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A review by ejlouws
Decision Points by George W. Bush
4.0
Loved the way that this book was arranged topically rather than chronologically. By focusing on a single topic for an entire chapter, the reader isn't confused by timelines or other events that pop up.
I also enjoyed the insight into political decisions that I was too young to understand or notice. I appreciate that he admitted to many mistakes and discussed moments that went against his belief system (TARP and the auto bailout), as well as those in which he made an unpopular decision (stem cell research- he was vindicated by pure luck).
I still don't support GWB on many things, but his insight into his presidency was very interesting. I skimmed over the Surge chapter (after skimming the Iraq chapter... dense and full of military facts that went over my head). I did have an issue with how he portrayed people with whom he had a disagreement, specifically female Democrats. He portrayed nearly everyone involved with Katrina in a negative light, but especially Gov. Blanco and Sen. Landrieu (the latter of whom was described as so annoying that GWB had no choice but to tell her to be quiet). Ray Nagin evaded any insults from GWB, presumably because he cried, apologized, and begged for help post-Katrina. In another instance, he referred to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "like a volcano ready to erupt" because she had decided what she would say before he directed any statements to her. Not very flattering.
Overall, the worst thing about this book is that now I am getting recommendations from Goodreads for books by Sarah Palin and Karl Rove.
I also enjoyed the insight into political decisions that I was too young to understand or notice. I appreciate that he admitted to many mistakes and discussed moments that went against his belief system (TARP and the auto bailout), as well as those in which he made an unpopular decision (stem cell research- he was vindicated by pure luck).
I still don't support GWB on many things, but his insight into his presidency was very interesting. I skimmed over the Surge chapter (after skimming the Iraq chapter... dense and full of military facts that went over my head). I did have an issue with how he portrayed people with whom he had a disagreement, specifically female Democrats. He portrayed nearly everyone involved with Katrina in a negative light, but especially Gov. Blanco and Sen. Landrieu (the latter of whom was described as so annoying that GWB had no choice but to tell her to be quiet). Ray Nagin evaded any insults from GWB, presumably because he cried, apologized, and begged for help post-Katrina. In another instance, he referred to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "like a volcano ready to erupt" because she had decided what she would say before he directed any statements to her. Not very flattering.
Overall, the worst thing about this book is that now I am getting recommendations from Goodreads for books by Sarah Palin and Karl Rove.