Jean Edward Smith has written one of the first post-presidential biographies of the very polarizing George W. Bush. I thought he did a reasonably good job of pointing out his successes (AIDs in Africa, No Child Left Behind, etc.) while being unmerciful at his failings (Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina). Bush even gets praise in his actions during the financial meltdown at the tail end of his presidency.
Jean Edward Smith goes for the decider in chief model that spends a great deal of time talking about how GWB’s faith gave him a moral certitude to make decisions—both good and bad.

Sadly, I have a feeling that this book may crystalize down party lines with Republicans feeling like Smith was too hard on Bush, while Democrats particularly to the far left may think he gives him far too much credit and/or doesn’t treat him like a war criminal. I can definitely see Bush’s legacy being debated for decades, but this is an intriguing early round in the debate.