飞机上看完了《Decision Points》,布什的自传。究竟多少是他写的,未可知。总之看本书,这真是一位明君,决策果断,911和金融危机中力挽狂澜。布什出身豪门,据说祖上跟英国皇室有关系,从爷爷起就是参议员,老爸又当了总统。他在书中说自己跟肯尼迪一样,Politics is family business. 官二代是做大事的人。但看他的演讲和说话,并没有显得很聪明。然而书中说他看了很多书(林肯的传记看了14个不同版本,一年看上百本历史书),信仰应该比较虔诚,全马跑342,自己还说脑子转的比口头快。这书有些地方还真有些小幽默,这些地方应该比较难代笔。
Dick Cheney:布什在书中极力想撇清他和自己的幕僚包括副总统切尼和Carl Rove等人的影响,全力制造印象,大主意都是他自己拿的。但不时有些段落让人浮想联翩:切尼有次跟他吃饭,问他准不准备打伊拉克,当时布什犹豫不决,切尼对他讲:别忘了他们付你钱是让你干什么的。
Dick Cheney was concerned about the slow diplomatic process. He warned that Saddam Hussein could be using the time to produce weapons, hide weapons, or plot an attack. At one of our weekly lunches that winter, Dick asked me directly, “Are you going to take care of this guy, or not?” That was his way of saying he thought we had given diplomacy enough time. i appreciated Dick’s blunt advice. I told him I wasn’t ready to move yet. “Okay, Mr. President, it’s your call,” he said. Then he deployed one of his favorites lines. “That’s why they pay you the big bucks,”, he said with a gentle smile.
别的一些有意思的地方: Strategic thinker who could see beyond the immediate horizon. 的确,高明的战略家就是要看的远,像下棋一样,能多看几步。
The best way to help him grow as a leader was to treat him like one.
We’re elected to solve problems, not just debate them.
伊拉克那部分,他的逻辑真的好笑,给萨达姆最后通牒让他自己证明伊拉克没有大规模杀伤性武器,如果他不能证明,那他就有。一个人如何证明自己没有很厉害的武器?萨达姆死的好冤。
Accountability was a daily reality.
Self-pity is a pathetic quality in a leader, it sends such demoralizing signals to the team and the country.
对父母老布什夫妇的深厚感情:When you know you have unconditional love, there is no point in rebellion and no need to fear failure.
抚养两个孪生女儿那段搞笑,他唱歌不好,不会唱摇篮曲哄女儿们睡,于是只能哼哼很难听的耶鲁大学的歌曲:That would calm them down, maybe just because they didn’t want to hear me sing anymore.
选战心得:Allowing your opponent to define you is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in a campaign.
Proximity to power is empowerment. 的确,谁跟当权者离的近,能说上话,谁就有权力。权力就是影响力。
跑完全马后:I felt ten years younger at the finish line and ten years older the next day.
The measure of their character, and often their success, was how they responded.
If you want to win a man to your course, first convince him that you’re his friend.
总之,本书对了解美国21世纪初政治和国际局势还是有不少帮助的,写作水平也没有想象的那么差,值得一读。