the intelligence failure on Iraq's WMDs, while balancing that regret with his knowledge of the fact that Saddam Hussein didn't deserve to be trusted because he gassed his people, invaded his neighbors, and tortured opposition figures (he would have offended Kurds and Shiites in Iraq if he had chosen to invite Saddam to a state dinner at the Oval Office).Regarding Hurricane Katrina, I have a feeling that Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina would have looked good in principle, only because he had to fend off obstruction by an non-cooperative city mayor in New Orleans who was incapable of satisfying the pleas of blacks who were trapped because of the hurricane.

I enjoyed reading this book about eight or nine years ago. However, it got misplaced during a move recently and I wanted it for my collection. Book arrived in pretty good shape, although the hard-bound binding was dented in several places. Also, not that I purchased it for any other reason, I did want to warn anyone who is expecting a signature in it, don't buy it for that. No one signed this book. NO ONE!

This book is an amazing insight into the decisions George W made. From his decision to stop drinking, to the intracies of the Zwar on terror and the financial crisis, this book covers most of the big decisions he made. Written very well with great detail, I wish this type of book was available for all modern Presidents

Reluctantly picked up this book despite a trusted recommendation. I can honestly say it was an eye opener and I will be careful not to read too many other politically based books b/c I want to try and continue to believe that our government is acting in its ppls best interest (even if they don’t align with mine).

I freely admit I was not a big fan of President G W Bush but having listened to the audio book I decided to read the full book and I realised how much i had been influenced by the media, that he was a bit of a prat and not very bright etc and i found myself changing my mind about him, he starts by telling how quitting drinking put him on the path to the presidency and then explains the decisions he made, he truly believes in what he did at the time was in the best interests of his country, he does express regret on some of his decisions ie Katrina. His decisions will be debated by others for years to come but he has made me rethink my view of him and I now think of him in a far better light than before.

This is a beautifully written book, a real page turner, and has certainly improvedmy take on George W Bush. Then again, it is SO well written that it does make me think twice about taking absolutely everything the former President says - and doesn't say - completely at face value.It's a great read, though.

A good read, but nothing really outstanding. A lot of the points he discusses are fairly interesting to review and reassess with the benefit of hindsight and this extra insight, but still some decisions he made and the explanations given come across as being quite weak, particularly the management of Katrina.

Had to order twice as my first order somehow got lost in the Bit ether so had to reorder it; Ordered it during Christmas time, but heavy snowing in UK meant it missed the delivery dead line and both the orders turned up (the First one after a month) so went online and returned the book and got the refund.Very happy with Amazon's system, generally try to look if the seller is Amazon because of the reliabilityAs for the BookGood read for people to understand the most controversial US president, recommend for people in leader ship positions, some of it for what to do and some of it for what not t do ;)All in all a good book Read this book,

This book is well-written and embodies a fresh approach to organising the narrative. The prose is simple and lucid but never dull. The discussions of some major issues of recent history are enlightening -- particularly so for being presented as part of a decision-making process.The President's devotion to his country and the warm interest of this strong family man in the people whom he met shine out from every page.The book contains numerous photographs and an extensive index. It's a high quality product and it works well on a Kindle. I very much enjoyed reading it and I heartily recommend it.