George W. Bush's new book "Decision Points"

[Bfgrn]

Clearly GWB did not grasp the situation right away, he can be forgiven for that. Its that he did not grasp the situation after say 20 says that bothered me.

"I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed to the ideas that underlay those words. And the big shock to me has been that although the president said the words, he just did not absorb the ideas. And that is the root of, maybe, everything."
David Frum - Speechwriter for George W. Bush (from Neo Culpa)

“Bush doesn’t in fact seem to be a man of principle who’s steadfastly pursuing what he thinks is the right course. He talks about it, but the policy doesn’t track with the rhetoric, and that’s what creates the incoherence that causes us problems around the world and at home. It also creates the sense that you can take him on with impunity.”
Frank Gaffney - assistant secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan and founder of the Center for Security Policy (from Neo Culpa)

Now They Tell Us

Neo Culpa
November 5, 2006

As Iraq slips further into chaos, the war’s neoconservative boosters have turned sharply on the Bush administration, charging that their grand designs have been undermined by White House incompetence. In a series of exclusive interviews, Richard Perle, Kenneth Adelman, David Frum, and others play the blame game with shocking frankness. Target No. 1: the president himself.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/12/neocons200612

 

[Canceled2]

Ever hear the saying: When you're in a hole, stop digging? It would be wise for you to heed that advise.

You keep showing that you have a belief we elect a king.

Here's your phrase for the day: public servant

WOW...skewered-NOT

 

[Canceled1]

snark snark... next

people are more effective when limiting their criticism to big important problems.

The only thing Foggy is effective at is being foggy.

 

[Phantasmal]

"I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed to the ideas that underlay those words. And the big shock to me has been that although the president said the words, he just did not absorb the ideas. And that is the root of, maybe, everything."
David Frum - Speechwriter for George W. Bush (from Neo Culpa)

“Bush doesn’t in fact seem to be a man of principle who’s steadfastly pursuing what he thinks is the right course. He talks about it, but the policy doesn’t track with the rhetoric, and that’s what creates the incoherence that causes us problems around the world and at home. It also creates the sense that you can take him on with impunity.”
Frank Gaffney - assistant secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan and founder of the Center for Security Policy (from Neo Culpa)

Now They Tell Us

Neo Culpa
November 5, 2006

As Iraq slips further into chaos, the war’s neoconservative boosters have turned sharply on the Bush administration, charging that their grand designs have been undermined by White House incompetence. In a series of exclusive interviews, Richard Perle, Kenneth Adelman, David Frum, and others play the blame game with shocking frankness. Target No. 1: the president himself.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/12/neocons200612

Oh, seeing those faces again scared me, you must warn me!

 

[USFREEDOM911]

Clearly GWB did not grasp the situation right away, he can be forgiven for that. Its that he did not grasp the situation after say 20 says that bothered me.

Translation:
Why doesn't he just realize that my opinion is the one that counts and accept that?

 

[signalmankenneth]

The Two Most Essential, Abhorrent, Intolerable Lies Of Bush's Memoir

First Posted: 11-22-10 09:53 AM * Updated: 11-22-10 11:46 AM

By Dan Froomkin

WASHINGTON -- These days, when we think of George W. Bush, we think mostly of what a horrible mess he made of the economy. But his even more tragic legacy is the loss of our moral authority, and the transformation of the United States of America from global champion of human rights into an outlaw nation.

History is likely to judge Bush most harshly for two things in particular: Launching a war against a country that had not attacked us, and approving the use of cruel and inhumane interrogation techniques.

And that's why the two most essential lies -- among the many -- in his new memoir are that he had a legitimate reason to invade Iraq, and that he had a legitimate reason to torture detainees.

Neither is remotely true. But Bush must figure that if he keeps making the case for himself -- particularly if it goes largely unrebutted by the traditional media, as it has thus far -- then perhaps he can blunt history's verdict.

It may even be working. Extrapolating from the response to the book, former vice president Dick Cheney on Tuesday told a crowd gathered for Bush's presidential library groundbreaking in Dallas that "judgments are a little more measured than they were" and that "history is coming around."

The 'Decision' to Go to War

In "Decision Points," Bush describes the invasion of Iraq as something he came to support only reluctantly and after a long period of reflection. This is a flat-out lie. Anyone who paid any attention to the news at the time knew Bush was dead-set on war long before he sent in the troops in March 2003. And there is now an abundant amount of documentation, in the form of leaks, unclassified memos, witness interviews and other people's memoirs to prove it.

 

[christiefan915]

First Posted: 11-22-10 09:53 AM * Updated: 11-22-10 11:46 AM

By Dan Froomkin

WASHINGTON -- These days, when we think of George W. Bush, we think mostly of what a horrible mess he made of the economy. But his even more tragic legacy is the loss of our moral authority, and the transformation of the United States of America from global champion of human rights into an outlaw nation.

