Former President George W. Bush has just released his controversial memoir, Decision Points. In it, the former president talks about many aspects of his life, but mainly the eight years of his presidency, discussing many of the trials and tribulations he went through, from 9/11 and the Iraq War to Hurricane Katrina and the economic recession.
The book reveals many intimate details about the president, from an encounter with his mother that helped cement his pro-life stance, to what happened during the now-infamous seven minutes that went by while he continued reading “The Pet Goat” after being informed about the attacks on 9/11.
Critics are heavily mixed in their reactions to the memoir, which has now been linked to allegations of plagiarism. Ryan Grim, author and senior congressional correspondent for The Huffington Post has stated that the book is “a mash-up of worn-out anecdotes from previously published memoirs written by his subordinates.”
Grim does bring up an interesting point, yet it is also important to note that the former president did have research assistance from former White House Deputy Director of Speechwriting Christopher Michel. Even without this controversy, the memoir has seen its fair share of mixed criticism, being labeled both “bland,” “flat,” and even untruthful on some accounts, while others have given the book rave reviews.
One such person, former President Bill Clinton, has called the book “well-written, and interesting from start to finish,” believing that “people of all political stripes should read it.” This coming from a man whose own memoir My Life, released in 2004, became a huge success, garnishing the former President $15 million, more than double the $7 million garnered thus far by Decision Points.
Decision Points is interesting, to say the least. If one is looking for any grandiose apologizes on any major policy decisions, though, they are no where to be found.
In fact, Bush breezes through the tougher decisions of his administration—namely the decision to invade Iraq— and spends much more time on issues that could be considered trivial.
What you will find is a man who tried to do his best with his inherited circumstances and many inconsistencies surrounding how he handled certain issues as president. Through this “bias,” some may link these revelations to many of the major failures of his administration.
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