George Bush

Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower

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Brilliance of Hindsight Does Not Hide Bias
Needs a Greater Focus on the Last Chapter
Unbiased, Brilliant, Insightful and Timely
Second Chance by Secretary of State Brzezinski
Excellent

Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0465002528

Book Description

From the most highly respected analyst of foreign policy writing today, a story of wasted opportunity and squandered prestige: a critique of the last three U.S. presidents' foreign policy.

America's most distinguished commentator on foreign policy, former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, offers a reasoned but unsparing assessment of the last three presidential administrations' foreign policy. Though spanning less than two decades, these administrations cover a vitally important turning point in world history: the period in which the United States, having emerged from the Cold War with unprecedented power and prestige, managed to squander both in a remarkably short time. This is a tale of decline: from the competent but conventional thinking of the first Bush administration, to the well-intentioned self-indulgence of the Clinton administration, to the mortgaging of America's future by the "suicidal statecraft" of the second Bush administration. Brzezinski concludes with a chapter on how America can regain its lost prestige. This scholarly yet highly opinionated book is sure to be both controversial and influential.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliance of Hindsight Does Not Hide Bias.......2007-06-22

Brzezinski examines the current state of affairs by retro examining and judging the last three presidents. He gives Bush 1 a solid "B" primarily for handling the breakup of the Soviet Empire very well, and for effectively removing Saddam from Kuwait with the building of a coalition that included Arab states. Bush 1 is criticized for not leveraging that victory by neutralizing Saddam and taking a bigger leadership role in the Israel Palestinian conflict.

He gives Clinton a "C" for succumbing to an Israel lobby and thus failing to lead in the Middle East. Clinton focused more on his domestic agenda which he saw during his campaign as Bush 1's weakness. Clinton failed in Somalia (Black Hawk Down), but had some success in Albania.

Not surprisingly Zbigniew gives Bush 2 an "F", primarily for the Iraq quagmire, but also for his unilateral "you are with us or against us" simplistic attitude. While his first two subjects were criticized for not taking advantage of America's default leadership in the world after the Soviet demise; he blasts Bush 2 for squandering all of our advantages and sacrificing all of our foreign respect and ability to influence global outcomes.

Brzezinski is obviously intelligent and knowledgeable and writes like a brilliant and tenured college political science professor. Covering the complicated Mideast convulsions, the rise of China and India, the dissolution of the Soviet Empire, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, the nuclear empowerment of India, Pakistan, North Korea and soon Iran, with some consideration of developments in Latin America, not to mention the response to attacks on our soil; is not only a lot of subject material to cover in 200 pages but it is a stifling challenge for any leader. I picture the college students in this metaphorical lecture nodding off and looking confused.

The author has the brilliance of hindsight, but the difficulty of making these decisions under the real time pressures of the job and the complicated uncertainty makes such retro analysis cheap and easy. While he criticizes Bush 2 for fear mongering, the national paranoia after 911 was very real. Combined with the hubris of success in Kuwait in the first Gulf War and in Afghanistan it is not difficult to understand our willingness to take unilateral action at that time.

Brzezinski asks for a different approach and repeats "the strength of a great power is diminished if ceases to serve an idea". Clearly Bush 2 took a different approach and treated terrorism as an act of war rather than a crime. He clearly had an idea to stop the rise of terrorism by changing regimes and instilling a democratic form of government hoping it would change the culture that spawns terrorism. For a while it even seemed as if it was working.

Bush 2, unlike his predecessors had to address a major attack on our soil. While the loss of life may have been small compared to other conflicts, the emotional impact was far greater. Bush's deliberate response that this war would not be fought here took the battle to the source. Brzezinski does not really differentiate the difference in climate the third president faced. In fact the failings of Carter, the retreats of Reagan, and the missed opportunities of Bush 1 and Clinton fell at Bush 2's doorstep in a way that precluded him from not acting strongly.

