He's Baaack

Former President George W. Bush has returned to the public eye the past two weeks with the release of his memoir, Decision Points. The book explores 14 major decisions in the president's life, many of which took place while in the presidency. He takes the reader through each, whether or not he feels he made the right moves and the ramifications of the decision.

On a personal note, I met the president twice, having a short conversation with him in the first meeting on the campaign trail (This meeting inspired his appearance in interacting with Michael Buonocore in The Calling to Lead) and just shaking his hand in an exchange of "Hello" and "God Bless You" in the second meeting at the Inaugural Ball. He connects well with people on a one-on-one basis and is a man of character. It saddens me he was not able to make and show that connection, especially during his second term. As we watch President Bush in his interviews and the softballs thrown at him to give him a chance to take a swing at Obama, he refuses, and this speaks volumes about his character.

I just finished reading the book today and walk away very impressed. The reader can observe his wit, and as one reads it and uses their imagination, it's as if George W. Bush is speaking the words on the page. Unlike other memoirs, he does not attempt to whitewash history and confronts issues where he was heavily criticized such as Iraq, TARP and Katrina. He defends the decisions he made (Iraq, Afghanistan, Wartime Decisions, The Freedom Agenda, TARP), in analysis of other decisions, he examines where he went wrong, (Katrina, campaign decisions, Social Security Reform, Immigration Reform, personnel) and he discusses disagreements between members of his staff, either with each other or with Bush himself. (Cheney v. Bush on Libby, Rumsfeld v. Powell on Iraq) His most apparent weakness in office was his inability to defend himself and/or articulate his positions. Bush, in his memoir, touches on why he didn't "fight back" (Did not want to dishonor the Institution of the President) and also explains the background further on why he made the decisions he did (Iraq, Katrina). He comes off as satisfied with the decisions he made, honored that he served, and is ready to move on to the next chapter of his life, as explained in this rather witty passage near the end of the book:

"Shortly after we moved to Dallas, I took Barney for an early morning walk around our neighborhood...Barney spotted the neighbor's lawn, where he promptly took care of his business. There I was, the former President of the United States, with a plastic bag on my hand, picking up that which I had been dodging for the past eight years."

When Bush's second term ended, I gave him the grade of B-; far from a perfect president. After reading Decision Points, that B- still stands. First and foremost, we were not attacked after September 11 during his presidency, and that significant achievement should be the first item cited when assessing his presidency. As previously stated on "The 'Right' Solutions" our security is our most important issue as one attack can make every other issue moot. Further positives that were factored in consist of his tax cuts, Supreme Court picks, as well as the honor and protection of our military men and women. He will not come close to that A grade as a result of his his refusal to defend himself/inability to further explain the issues to the people, his endorsement of high federal spending (including TARP), inconsistencies on illegal immigration, and he and his team's inability to stop the Financial Crisis of 2008 5 years earlier.

As a president, George W. Bush will be remembered for his leadership. He took in all accounts, both pro and con, and in the end, made a decision and stuck with it, as opposed to flip-flopping and leading while predicting which way the political wind will blow.

It was very smart Decision Points was released after the midterm elections, as attention was kept on the Republicans who were campaigning to serve in the House and Senate, and as we enter the cycle of the Election of 2012, we will soon hear from Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, and both can be guaranteed to shake up the political landscape!