Recommended Read: Decision Points by George W. Bush

While I don't expect this book to change the minds of his critics, I still highly recommend Decision Points to all readers, despite which side of the political aisle you sit on.

I've always had a great deal of respect for the Bush family and their values. Apart from reading books on Abraham Lincoln, I don't tend to read about the presidents. However I did read and enjoy George H.W. Bush's book All The Best when it released some years ago. I also recently read and enjoyed First Lady Laura Bush's book Spoken From The Heart.

And in that tradition, I have found Decision Points quite enjoyable to read. President George W. Bush, more than any recent president, faced very grave national crises during his time in office. While watching the news headlines and praying for the President every day, I often wondered what it was like for a man put in that very difficult situation. Decision Points answers that question.

The book doesn't give his life history from birth on up. Instead, the book is organized in much the same way I view the man--brisk, no-nonsense, and authorative. Rather than organizing chronologically, which is often the tendency of such books, he moves section by section through the key issues and crises of his presidency. What follows is a very eye opening look and a broadening of the American citizen's perspective on the issues that were at hand.

I laughed as his sense of humor came through on the page. And there were several segments that made me put down the book and weep, particularly those dealing with things that occurred during the war on terror and reading about the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for their country.

President Bush is very even handed and fair in his dealings with all the people whom he mentions in the book and had interactions with as President. I learned that I would make a lousy president, as I would have been hard pressed to deal with certain world leaders, notably some of our supposed "allies."

I gained a lot from the book and feel the richer for the experience. I think as I have time I'd like to read books from other presidents and about other presidents. I find it very useful for my writing too. While I don't typically write things that involve presidents, I do write books that tend to involve the military somehow, so seeing the bird's eye view from a president's perspective is very helpful.

A highly recommended read.