Zbibniew was Carter's National Security Advisor and shares his former boss' proclivity to blame Israel disproportionately for the conflict. He finds it too easy to excuse Arafat's intransigence even for his refusal of the Clinton/ Barak offer which many considered generous to a point of suicide. Like Carter he seems to blame all of the violent escalation in the Middle East on American failures to exploit opportunities and on Israel's and America's lack of willingness or ability to negotiate smarter.

Brzezinski makes some valid points, especially about the Americans' general ignorance on the world outside our borders, but given the horrible legacy of Carter's foreign policy (he praised the Ayatollah as a man of God and a man of peace), criticism from his National Security Advisor rings hollow.

Needs a Greater Focus on the Last Chapter.......2007-06-16

When I picked up a copy of Brzezinski's new book, I was hoping for a thoughtful analysis of the country's future from one of America's greatest statesmen.

What I found instead, in the first part of the book at least, was a very brief history of the foreign policies of the past three administrations. Brzezinski presents a compelling analysis of their successes and failures, but I was not all that impressed with this section of the book. A reader with the topic will find little new information here.

The last chapter, which focuses on America's future in the world, was just what I had hoped for. Here, Brezezinski's brilliance shines through, and he puts forward a series of ideas that are both insightful and thought-provoking.

Unfortunately, "Beyond 2008" is only 37 pages and most of these ideas are not fully explained. Nor does he elaborate on them with examples and evidence. There is enough to write an entire book on here, and I wish he had done so. The brevity is the reason that I am not giving this book all five stars.

Still, with its solid (albeit basic) summaries, and (much more importantly) its examination of the future of our foreign policy, Second Chance is worth taking a look at.

Unbiased, Brilliant, Insightful and Timely.......2007-06-15

This is a must read book for anyone who is in the voting age!

The book may not be well written in some parts, but it's unique and superb in essence and in the way it illuminates and offers insight to our most pressing issues.

This book is not written by yet another pundit or Sunday-News armchair general or politician.

Brzezinski, who in my opinion is as brilliant as Kissinger (if not more) sheds light to major challenges and opportunities facing America.

The cogent and frank style of writing makes this book accessible and a easy read and its non-partisan objective criticism gives it the kind of credibility that is rarely seen these days.

In all a must read!

Second Chance by Secretary of State Brzezinski.......2007-05-27

Essentially, the work begins by presenting the United States as the first
global leader after the end of the Cold War. This is followed by at least
3 or more strategic missions of the United States in the role of superpower:
o management of central power relations
o to contain conflicts where there is a critical strategic interest
o to address intolerable inequities and ecological threats

Some important global historical turning points are presented. i.e.:
o the collapse of the Soviet Union
o the Gulf War victory and subsequent Iraqi involvement
o the increase of the Atlantic sphere of influence
o the World Trade Organization
o the Asian Monetary Systems/ Stabilization
o the Chechen Wars

The book cites an historic search for certitude with regard to the
strategic interests of humankind. In this regard, it is critical
that foreign policy needs and implementation strategies be outlined
thoroughly with a minimum of costly errors. The author critiques
recent presidencies and finds strengths and deficiences in each
administration. The Middle East, Proliferation and the Environment are
the areas of greatest difficulty. The Middle East has see-sawed from
the Camp David Accords to the Oslo Accords to a generous land for peace
proposal to the current regression since the rise of the Hamas as a
governmental majority. Nuclear Proliferation has been managed with
some success between and amongst the superpowers; however, the current
challenges involve smaller nations and their refusal to cooperate with
historic nuclear verification requirements. The environment is interdependent on cooperation between nations, the vagaries of nature,
the development of new energy technologies, global population increases,
the seasonal CO 2 balance on the planet, the cooperation of the global
public and many other factors too numerous to list here.

This book provides an excellent reference point to begin discussing these
issues dispassionately.

Excellent.......2007-05-15

If you're interested in an apolitical analysis of post cold war policy, read this book..If you are a partisan looking for someone to praise one President's policy and bash another, don't bother("Dubya" does get it pretty bad though). Small book, jam packed with info, and, unlike a number of similar works, an incredibly interesting and absorbing read...Could easily be completed on a weekend. Brezezinski has both real world policy and academic experience...highly recommend!

