Decition points-Introduction

Time of choice

Former US President George Bush

In the final year of my presidency, I began to think seriously about writing my memories. on the recommendation of Karl Rove, I met with more than O dozen distinguished [distinguished; famous] historians to a persion, they told me I had an obligation [obligation; responsibility] to write. They felt it was important that I record my perspective [view] on the presidency, in my own words.

'Have you ever seen the movie Apollo 13? "The historian Jay Winnik asked. 'Everyone knows the astronauts [astronaut] Make it home in the end. But you are on the edge of your seat wondering how they do it.

Nearly all the historians suggested that I read memoirs by President ulyss S. grant, which I did. the book captures his distinctive [distinctive; distinctive] voice. he uses anecdotes [funny news] to re-create his experience during the civil war. I cocould see why his work had endured [Patience ].

like Grant, I decided not to write an exhaustive [detailed; thorough; consumed] account of my life or presidency. instead I have told the story of my time in the White House by focusing on the most important part of the job: making decisions. each chapter is based on a major demo-or a series of related decisions. as a result, the book flows thematically, not in a day-by-day chronology. I do not cover all of the important issues that crossed my desk. appointed appointed Ted [up; loyal] members of my cabinet [n cabinets] and staff are mentioned briefly or not at all. I value their service, and I will always be grateful for their contributions.

my goals in writing this book are twofold [double; double ]. first, I hope to paint a picture of what it was like to serve as President for eight consequential years. I believe it will be impossible to reach definitive [adj decisive; final; limited] conclusions about my presidency-or any recent presidency, for that matter-for several decades. the passage of time allows passions [n passion; enthusiasm] to cool, results to clarity, and scholars to compare different approaches. my hope is that this book will serve as a resource for anyone studying this period in American history.

Second, I write to give readers a perspective on demo-making in a complex environment. limitations of the decisions that reach the president's desk are though CILS, with strong arguments on both sides. throughout the book, I describe the options I weighed and the principles I followed. I hope this will give you a better sense of why I made the decisions I did. perhaps it will even prove useful as you make choices in your own life.

Demo-points is based primarily on my recollections [n memories, memories ]. with help from researchers, I have confirmed my account with Government statements, notes, personal intervies, news reports, and other sources, some of which remain classified [ad confidential ]. there were instances in which I had to rely on my memory alone. if there are inaccuracies in this book, the responsibility is mine.

In the pages that follow, I have done my best to write about the decisions I got right, those I got wrong, and what I wowould do differently if given the chance. of course, in the presidency, there are no do-overs [rework ]. you have to do what you believe is right and accept the consequence [n result; importance; inference ]. I tried to do that every day of my eight years in office. serving as President was the honor of a life time, and I appreciate your giving me an opportunity to share my story.

 

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The end!