History is likely to judge Bush most harshly for two things in particular: Launching a war against a country that had not attacked us, and approving the use of cruel and inhumane interrogation techniques.

And that's why the two most essential lies -- among the many -- in his new memoir are that he had a legitimate reason to invade Iraq, and that he had a legitimate reason to torture detainees.

Neither is remotely true. But Bush must figure that if he keeps making the case for himself -- particularly if it goes largely unrebutted by the traditional media, as it has thus far -- then perhaps he can blunt history's verdict.

It may even be working. Extrapolating from the response to the book, former vice president Dick Cheney on Tuesday told a crowd gathered for Bush's presidential library groundbreaking in Dallas that "judgments are a little more measured than they were" and that "history is coming around."

The 'Decision' to Go to War

In "Decision Points," Bush describes the invasion of Iraq as something he came to support only reluctantly and after a long period of reflection. This is a flat-out lie. Anyone who paid any attention to the news at the time knew Bush was dead-set on war long before he sent in the troops in March 2003. And there is now an abundant amount of documentation, in the form of leaks, unclassified memos, witness interviews and other people's memoirs to prove it.

I just got the book from the library and am mentally preparing for the worst.

 

[USFREEDOM911]

I just got the book from the library and am mentally preparing for the worst.

So you're scared that it will have really big words, of 5 or more letters.

 

[Lowaicue]

I just got the book from the library and am mentally preparing for the worst.

I wouldn't read it if it were free. He lied when he was in office, with time and help he will just have better lies.
We are just thankful he has, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from our lives.
I hope he rots.

But Hi anyway

 

[Phantasmal]

I wouldn't read it if it were free. He lied when he was in office, with time and help he will just have better lies.
We are just thankful he has, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from our lives.
I hope he rots.

But Hi anyway

I have heard it is mostly quotes about him taken from others books!

 

[Schadenfreude]

So you're scared that it will have really big words, of 5 or more letters.

that many letters? i am not sure that the chimp knows any words with that many letters

 

[christiefan915]

I have heard it is mostly quotes about him taken from others books!

I'm halfway through and there's nothing we haven't heard before from the news. He does get in some digs at people who opposed his decisions, and he confirms in his own words what we already knew, that he's a hothead who thinks might makes right.

 

[NOVA]

I'm halfway through and there's nothing we haven't heard before from the news. He does get in some digs at people who opposed his decisions, and he confirms in his own words what we already knew, that he's a hothead who thinks might makes right.

You're wasting your time, dearie......if you're halfway through and thats what you got out of it you might just as well quit....
Its obvious you don't understand any of it at all.....its an excellent book explaining WHY he did what he did....he doesn't ask you agree with them and don't really give a shit....its long over,,,......whether you agree with the decisions or not is beside the point....unless your time is as useless as you are, just give the away to someone that can read above your level....

 

[Beefy]

I wonder who wrote the book.

 

[Schadenfreude]

THIS was George W. Bush's "Decision POINT"

And he FAILED

The Test of a Leader
I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points, not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership."

9) The Biggest C is Crisis Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down. On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day, and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero. That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq, a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you,I don't know what will.

Iacocca: Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

Lee Iacocca


"They misunderestimated me." George W. Bush, Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

he should be awarded the turpentine soaked corn cob award - anally!

 

[Lowaicue]

Let's take a look at this from a slightly different angle.
Many posters here have, at one time or another, held positions of responsibility.
So what would YOU have done had you been talking to a kindy class? Even if you didn't know what to do you would have politely excused yourself and spoken to your advisors in private. That might have been proof that you panic in awkward situations BUT no one would have seen it!!
Think about it for just one moment. What would your boss have expected? Sure as hell NO boss would accept a manager stuck in the headlights not knowing what to do next.
Managers of petrol stations could do better. Foremen on building sites could do better. Teachers, accountants, chemists could do better.
Spin as much as you like BUSH FAILED AMERICA and the world. He should have been removed from the public gaze immediately and been 'advised' to resign due to sickness. For sickness read extreme incompetence.

 

[christiefan915]

You're wasting your time, dearie......if you're halfway through and thats what you got out of it you might just as well quit....
Its obvious you don't understand any of it at all.....its an excellent book explaining WHY he did what he did....he doesn't ask you agree with them and don't really give a shit....its long over,,,......whether you agree with the decisions or not is beside the point....unless your time is as useless as you are, just give the away to someone that can read above your level....

So you've already completed the book and have a different viewpoint. Why don't you refute my comments about bush, instead of these silly ad homs?

I still have the book and will post his remarks that back up my criticism.

 

[NOVA]

So you've already completed the book and have a different viewpoint. Why don't you refute my comments about bush, instead of these silly ad homs?

I still have the book and will post his remarks that back up my criticism.