American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury

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Must reading for freedom loving Americans
A chilling examination of our future
Prescient
What Would Jesus Read?
The four ghosts of hegemony

American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury
Kevin Phillips
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0143038281

Book Description

An explosive examination of the coalition of forces that threatens the nation, from the bestselling author of American Dynasty

In his two most recent bestselling books, American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips established himself as a powerful critic of the political and economic forces that rule—and imperil—the United States, tracing the ever more alarming path of the emerging Republican majority's rise to power. Now Phillips takes an uncompromising view of the current age of global overreach, fundamentalist religion, diminishing resources, and ballooning debt under the GOP majority. With an eye to the past and a searing vision of the future, Phillips confirms what too many Americans are still unwilling to admit about the depth of our misgovernment.

Customer Reviews:

Must reading for freedom loving Americans.......2007-05-13

American Theocracy is must reading for Americans who are troubled by the rise of the extreme right in America and those concerned about the undo influence of the religious right in our government.

A chilling examination of our future.......2007-05-10

American Theocracy is an extraordinary piece of sustained analysis of the political and economic future of the United States. Its argument based on the work of Kennedy is that the country is in a terminal decline due to a mixture of radical religion, oil dependence and chronic debt.

As a former Republican analyst, Phillips is clearly disenchanted with the direction of the Republican Party and the Bush family. He makes a clear and convincing case that the US is going down the wrong path.

I did have some quibbles in that he is constantly refering to his previous books as though they were standard works. A work needs to stand clearly on its own legs.

Secondly, I would have liked some call to action to address the issues he raises. The book paints a bleak picture and then provides no roadmap or even a suggestion of where the United States should be heading.

Prescient.......2007-05-09

Drawing on historical precedents, Kevin Phillips paints a stark picture of the U.S.A. in her twilight; overburdened by an outrageously large and growing debt, dependent on a diminishing resource, and blinded and misled by fanatical religious elements. This book should be required reading for all high school seniors - we may be able to "dodge the bullet" if enough Americans understood the situation - but, alas, this will not happen soon.

What Would Jesus Read?.......2007-04-24

As usual Kevin is pointed in his discription of what most Americans would rather not think about- that is the 400 pound gorilla in the room.
The theocrats have always been with us and will continue to influence the direction of the nation- until someone stands up and says "No".

History is a continous thread that binds us to the past. Zealots don't just "Go away". They reconstitute and rise again. It is no coincidence that we are at war in the Middle East and a politician from the South controls the White House. Like the Islamists who's intolerance we fight, and who need to translate their faith into action, so too do fundamentalist Christians. Books like Phillips' make Christian fundamentalists nervous.

The rest of us are not suppose to notice nor to understand the implications of what the religious right is telling us these days.

All one has to do is follow the thread of history to understand the intentions of "God's little helpers". There are retributions to be paid by the "evil doers", prisons to be built and wars to fight;
prophesies to fulfil and a better place to be purchased for all who find themselves disenfranchised.

Fundamentalist zealots will know when the time is right. The Islamists have already acted on their faith- in their minds they had no choice.
For if they believe what they say they believe- they have to act or lose their very souls.

By the percentage of fundamentalist Christian military personnel who continue to volunteer for duty in Iraq, it would appear that the new Crusades have begun. Without Iraq the mission would in time be our own central government.

The four ghosts of hegemony.......2007-04-23

Kevin Phillips analyzes thoroughly the US policies of the last twenty years under Republican leadership.
For him, these policies are not less than disastrous, putting the US under the demonic spell of a four headed ghost: the simplistic, Taliban-like radical religion of Christian fundamentalists, the energy (oil) vulnerability, ballooning public and private debt and global military overreach.

The GOP bets heavily on, what the author calls, national Disenlightment (religious fundamentalism), e.g., by funding public services through church-related groups.
The direct consequences of this policy can be seen in education (neglect of scientific infrastructure), climatology (no signing of the Kyoto protocol), biological research (no embryonic stem-cell research), morals (attempts to prohibit abortion again), science (promotion of `intelligent design' versus Darwinism), sex (promotion of abstinence and no support for contraception), social issues (women's rights against the rights of embryos), food protection (abolition of the EPA), theology (crusade against Islam) or business (justify wealth and oppose regulation).
The ultimate aim is to reduce the separation between church and state.

The world's age of oil has been the era of American supremacy. But, oil production has peaked and oil prices in dollar continue to peak. Will OPEC countries continue to be satisfied with their paycheck in devalued dollars?
There is apparently one oil `biggie' left: Iraq. That oil was the critical factor in the Iraq invasion is proven by the fact that after Saddam Hussein was defeated the US troops occupied immediately the Iraq Oil Ministry and seized the seismic maps of its oilfields. For the rest, the Iraqi people were free to loot everywhere and everything else.

`Moving money around' (financial transactions) became a bigger `business' in the US than manufacturing (making things). The population's savings rate is dropping like a stone. Public and private (`I shop, therefore I am') debt reaches all time highs, creating a monstrous `credit-industrial complex'.

The risk of overreach in military human and financial resources for the defense of petro-imperialism is becoming extremely high.
The author compares the actual world context with the ones confronted by other imperialisms (the Roman, Dutch, Spanish and British). He sees dark and ghostly clouds at the horizon for the American theocracy.

Kevin Phillips`s book is a must read for all those interested in world politics.

Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush

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The One Book No US Politician Will Read, That You SHOULD Read
And, so we solemnly pray for...
They're all Idoits
The usual gang of idiots
On the surface

Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush
Barry M. Lando
Manufacturer: Other Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1590512383

Book Description

An investigative history of Western complicity in Saddam Hussein's crimes reveals the story his trial never will. In February 1991, the Shia of southern Iraq rose against Saddam Hussein. Barry M. Lando, a former investigative producer for 60 Minutes, argues compellingly that this ill-fated uprising represents one instance among many of Western complicity in Saddam Hussein's crimes against humanity. The Shia were responding to the call for rebellion from President George H.W. Bush that was broadcast repeatedly across Iraq by clandestine CIA stations. But, just as the revolution was on the brink of success, the United States and its allies turned their backs: U.S. troops destroyed huge weapons caches to prevent them from falling into rebel hands and blocked rebels trying to reach Baghdad. In the end, tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, were massacred. Because of restrictions imposed by the Special Tribunal prosecuting Saddam Hussein, the extensive role of the U.S. and its allies in his crimes will never be explored at his trial. But as Web of Deceit demonstrates, the nations that now denounce Saddam most prominently secretly backed the dictator from his rise to power in the 1960s and '70s to his offensives in Iran and, despite warnings, took no action to stop his invasion of Kuwait. They also turned their backs when he used chemical weapons against the Iraqi people and persisted in international sanctions long after they had proved ineffective and, for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, lethal. Web of Deceit draws on a wide range of journalism and scholarship to present a complete picture of what really happened in Iraq under Saddam, detailing—for the first time—the complicity of the West in its full and alarming extent.

Customer Reviews:

The One Book No US Politician Will Read, That You SHOULD Read.......2007-06-19

This is one of two books that I have read together, both documenting the decades of deceit by both the US and UK governments, and to a much lesser degree, by France, Germany, and Russia, among others.

The two compelling facts that stay with me as I put the book down, are two:

1) From Churchill to Kennedy to Bush (Cheney), all of our Presidents in the US, but most especially Reagan, Bush, Clinton (Brzezinski), and the current and failed crew of neo conservatives that use Bush Junior as a talking doll, have been complicit--let me spell that again--complicit in the mass murders, the massacres, the torture that we first condoned and now practice ourselves. The US White House denizens are all long overdue for formal indictment, at least by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The author documents, very ably, a long string of broken promises (e.g. to the Bedouin leader for a free Arab state in return for help in WWI, to the Kurds, etc.) and complicity in mass murder. In the author's views, the sanctions are a war crime against the children, women, and elderly of Iraq, a war crime that lasted thirteen years.

2) Salaam Hussein was a creature spawned in large part by the CIA. Although I have spent 30 years in the intelligence business, it was not until I embarked on my broad non-fiction reading program that I have been able to understand that the CIA specifically, but all the rest of the classified intelligence community, is complicit in mass murders, genocides, running cocaine into the US to wipe out poor communities now addicted to crack, made affordable by the CIA's drug runners, and made politically kosher because Wall Street demands drug money--laundered drug money--for its liquidity.

I join Lee Iacocca in asking, "Where is the outrage?" There is not a candidate for President today, not even Ron Paul, who can outline in chapter and verse, as I now can on the shoulders of the 900+ authors whose hard-earned insights I have absorbed these past six years, the evil that Lionel Tiger and others show is inherent in industrialization and the centralization of power. We need to destroy the current corrupt elections process, implement electoral reform across the board, and start putting bright honorable people in office, instead of these nakedly immoral and profoundly evil creatures who will inflict any sacrifice, impose any burden, on We the People so that they may profit.

A few of the many gems from this superb work:

1) All our Presidents in recent time have lied to us, and the most humiliating of all of these lies was not the weapons of mass destruction, but the abandonment of the Kurds and the refusal to listen when Iraqi generals approached Iraqi dissidents who in turn came to the Department of State only to be shunned away. Salaam Hussein promised to leave Kuwait, but US wanted to destroy his army, and refused to hold off on what proved to be 40 hours of pure slaughter. Gulf II was not only more lies, but the active suppression of facts and dissident views, not least of which were General Tony Zinni's views--he was called a traitor by Condolezza Rice, who appears to know nothing of honor, decency, and truthfulness.

2) CIA is creating more long-term havoc than it is worth. I am finally persuaded, with absolute certainty, that we need to get out of the covert action business. CIA should become the National Analysis Agency, and the small clandestine arm should be limited to multinational operations against transnational crime and terrorism, with an Inspector General in every Station.

3) Jimmy Carter, advised by Zbig Brzezinski, comes out of this book looking both more ignorant and more unscrupulous than Reagan or either of the Bushies. Brzezinski not only masterminded the tacit okay for Pakistani development of nuclear weapons in return for aid in Afghanistan, he also began the process of helping Salaam Hussein acquire, develop, and utilize weapons of mass destruction, and I hold Brzezinski directly accountable for the mass murder of Kurds, Iraqi Shiites, and Iranians.

There are many other notes from this book that I have, but rather than lay them out here I am going to simply say that this book moves to the top of my list of books on evaluating the Iraq misadventure that has given us a $2 trillion debt and 75,000 amputees whose lives are forever shattered ***for no good reason***

The betrayal of the public trust by both the Executive and Congress, by both politicians and senior civil servants and military flag officers, has been outrageous. The author uses the words ignorance, arrogance, incompetence, amorality, illegality, hypocrisy, and cynicism sparingly. This is not a vendetta book. This is a reasons indictment and joins a host of other books that demand the immediate impeachment not only of the sitting President and Vice President, but also of the Republican ***and*** Democratic leadership in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

I am ashamed of our Republic and what these amoral thieves have done "in our name." I am disheartened by the knowledge that all of our brave troops have died, been disabled, and suffered for ***no good reason.*** This makes me very angry. Angry enough to begin speaking out, pleading with America to wake up and find within itself the means for a non-violent restoration of the Constitution and We the People as individuals with liberty for all, lest America be disgraced, and our children's' futures sacrificed, forevermore. Shame, shame, shame.

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And, so we solemnly pray for..........2007-05-24

Barry M. Lando presents a virtual rogue's gallery of the good Christian boys and girl who the knuckleheads at my church pray for, apparently because they have put young men and women from our community at the point of the spear to "fight for our freedom." The author's revelations appear authentic, and are not as surpising as they should be. As a veteran, not a hero, of Desert Storm, I remember the TV interview of the young African American soldier from our fort who was raring to go to Kuwait to "restore democracy." Apparently, the poor sap did not realize Kuwait never had democracy and he himself, as a black in the south, did not either. It was about oil then and is about oil, and a rather dangerous vendetta mixed with bizarre religious tones now. How fascinating that we propped up both Iran and Iraq during a lengthy and bloody conflict that killed both civilain and soldier alike. Then, we merrily ran sanctions that killed perhaps half a million or more children in Iraq, while at the same time, praying, wailing and beating their chests in agony when a brain dead woman was taken off life support. This rather reminds me of the Kingston Trio's "Merry Minuet." Perhaps this is something more than irony, but I do not know what it is. Colon Powell and Tony Blair were added to the cast of villians. I had hoped Powell had been duped by the sock puppet, but he appeared to go along of his own volition. I should have figured Blair all along, considering the imperialistic horrors that have been inflicted upon the Southwest Asian Peninsula by his country for more than a century. The civilian and military deaths add up to quite a tidy total, but as Stalin would have agreed, this is merely a statistic and no one cares. So, this is why I gave the book a 3 star. It is a swell documentation of a murderous disaster, but it does not accomplish a darn thing. This book will not cause one policy change. America will still believe the president, inspired by Jesus, is fighting the war to protect us from terrorism, instead of actually fanning the fires of terrorism. Since the publication of this book, things have gotten from bad to worse. One voice on Christian radio denouncing gay marriage will get more attention than all the press run of this title. Folks who wish to read more books on this subject, which also have not changed a darn thing, might read "All the Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer and "Sleeping with the Devil" by Robert Baer.

They're all Idoits.......2007-04-03

After reading this book, you'll discover that Bush isn't the only idiot when it comes to the current Iraq situation. In fact the idiocy of today goes way way back. It's a fasinating history and make you realize that our leaders don't read history because they foolishly repeat it. In the case of W, it makes you wonder what the hell he thought he was going to do once he got there. Makes you appreciate George W's policy of not going to Bagdad during the Gulf war, though he screwed up too. And Clinton! Don't even get me started... Buy the book, read the book, it's very very good.

The usual gang of idiots.......2007-03-27

When Saddam Hussein's Iraq actually had weapons of mass destruction, the George Iran-Contra Bush administration denied it for political purposes. And years later when Hussein's Iraq rid itself of W.M.D., the George A.W.O.L. Bush administration denied it for political purposes. Such has been the plight of the people of Iraq, who have suffered as pawns of greater nations for 85 years, as author Barry Lando itemizes in his book WEB OF DECEIT.

WEB OF DECEIT traces the anguish of the Iraqis since that nation's inception under the thumb of Winston Churchill's England. As WEB OF DECEIT moves on through the bad Bush to the worse Bush, names such as Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Cheney come back like cancers you hoped would stay in remission.

Read WEB OF DECEIT, which author Lando should have titled THE USUAL GANG OF IDIOTS. But when the idiots in question are people such as Dick Cheney, MAD magazine could object to borrowing the slogan.

On the surface.......2007-03-26

This account is typical of the modern era, branding all countries to be entirely tools of the west and therefore blaming the west for everything that goes on in them. FOr Iraq this seems superficially true in this account. It was supposedly created by Winston Churchill upon the ruins of the Ottoman empire and then America supported Saddam against Iran in the 1980s and then America invaded the country in 2003, as a scapegoat for terror. JFK is even accused of being duplicitous somehow, apparently by encouraging Iraq to be part of an anti-Soviet alliance.

But this is only an account on the surface and fails to show the great impact that Iraqis had on their own country. It is not true that the borders of Iraq were created entirely from nothing. Since time immemorial there have existed the divisions of Syria and Mesopotamia and the latter is mostly what is Iraq. Moreover Iraqs eastern border with Iran goes back more than 1,000 years. Only in the south and west, the desert regions, were border lines drawn as they were everywhere, recently.

