In the final year of my presidency, I began to think seriously about writing
my memoirs. On the recommendation of Karl Rove, I met with more than a
dozen distinguished historians. To a person, they told me I had an
obligation to write. They felt it was important that I record my perspective on
the presidency, in my own words.
“Have you ever seen the movie Apollo 13?” the historian Jay Winik asked.
“Everyone knows the astronauts make it home in the end. But you’re on the
edge of your seat wondering how they do it.”
Nearly all the historians suggested that I read Memoirs by President
Ulysses S. Grant, which I did. The book captures his distinctive voice. He
uses anecdotes to re-create his experience during the Civil War. I could
see why his work had endured.
Like Grant, I decided not to write an exhaustive 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 decision 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. Many devoted
members of my Cabinet 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. 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 conclusions about my
presidency—or any recent presidency, for that matter—for several
decades. The passage of time allows passions to cool, results to clarify,
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 decision making in a
complex environment. Many of the decisions that reach the president’s
desk are tough calls, 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.
Decision Points is based primarily on my recollections. With help from
researchers, I have confirmed my account with government documents,
contemporaneous notes, personal interviews, news reports, and other
sources, some of which remain classified. 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 would do differently if given the
Page 5
chance. Of course, in the presidency, there are no do-overs. You have to
do what you believe is right and accept the consequences. I tried to do that
every day of my eight years in office. Serving as president was the honor of
a lifetime, and I appreciate your giving me an opportunity to share my story.
Page
• 生于1946年7月6日美国康涅狄格州的纽海文市
• 美国第43任总统
• 任期 :2001年1月20日——2009年1月20日
• 父亲是美国第41任总统乔治•赫伯特•沃克•布什
写于2011年9月 说起小布什基本上是在国内媒体上充斥了娱乐版块的,2叔的称号也被喊得非常顺嘴。不过,其实他是很值得我们学习与尊重的。一个德克萨斯牛仔风格的总统,没有很多人那种成为领导人物就变得装模作样,而是始终个性十足,提倡plain english, 从来不整那些虚的...
评分1、书写的很厚道,大部分都是选择读者想看的那些决策内容、决策过程,写自己私生活的流水帐部分很少,不骗稿费。内容安排不是按照时间顺序,而是事件顺序。 2、感受最深的是顶住压力增兵伊拉克那一段,如果当时美军放弃了伊拉克,别说伊拉克毁了,现在的“阿拉伯之春”有没有...
评分读过《抉择时刻》 2011-12-12 17:07:41 乔治•沃克•布什《抉择时刻》,中信出版社,2011年 今年我读的新书并不多,倒是很多老书时常翻翻,如贡斯当《古代人的自由与现代人的自由》、奥尔森《权力与繁荣》、哈耶克《通往奴役之路》、埃德蒙•柏克《自由与传统》等。这...
评分小布什上台的时候没人会看好他,不如克林顿帅气和睿智,不如老布什稳重。我第一眼看到他就觉得他像个“Monkey”,其貌不扬,刚上台讲话的时候也没什么感染力,除了演讲稿写不错之外,其余没什么深刻的印象留下。随着他任期内不断发生的事件,他的一些风范慢慢显露出来,驾驭事...
评分写于2011年9月 说起小布什基本上是在国内媒体上充斥了娱乐版块的,2叔的称号也被喊得非常顺嘴。不过,其实他是很值得我们学习与尊重的。一个德克萨斯牛仔风格的总统,没有很多人那种成为领导人物就变得装模作样,而是始终个性十足,提倡plain english, 从来不整那些虚的...
小布什虽然现在很多人觉得他功过难定,但他在任时候美国面对各种剧烈突发事件的应对解决和改善都不可避免的产生各种深远的影响,而且小布什的个人性格色彩也很强烈,作为新世纪的第一位美国总统他的传奇可能很难磨灭
评分关于向伊拉克增兵的那一段很好看,关于干细胞的论述很无力
评分蜗居南城,晚上没事儿又用kindle把英文版看了。回忆录围绕事件写好就好在不会掺太多水分。看有评论说布什习惯用简单英语,因为他认为一个人如果不能用简单的语言解释一个问题,说明他对这个问题本身并不熟悉。一读确实朴实清楚,比看中文版时多了些好感。
评分读不下去草草了事,故不给分
评分美国入侵伊拉克可谓影响深远
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