Book Review:
George Washington Bush stands as the 43rd president of the United States of America who led the country for two elective terms each consisting of four years. Like most of the other International players, he wrote a memoir after his constitutional term in the presidency office. The memoir captures his life, the presidency choices made and their consequences. The title of the memoir is Decision points. The book was launched on 9th November 2010 and in less than two months more than two million copies had been sold out, also at this time it topped on the New York Times bestseller list. The four hundred and eighty one pages memoirs are divided into fourteen chapters. The first two chapters vividly captures his life before ascending to the presidency, such scenes include quitting alcoholism in 1986, running for the gubernatorial position in Texas and finally contesting for the presidential post. The other twelve chapters are an explanation to his experiences as the president of the super power country. Such experiences can be classified into local and international founded. They include the 11th of September 2001 terrorists attack, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the tough decision to deploy additional troops in Iraq, in 2007 and aid to developing nations. The local experiences include social security reforms, immigration reforms and Medicare, response by the federal government to Hurricane Katrina, the embryonic stem – cell research as well as the impact of the 2008 economic crisis.
In writing this memoir, he received much deserved support from the then research assistance to the white house director of speech writing Christopher Michel.
In this book, President Bush in a wide scoop communicates his idea of sending more troops to Iraq in 2007 after the adamant refusal by the then president of the country Saddam Hussein to comply with the provisions of United Nations. Bush argues that an alternative to this decision would have trickled in a way synonymous to the Vietnam War and to prevent a walk in that path his decision to declare war on Iraq was well informed. On the War in Afghanistan he denotes that there was a hard time in trying to arrest the leader of the terror group, Al-Qaeda, he asserted that he contemplated the idea to add more troops in Afghanistan as he did with Iraq, but seeing his government nearing the end of its term he saw this as strategy more relevant for implementation by the incoming administration. In both battles, he sought a lot of consultation and advice from fellow country men; he never carried any responsibility as lone country man.
In discussing his idea on the stem-cell research, he describes the situation as having a lot of impacts on his moral conscience. He consulted widely from within and outside his administration and opted not to allow it at the moment but rather recommended currently existing and accepted means of reproduction.
Bush reveals his conscience of not willing to see the country go through hard economic moment and thus he had no alternative, but to support the bailout policy which he sought the support from members of the congress in 2008. He with anger describes their willingness not to buying the idea was ill informed and not right for the economy at that time.
As a seasoned republican politician, he commented on the 2008 election in which his successor was to be anointed for the office. He was disappointed by John McCain refusal to accept the endorsement as the flag bear of the Republican Party, should McCain have freely accepted this position at the first instance, bush says he would have campaigned for him. Bush is not a man of one opinion in politics he describes the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Barrack Obama with kind words.
It's at the height of nearing the end of his administration, that President Bush looked back at his administration and described it as the failure of the two largest America’s mortgage institution, end of an era of major investment bank through bankruptcy, sale of another financial institution and the nationalization of one of its dominating insurance company. He describes this as an ugly scene to end his presidency.
Several scenes in the book have helped draw a relevant opinion on the book with regard to the content therein. The memoir as analyzed from the first two chapters which capture the president Bushs’ private life. He is seen as a staunch family man for her love to his loving wife and caring father to her daughters. His sound responsibility as a family man could be the one that nurtured him to a responsible governor of Texas and finally as the president not writing off the support from this immediate family.
The president is portrayed as a man of firm decisions, at a personal level, he quits drinking and embraces a full Christian faith, his stand to deploy more troops never waivered regardless of unending criticism and lack of support from fellow citizens.
The president is also depicted as a man of informed choices; upon ascending to the presidency he with his vice president made informed choices of appointing their assistants such as secretary of defense, secretary of state, Supreme Court heads among other key officials who played a very pivotal role in his administration.
Bush was a strong and brave president Amid the September 11 attack, he was courageous enough to board the Air force one to go and defend his country, no one could have the audacity to shake the foundation of the country, our land is a super power that will over come the criminal network, he occupied the role of giving hope to the worried country men and this drove him to a journey to dismantle the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, who was the mastermind of the attack.
President Bush is a man who never hides from reality; in times of hard economic times in 2008 he came out to campaign for the bailout and convinced the congress to support the course regardless of them standing against such a move. He never agreed with the concept of embryonic stem-cell research regardless of being favored as a technological breakthrough in the path of reproduction, it never satisfied his moral conscience.
President Bush never centered himself in crucial decision making he consulted widely and took a wise advice, and that’s why his administration can be qualified as a success though several mishaps.
President Bush was a wise and objective critic; he expresses his disappointment after McCain had initially refused to bear the mantle of leadership in the Republican Party, which had moved president bush to presidency. On the same note, he expresses his fondness to The Democratic Party flag bearer, Barrack Obama, regardless of him being of a different political affiliation.
In conclusion, the memoir is an informing publication which sheds more light to what people knew and did not know about the President Bush life and administration. The memoir inculcates good leadership skills to the readers which include confidence, wisdom and courage among other. The book is a surprise to those who were unhappy with Bushes administration as it will enable them change their view on this great American work, choices and decisions as the president of united states of America. Finally, it is a gift to the countrymen and the world as whole. It has in a great way described the administration of a powerful state and provided guidance for administration to comes, it’s a stepping stone to the next level of leaderships, and it has communicated history of a great man and that of a super power nation at one point in life.
Reference:
George W. Bush. Decision Points. Crown publishers, November 2010.
