![]() ![]() The war in Afghanistan was necessary to root out al-Qaida and the Taliban, and help create a "free society" in Central Asia, he says. The former president revisits nearly all the controversial decisions of his tenure, and defends them with vigor. And the absence of broad reflection leaves some large historical questions unanswered.Īs a justification for his actions, Bush's memoir succeeds admirably. This serves his literary and political purpose, which is to make the case for his policies as president, but it does little to reveal the inner man. Bush devotes one chapter and parts of a few others to his pre-presidential career, but the great majority of the book concerns his eight years in the White House. Bush cites Grant's memoir as inspiration for his own. Second, Grant in the memoir displays a capacity for sobering reflection, admitting where his mistakes during the Civil War sent thousands of soldiers needlessly to their deaths.įormer President George W. First, the book deals almost exclusively with the period prior to Grant's presidency, thus providing insight into the man who became president, rather than the president himself. ![]() There are two secrets to Grant's enduring success. Grant are generally considered the finest by any former president. Brands is a presidential historian and the author of Traitor To His Class, a biography of President Franklin D. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |