George W. Bush: 'People Didn't Think I Could Read, Let Alone Write'
Former President George W. Bush joked about his literary abilities in a speech at the Chamber of Commerce in Wichita, Kans. on Thursday.
He said at the event that his memoir, Decision Points, came as a "palpable shock" to people on the East Coast, according to the Wichita Eagle. "People didn't think I could read, let alone write," he quipped.
The joke isn't new for Bush. In an appearance prior to the publication of his memoir in Chicago, he said, "This will come as quite a shock to some. They didn't think I could read, much less write."
The Huffington Post's Dan Froomkin reviewed Decision Points, focusing on the two biggest lies in the memoir -- the reasons for invading Iraq and for torturing detainees. Bush asserts that he tried to avoid the Iraq War and that torture was legal and effective, neither of which is true.
He also said in his speech that his wife, Laura Bush, scolded him for saying he wanted Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive." He blamed the expression on the "Texas in me." After President Barack Obama called him, interrupting his souffle dinner to tell him that Bin Laden had been killed in a raid, Bush said, "good call."
Despite leaving office with a 22 percent approval rating and remaining unpopular long after his presidency, Bush received a warm reception in Wichita. The Eagle reported that Bush received "standing ovations" when he arrived and after his remarks.
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The Huffington Post Luke Johnson First Posted: 11/04/11 01:28 PM ET Updated: 11/04/11 01:30 PM ET