A Total Loss of Perspective.

Former United States President George W. Bush is back in the public eye. He is doing the media rounds to promote his memoir Decision Points (an uninspiring title to say the least) in which he discusses his Presidency. While I have not read this memoir I think I am on safe ground when I say that if Mr. Bush has had a hand in writing this memoir (as opposed to going through a ghost writer) it probably will not be the most engaging read. Whereas the current President is an accomplished writer (if you have not yet read Dreams from My Father, I would highly recommend it for its candidness and eloquence), Bush has never been known for his command of English. So, on a purely literary basis at least, the memoir does not really generate much interest for me.

Having said that, however, a first hand account of one of the most formative and influential presidencies of the last several decades could prove a worthwhile read until you take into account the self promoting, self aggrandizing nature of a political memoir. Obviously, he will try to spin each major event of his presidency in order to present himself in the best light. That is to be expected of any politician, regardless of ideology.One very small aspect of this memoir and Bush's subsequent media appearances has really resonated with me recently. He has gone on the record saying that the worst moment of his presidency was when rapper Kanye West accused him of being racist in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Seriously, Mr. President? The worst moment of your presidency? This is a presidency which oversaw 9/11. The single biggest terrorist attack in American history. Nearly 3,000 dead. The New York skyline amputated. There are still Americans alive today who are suffering the effects of that attack. That was not as bad as being called a racist? This is a presidency in which you were loudly and roundly accused from a huge swath of people of being a liar, an election thief, a genocidal war criminal and an advocate of torture. How can being accused of such atrocious things be preferable to one self important rapper calling you a racist?

I do not want to come off sounding like I am unfairly attacking President Bush. In the interest of honesty I have to admit that a vast majority of what Bush did in office (the unnecessary tax cut for the rich, turning a national surplus into the biggest deficit in U.S. history, the faith based initiatives, the poor response to Hurricane Katrina, Guantanamo Bay, waterboarding, the politicization of the justice department, outing Valerie Plame etc.) I disagree with. I also disagree with his rationalizations for regime change in Iraq when there were far better reasons available to him. His support of the secular forces in the Middle East is to be commended. Iraq is, slowly, moving towards becoming a functioning democracy. Whether it gets there or not remains to be seen but this outcome would not be possible were Saddam Hussein still in power.

On balance, I would say that President Bush was not a good president. A lot of the damage his administration has done is still being felt and will continue to be for years to come. With all of this responsibility laying at his feet, the fact that he honestly regards the accusation of racism by Kanye West to be his presidency's worst moment is, frankly, astounding.