Decisions Decisions

June 6, 2011 Decisions Decisions

Sorry for the long gap between posts. I know all 4 of you are excited to see me active again. Anyway! I finished Decision Points a few weeks ago but only just got around to writing any kind of a review. It’s a pretty light read today (my post, not the book), but I’ll hopefully be getting back in the swing of things.

Full disclosure, I was not a big fan of W as President (I voted for the windsurfer in 2004 – yeah, I know… move along). I found myself being pleasantly surprised by this book.

W spends quite a bit of time reflecting on the decisions he made while also providing many alternative viewpoints. He does an admirable job of explaining his reasoning and in some cases (decisions related to Katrina, especially) admits that he made mistakes in his decision-making. Of course, there is a fair amount of “history will decide” type language – especially as it relates to his legacy overall, and you get the feeling that sometimes he’s a little too willing to pin a poor decision on another staffer (Colin Powell especially… and not just on Iraq/WMDs).

Overall, though, I came away feeling a lot more informed on W’s presidency, and while I didn’t agree with all of his decisions, I certainly respect him for making impossible choices and doing so with conviction. Of course, politics is an incredibly polarizing issue, but even if you found yourself vehemently opposed to W while he was President, I think you’ll find some interesting information in Decision Points. It’s definitely worth a read, especially if you can borrow it from a friend!

Tags: autobiography, history, presidential, recommended

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