I'm also about half way and its a long book....

You comments about Bush are nothing more than the same, old, tired, general Bush hate we've heard for a decade...

You say you've heard a lot of it in the news? Well you didn't believe it then and now you've heard some of it again and still don't believe it....

What you consider 'digs' are nothing compared to the slander he's been subjected to....and he hardly comes across as a hothead.

Quite the opposite is more the truth....many meetings with advisers, FBI, CIA, Joint Chiefs, foreign leaders, worldwide intelligence briefings, ...and the list goes on....UN Resolutions that passed unanimously, etc, etc....all before any final decisions were made...but thats something you've been brainwashed to not accept

Your reading the book is a useless endeavor on your part....no one will ever change your pre-conceived notions and hatred of the man...you've been guzzling the Koolade for far too long without any attempt to dig for the facts on your own...your facts come from liberal media, right-wing blogs, and the DNC think tanks.....you're closed mind and partisan...
End of story.

 

[USFREEDOM911]

I'm also about half way and its a long book....

You comments about Bush are nothing more than the same, old, tired, general Bush hate we've heard for a decade...

You say you've heard a lot of it in the news? Well you didn't believe it then and now you've heard some of it again and still don't believe it....

What you consider 'digs' are nothing compared to the slander he's been subjected to....and he hardly comes across as a hothead.

Quite the opposite is more the truth....many meetings with advisers, FBI, CIA, Joint Chiefs, foreign leaders, worldwide intelligence briefings, ...and the list goes on....UN Resolutions that passed unanimously, etc, etc....all before any final decisions were made...but thats something you've been brainwashed to not accept

Your reading the book is a useless endeavor on your part....no one will ever change your pre-conceived notions and hatred of the man...you've been guzzling the Koolade for far too long without any attempt to dig for the facts on your own...your facts come from liberal media, right-wing blogs, and the DNC think tanks.....you're closed mind and partisan...
End of story.

The only thing she's reading, are the "cliff notes" and someone else's opinion that she was able to goggle from some liberal web site.

 

[christiefan915]

I'm also about half way and its a long book....

You comments about Bush are nothing more than the same, old, tired, general Bush hate we've heard for a decade...

You say you've heard a lot of it in the news? Well you didn't believe it then and now you've heard some of it again and still don't believe it....

What you consider 'digs' are nothing compared to the slander he's been subjected to....and he hardly comes across as a hothead.

Quite the opposite is more the truth....many meetings with advisers, FBI, CIA, Joint Chiefs, foreign leaders, worldwide intelligence briefings, ...and the list goes on....UN Resolutions that passed unanimously, etc, etc....all before any final decisions were made...but thats something you've been brainwashed to not accept

Your reading the book is a useless endeavor on your part....no one will ever change your pre-conceived notions and hatred of the man...you've been guzzling the Koolade for far too long without any attempt to dig for the facts on your own...your facts come from liberal media, right-wing blogs, and the DNC think tanks.....you're closed mind and partisan...
End of story.

What I expect from a memoir or autobiography is for the writer to show some introspection and thoughtful consideration of the past events he's writing about. That's not happening in bush's book and I'm almost at the end. He doesn't seem to have the ability to examine his life and decisions more than superficially, and he's far too ready to protect his image as a "decider" because he of his fears that the American people will see him as wishy-washy.

That you can claim, no doubt with a straight face, that he doesn't come across as a hothead is just laughable.

"My first reaction was outrage. Someone had dared attack America. They were going to pay."
"My blood was boiling. We were going to find out who did this, and kick their ass."
"George Tenet asked if he had permission to use enhance interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed... Damn right, I said."
"Where the hell is Ashcroft?, I asked... I went to bed irritated and had a feeling I didn't know the whole story..."
"I was disappointed in the Times and angry at whoever had betrayed their country by leaking the story..."

And on and on and on, whenever he's crossed he responds with anger and impatience.

FYI I don't hate the man and never did. What I hated was his style of governing and how it divided the country the way it did. His "us or them" mentality; his eagerness to paint dissenters as "unAmerican" or "traitors". His "my way or the highway" mindset. He's a wealthy, spoiled underachiever who never learned that you can persuade people easier if you use polite arguments and flattery than if you use confrontation and conflict. Then, after eight years of crappy decision-making, he states the worst moment of his presidency was Kanye West calling him a racist. What a complete and total narcissist, blood on his hands from thousands of American, Afghan and Iraqi deaths but he's whining over the words of a rapper. I'm sure all of our "enemies" are falling over laughing at this.

What's really hilarious is your calling me partisan and close-minded. Every post you've made on this topic shows your own complete inability to read the book with an open mind. You haven't offered criticism because apparently you think everything the man did was hunky dory. You have no more believability than Hannity, Beck or the rest of the nuts you rely on to spread the RW gospel.