When his tenure ended, it seemed that former President George Bush could not wait to leave office. A perfectly understandable sentiment seeing as his approval rating had dropped significantly during his second term in office. Receiving harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle and from the general public due to errors in judgment he made during his tenure, it should not have come as any surprise that the former Governor of Texas moved back home to Dallas and refused to grant interviews or speak to anyone during the two years since his departure.
However, recently, George Bush broke the silence with the release of his memoir Decision Points. The book was acquired by The Crown Publishing Group for $7 million and was released to the public November 9, 2010. Not surprisingly, the book has received mixed reviews and brewed a bit of controversy over claims of plagiarism.
However, the former president has not allowed that to slow him down and is currently embarking on a national campaign to promote the memoir. He has been interviewed, or scheduled to be interviewed, by heavy media hitters such as Oprah Winfrey, Matt, Lauer, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh.
The president has also recently broke ground for the George W. Bush Presidential Library. The library will be a repository of papers, records, and other historical materials related to his service as the 43rd President of the United States. The library is being built on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas and was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. When the library opens in 2013, it will be about 225,000 square feet and contain archives, a museum, policy institute, gift shops, and cafes. The invitation only ground breaking ceremony for the library took place on November 16 and included guests such as Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney.
George Bush has also partnered with former President Bill Clinton to do television spots to raise money for the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Occasionally, he has been doing some public speaking at business conferences which is arranged through the Washington Speakers Bureau. All in all, the former president is keeping a low profile and focused on promoting his book and defending his actions while in office. While speaking to NBC’s Matt Lauer, he stood by his decision to use controversial interrogation techniques on those suspected to be terrorists. He also remains steadfast about the decision to get rid of Saddam Hussein stating that there are now 25 million people who can live in freedom.
