Bill Clinton gives thumbs-up to 'Decision Points'

NEW YORK — Critics are mixed about George W. Bush's memoir, but the former president has received a rave from a fellow White House alumnus, Bill Clinton.

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"'Decision Points' is well-written, and interesting from start to finish. I think people of all political stripes should read it," Clinton said in a statement released Friday. "George W. Bush also gives readers a good sense of what it's like to be president, to take the responsibilities of the office seriously, do what you think is right, and let history be the judge. The book may not change the minds of those who disagree with decisions President Bush made, but it will help you to understand better the forces that molded him, and the convictions that drove him to make those decisions."

Bush memoir sells 220,000 copies on first day

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Clinton is friendly with Bush and Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush, whom Clinton defeated for re-election in 1992. The bond between Clinton and the elder Bush is noted in "Decision Points," which came out Tuesday.

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Clinton never ran against the younger Bush, but he is winning so far in a key ex-presidential competition: Book sales. According to Random House, Inc., which published "Decision Points" and Clinton's "My Life," Bush's memoir had first-day sales of around 220,000 copies. "My Life," released in 2004, debuted with sales of 400,000 copies.

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Random House Inc. is owned by German media company Bertelsmann AG.