抉择时刻
美国前总统 小布什
In the final year of my presidency, I began to think seriously about writing my memories. On the recommendation of Karl Rove,I met with more than o dozen distinguished[adj 杰出的；著名的] historians To a persion, they told me i had an obligation[义务；责任] to write。 They felt it was important that i record my perspective[观点] on the presidency ,in my own words.
'Have you ever seen the movie Apollo 13?" the historian Jay Winnik asked. 'Everyone knows the astronauts[宇航员] make it home in the end.But you are on the edge of your seat wondering how they do it.
Nearly all the historians suggested that i read Memoirs by President Ulyss S.Grant, which i did. The book captures his distinctive[有特色的；与众不同的 adj ] voice. He uses anecdotes【奇闻趣事】 to re-create his experience during the Civil War. i could see why his work had endured【忍耐】.
Like Grant, i decided not to write an exhaustive[adj 详尽的；彻底的；消耗的] account of my life or presidency. Instead i have told the story of my time in the White House by focusing on the most important part of the job:Making decisions. Each chapter is based on a major decision or a series of related decisions. as a result,the book flows thematically,not in a day-by-day chronology. i do not cover all of the important issues that crossed my desk.Many Devoted【adj 现身的；忠诚的】 members of my Cabinet 【n 内阁】and staff are mentioned briefly or not at all. I value their service, and i will always be grateful for their contributions.
My goals in writing this book are twofold【adj 双重的；两倍的】. First, i hope to paint a picture of what it was like to serve as president for eight consequential years. i believe it will be impossible to reach definitive【adj 决定性的；最后的；限定的】 conclusions about my presidency - or any recent presidency, for that matter - for several decades. The passage of time allows passions【n 激情；热情】 to cool，results to clarity, and scholars to compare different approaches. my hope is that this book will serve as a resource for anyone studying this period in American history.
Second, i write to give readers a perspective on decision making in a complex environment. Many of the decisions that reach the president's desk are though calls,with strong arguments on both sides. Throughout the book, i describe the options i weighed and the principles i followed. i hope this will give you a better sense of why i made the decisions i did. Perhaps it will even prove useful as you make choices in your own life.
Decision Points is based primarily on my recollections【n 回忆，记忆】. With help from researchers, i have confirmed my account with government documents, notes, personal intervies,news reports, and other sources, some of which remain classified【ad 机密的】. There were instances in which i had to rely on my memory alone. If there are inaccuracies in this book, the responsibility is mine.
In the pages that follow, i have done my best to write about the decisions i got right, those i got wrong, and what i would do differently if given the chance. Of course, in the presidency ,there are no do-overs【返工】. You have to do what you believe is right and accept the consequence【n 结果；重要性；推论】. i tried to do that every day of my eight years in office. Serving as president was the honor of a lifetime, and i appreciate your giving me an opportunity to share my story.
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