Political Memoirs of Texas | Sitemap

A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House by George W. Bush

The title for George W. Bush’s 1999 memoir A Charge to Keep was inspired by a hymn by Charles Wesley and a painting by W.H.D. Koerner, which appears to show a horseman leading a charge up a mountainside. For Bush, this painting meant "This is us. What adds complete life to the painting for me is the message of Charles Wesley that we serve One greater than ourselves." (The painting, however, was later revealed to be a depiction of a horse thief fleeing his captors).

In A Charge to Keep, George W. Bush draws a sketch of his years at Yale and Harvard, his business career, and his time as the governor of Texas. Throughout his anecdotes, he explains his political philosophy, including his beliefs in small government, the free market, and a strong military. He also outlines his ideas for reforming Social Security, forming a closer trade alliance with Canada and Mexico, and standing firm against regimes hostile to the United States.

A candid portrait of his youth, A Charge to Keep describes George W. Bush during his wild years and his struggle with alcoholism. This memoir was also written before Bush was elected President, and outlines his future policies regarding crime, taxes, abortion, and education, and tort reform. In essence, A Charge to Keep is a snapshot of a man who would be President.