Bush's Memoir Lifts Parts From Books, Newspapers

George Bush's memoir was supposed to contain his never-before revealed experiences and observations. However, in a number of cases, what it actually contains are word-for-word quotes and stories lifted from the memoirs of other Bush staffers and from newspaper accounts of the day, writes Ryan Grim in the Huffington Post. For example, at one point Bush describes the inauguration of Hamid Karzai in vivid detail, even recounting a poignant conversation between Karzai and a warlord. Problem is, Bush didn't attend the inauguration, and his account sounds almost identical to author Ahmed Rashid's description of the event.

In another case, he quotes John McCain as though McCain were speaking to him, but again Bush was not there. McCain was talking to reporters, and the quote comes from the Washington Post. The borrowing might seem like a minor offense, "but Bush's laziness undermines the historical value of the memoir," writes Grim. His culling from elsewhere—even Bob Woodward's books, which his White House had panned—calls "into question what he genuinely remembers from the time" and casts "doubt on any conclusions he draws about what his mindset was at the time." For more examples, click here.
(More George W Bush book stories.)