Bush searching for ghost writers to pen book after his White House stint

London, June 16 : After leaving the White House, President George W Bush intends to write a book, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered him emergency legacy counselling with some of Britain's top historians.

Among guests joining Bush and Brown at dinner were Simon Schama, who has written on slavery, Martin Gilbert, an expert on the Holocaust, and David Cannadine, who wrote on the decline of the aristocracy.

There were 30 guests who attended the "semi-private" dinner with Bush and his wife, The Times reported.

"He'll be meeting with a group of historians," said Stephen Hadley, the President's National Security Adviser.

Bush is rumoured to be searching for ghost writers to help to promote his freedom agenda and explain why he took America to war in Iraq.

One potential candidate spoken of is Andrew Roberts, who has written much about war leaders including Hitler, Churchill, Napoleon and Wellington and has already dined with the President at the White House.

Roberts is understood to be among those who attended the Downing Street dinner. Another is Niall Ferguson, who has written extensively about empires, though he was not at Downing Street last night.

Bush's breathless weeklong tour of five European capitals -- six including the Vatican -- has provided him with a chance to think about his legacy.

"Well, first of all, just so you know, I'm not going to be around to see it. There's no such thing as objective short-term history," he said.

"It takes a while for history to have its, you know, to be able to have enough time to look back to see why decisions were made and what their consequences were," Bush added.

ANI