The Decider-in-Chief

Confession: I haven't read President George W. Bush's memoir entitled Decision Points yet, but I have listened to an abridged audio version of it. I found it very interesting that he began the book with his decision to quit drinking, especially since we have that in common. The remainder of the book didn't really contain any surprises, but rather an eloquent defense of his most controversial decisions.

What I found interesting however was how, at the end of the book, Bush muses about how history will view his Presidency. Here is what he writes:

"It's too early to say how most of my decisions will turn out. As President I had the honor of eulogizing Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, once regarded as one of the worst mistakes in presidential history, is now viewed as a selfless act of leadership. And it was quite something to hear the commentators who once denounced President Reagan as a dunce and a warmonger talk about how the Great Communicator had won the Cold War.

"Decades from now I hope people will view me as a president who recognized the central challenge of our time and kept my vow to keep the country safe; who pursued my convictions without wavering, but changed course when necessary; who trusted individuals to make choices in their lives and who used American's influence to advance freedom. And I hope they will conclude that I upheld the honor and dignity of the office I was so privileged to hold.

"Whatever the verdict on my presidency, I'm comfortable with the fact that I won't be around to hear it. That's a decision point only history will reach."

George W. Bush
Decision Points
Pages 476-7



For more thoughts from the author on his new bestseller, I found this YouTube video: