Cuz I’d Rather Read Harsanyi?

I like a lot of Harsanyi's stuff. But this from Harsanyi puzzles the hell out of me, particularly as Bush struck me as someone trying to not confuse politics with leadership throughout his term. Whether his book is an extension of that, or not, who knows? But it will likely be one of the few such memoirs I've actually thought might be worth reading.

This wasn't a man obsessed with defending himself while in office, so I'm not sure I understand the rationale for assuming he'll become one in retirement. And of course the real irony here is a dude writing for the Denver Post pontificating about what a waste of time it will be to read whatever the leader of the Free World on 9/11 and for the last years might have to say about all that. It's an unexpected bit of cynicism coming from him.

When news broke this week that former President George W. Bush planned to pen a book exploring the tough decisions of his presidency, my initial thought was: Who cares?

But then I remembered that this kind of assault on our intelligence never ends. And it is not confined to a political party or ideology, and no creed, race or religion is immune from the generic dullness of books authored by politicians.

Is it conceivable that a politician could write a candid or fascinating book? The answer, I submit, is hell, no. Politicians are inherently risk-averse, obsessed with message control, legacy building and revisionism.