Decision Points

I wanted to make a point of my own.

"Decision Points" is the recently released memoir of President George W. Bush. As you might imagine a great deal of it focuses on the immediate aftermath of 9/11, on Iraq, GITMO, and areas of controversy such as water boarding. And, in promotion of his book (and clarification of historical events in general, at least from his perspective) the former President has been doing interviews to discuss the book and his presidency in general. Hannity, whom I noted was in best form when interviewing high profile persons, is doing (even as I write this) a multi part, full hour(s) discussions with the President, in studio, along with key figures from the administration sitting in the front row.

If you get a chance to catch these Hannity shows, do it. It's fascinating. The inside, little things are worth the price of admission - from the mice that they tested on 9/12 for aerosol, weaponized Botulism (& apparently keep on White House grounds as a simple, yet effective canary in the coal mine), which was first reported to Cheney as "positive" (Cheney literally thought himself poisoned, even perhaps dying, at first); to the first post 9/11 pitch from Yankee stadium by the President. He through a strike, from the mound, wearing 30lbs of armor underneath the FDNY jacket.

And I guess my point is that while we here don't typically purchase nor read these accounts of contemporary history, I don't see how we can consider ourselves "quasi-historians", of any order (let alone "first"), if we simply brush aside the opportunity to read a book by the man himself. Not to mention, if we are to listen, watch and absorb PBS's "Bush's War", and consider it a "first draft of history", do we not owe it to ourselves to read this draft of history? One from his perspective?