WASHINGTON, DC – After regaining control of the US House of Representatives last Tuesday, Republicans are making yet another comeback this week at bookstores. Today, bookstores throughout the United States will begin selling George W. Bush's newly released memoir almost two years after the former president ended his two-term presidency. Decision Points is full of interesting revelations about Bush's assessment not just of the challenges he faced in office, but also of the 2008 presidential race, according to reporters who obtained an advance copy of the book. The book uncovers some little known facts about George W. Bush's presidency. Apparently, the former president contemplated replacing his Vice-President Dick Cheney with then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in his 2004 presidential election ticket. “My blood was boiling. We were going to find out who did this, and kick their assess,” writes Bush in reference to his initial reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks. “I sat back in my seat and absorbed [National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's] words. The first plane could have been an accident. The second was definitely an attack. The third was a declaration of war.” Decision Points reveals the president's disappointment with his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005, calling the government's response “unacceptable”. “As the leader of the federal government, I should have recognised the deficiencies sooner and intervened faster. I prided myself on my ability to make crisp and effective decisions. Yet, in the days after Katrina, that didn't happen. The problem was not that I made the wrong decisions. It was that I took too long to decide.” The book sheds light on Bush's unease with the media's portrayal of his reaction to the disaster in 2005. The former president regrets being photographed on a plane observing the damage caused by the Hurricane without landing to assess the damage and meet with residents. Bush also took issue with being called a racist in response to his administration's slow response to Katrina's aftermath in 2005, most notably by rapper Kanye West who publicly said that “Bush doesn't care about black people”. Bush writes: “I faced a lot of criticism as president. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low.” While expressing zero regrets about his decision to invade Iraq, Bush's memoir notes his shock at the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. “No one was more shocked or angry than I was when we didn't find the weapons. I had a sickening feeling every time I thought about it. I still do,” he writes. Nor does the book show any signs of regret about his decision to approve the CIA's request to waterboard prisoners. On the 2008 presidential race, the book implicitly faults Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain for not calling on Bush's help in the campaign. “I thought it looked defensive for John to distance himself from me. I was confident I could have helped him make his case. But the decision was his. I was disappointed I couldn't do more to help him.” In Decision Points, Bush recalls that McCain did not have much to contribute at a September 2008 White House meeting with congressional leaders to discuss a potential rescue package to deal with a deteriorating economy, even though the senator from Arizona was the one who called for the meeting. Meanwhile, he praises then-Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama for his “calm demeanor” at the meeting. Last week's media coverage of Decision Points highlighted the book's moderate praise for President Obama, particularly on his Afghanistan policy. Obama, Bush writes, “stood up to critics by deploying more troops, announcing a new commitment to counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and increasing pressure on Pakistan to fight the extremists in tribal areas.” Former president Bush is expected to make a series of media appearances this week to promote his newly released book, including interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Jay Leno, and Matt Lauer. Sallam is a correspondent for the Egyptian Mail and its daily edition The Egyptian Gazette in Washington.
