Guardian UK: Bush: the memoir no one wants to read

[marmar]

Bush: the memoir no one wants to read
Political memoirs can be a lucrative business – as long as you're not the most unpopular US president in history


Meg Kane
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday November 19 2008 14.00 GMT



Publishers apparently aren't interested in the President's memoirs.

Gosh. Poor old George Bush. He's having a rough time, isn't he? He has the worst presidential approval ratings in US history. Under his stalwart leadership, the country has taken an economic, social and emotional nosedive. His own party attempts to distance themselves from him on a daily basis. And to top it all off, can you believe that nobody wants to buy his memoirs? To add insult to injury, publishers are courting his wife with fervour, each clamouring for the opportunity to bid on her memoirs. It has to burn at least a little, right?

I don't really understand why people aren't interested. I'm assuming that watching Bush attempt to justify the myriad interesting choices he's made – all of which fall somewhere in the range of "irresponsible" to "deadly" to "Were you asleep?" – holds the same sickeningly captivating appeal as watching a car crash. Still, other readers might be interested in seeing just what new and grammatically impossible bastardisations of the English language Bush could spew forth next. It seems intriguing to be afforded the opportunity to see into the mind of a man who felt compelled to lie (poorly) about his favourite book from childhood. Granted, I certainly wouldn't pay for the privilege, but that's why we have such an efficacious library system, no?

Presidential autobiographies are certainly nothing new, of course. Just ask former president Bill Clinton – although if he doesn't answer you right away, you shouldn't take it personally. He's probably really busy counting the $30m he earned from the sales of his books. Not to be outdone, Hillary also penned her memoirs, earning herself $8m in the process. Both of Mr Bush's parents successfully authored books – his mother wrote a memoir while his father contributed to a book on foreign policy – as did Ronald and Nancy Reagan before them. I believe even a few White House pets have managed to find buyers for their stories.

So what gives? It's not like it would be an especially lengthy memoir. Nobody ever called him prolix. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/nov/19/george-bush-sarah-palin-books

[tanyev]

1. He's turning into a missing person that nobody misses.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Love this in the comments:

'One of the shortest books in history

Chapter 1.

" I plead the 5th amendment............"'

[jedr]

3. Perhaps he should try a children's book to start;

My pet goat, the real story?:sarcasm: