The mistakes were mine, and I’ve suffered the consequences. Because I didn’t stay true to myself, I couldn’t stay true to others. I tried to play the Washington game according to the current rules and, at times, didn’t play it very well. I frequently stumbled along the way and failed in my duty to myself, to the president I served, and to the American people. This book records the often painful process by which I gained that understanding.

Having accepted the post of White House press secretary at age 35 and possessing scant experience of the Washington power game, I didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into. Bush I fell far short of living up to the kind of public servant I wanted to be. In my efforts on behalf of the presidential administration of George W. I began the process of writing this book by putting myself under the microscope. I’ve written it not to settle scores or enhance my own role but simply to record what I know and what I learned in hopes that my account will deepen our understanding of contemporary history, particularly the events that followed the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001.

This is a book about the slice of history I witnessed during my years in the White House and about the well-intentioned but ﬂawed human beings - myself included - who shaped that history. History is rooted in the choices made by people - ﬂawed, fallible people. My mother, who began her career in public service as a high school civics and history teacher, likes to say, “It is people, not events, that shape history.” She couldn’t be more right. Through contrition we find the truth and the freedom that comes with it, even as we improve ourselves and grow closer to the image that God our Creator has in mind for us to become. And that includes recognizing our faults and accepting responsibility for them. That uniquely human quality is rooted in free will and blossoms in our capacity for knowledge, based on understanding the truth - not as we might imagine or wish it to be, but as it is. Perhaps God’s greatest gift to us in life is the ability to learn from our experiences, especially our mistakes, and grow into better people. But not until the past few years have I come to truly appreciate their message. Those powerful words have always piqued my curiosity, as a person of faith and as an ordinary human being keenly interested in the larger meaning of life. I am very familiar with the UT Tower, the main building in the center of campus, with words from the Gospel of John carved in stone above its south entrance: “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

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