At best, I thought George W Bush was a fool, and at worst dangerous, when he was President of the United States. But now, 22-months after he left the White House, he gave his first television interview today in which he came across as a friendly and honest man. It seemed as though time had washed away my prejudices.
This is a strange but not new sensation. I have found that many politicians look quite differant in the heat of office to when they have retired. I didn't agree with Bush's politics, and I was unimpressed by his communications skills during his eight year presidency. But with the benefit of hindsight, I cannot say that he looks evil or hateful in any way.
History has a way of balancing reality. While I doubt that I will ever beleive that George W Bush's presidency was particularly impressive, I am sure that history is likely to be kinder to him than his critics would have thought at the time that he left the White House.
Bush's interview had a purpose. He is publishing his memoirs, Decision Points. While self-serving by definition, these books written by former politicians always make fascinating reading. It is so interesting to understand what it's really like to hold a position like the President of the Untied States. My father was a voracious reader of political autobiographies. He passed along this interest to me.
The key philosophical question for me with all of these memoirs is just how credible are such accounts when written by the very people at the centre of history. I suppose the answer is that there is no such thing as one truth. We must listen and read broadly across all parts of the polical spectrum before coming to conclusions.
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