In addition, Iraqi leaders such as King Faisal, Nuri-al-Siad and Saddam Husien had a great impact on their own country irrespective of the west. They shaped their country and played tribes and ethnic groups off against one another, without any help or encoruagement from anyone. To insinuate that everything that took place in Iraq from 1920 to the present is due to the west is racist, it pretends that Iraqis are incapable of doing anything themselves, which is far from the truth. This book would be better if it included greater detail on the influence of Iraqi leaders in crafting an Iraqi identity. Also there is no mention of Soviet meddling.

Seth J. Frantzman

Average customer rating:

Finally some people worthy of impeaching!
A Compelling Case
True, true, true
Clever Format, But Not Much New
Lots of Holes

United States V. George W. Bush et al.
Elizabeth De La Vega
Manufacturer: Seven Stories Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1583227563

Book Description

In United States v. George W. Bush et al., former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega brings her twenty years of experience and her passion for justice to the most important case of her career. The defendants are George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell. The crime is tricking the nation into war, or, in legal terms, conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Ms. de la Vega has reviewed the evidence, researched the law, drafted an indictment, and in this lively, accessible book, presented it to a grand jury. If the indictment and grand jury are both hypothetical, the facts are tragically real: Over half of all Americans believe the president misled the country into a war that has left over 2,500 American soldiers and countless Iraqis dead. The cost is $350 billion-and counting.

Customer Reviews:

Finally some people worthy of impeaching!.......2007-06-13

Elizabeth hits the nail on the head. This is a 5 star fantasy, I can imagine being in the courtroom and sitting on my hands so I don't jump up and cheer when she twists the knife!
Great book! Thanks for giving me a great fantasy...now let's visualize impeachment!

A Compelling Case.......2007-04-18

If Bush is ever brought to trial, it will prove highly costly to the taxpayers. Ms. de la Vega has presented an excellent case and series of arguments against Dumbya, aka Bush. The concept of such a trial, a case of the people against the president is certainly a very interesting one. The closest this country has ever seen of such a possibility was in 1974 when Nixon faced possible charges and indictment in re the Watergate Scandal. Still, it would be interesting to see the Bush Administration own up to the charges that have been brought against it.

This author has indeed used credible media publications to back her accounts. She has not relied on hearsay on any of these charges presented herein. Her book is clean and crisp and direct; it does not get mired in minutiae.

True, true, true.......2007-04-06

Title speeks for itself.
And the VP is still using the same reasons--say it enough and you believe it.

Clever Format, But Not Much New.......2007-03-26

There are a bunch of books that criticize the Bush administration, but there are few that try to build a criminal conspiracy case against President Bush and his closest advisors. Ms. de la Vega does a good job of laying out how Mr. Bush and others have defrauded the United States Congress in the justification and preparation for the Iraq war. Presented in the form of grand jury testimony, the story is relatively engaging and allows Ms. de la Vega to use fictional FBI agents to lay out her case.

The novelty of the idea is also the biggest drawback. Any lawyer knows that getting a grand jury to indict is not a great challenge. The testimony comes out as favorably to the prosecution as possible without cross-examination. It's a stacked deck, and Ms. de la Vega has played her hand well. A more interesting exercise might have been to present the case as an actual trial, which would allow the Bush adminstration to answer the charges against it.

Factually, there's nothing here that hasn't been reported elsewhere. In fact, Ms de la Vega draws heavily upon published media accounts, not insider information, to make her charges. Anyone who has already read other books about the run-up to the Iraq war is likely to feel like he is treading over familiar grounds. Ms. de la Vega's book is likely to be most interesting to those without a lot of prior exposure to the circumstances leading up to the war. It's a quick read that doesn't get caught up in too much detail.

Lots of Holes.......2007-03-11

A fictional account of a grand jury investigation into the Bush administration's role in the Iraq war, the book purports to be based strictly on facts. Those" facts," however, are highly suspect, depending as they do on hearsay, out of context statements, and questionable evidence. Moreover, the inferences the author draws from them often do not follow.

Some of the "facts" even require interpretation by the witness. At one point, after eliciting testimony of something the President allegedly said--something that could be interpreted in various ways--the prosecutor asks the witness, "What did the President mean by that?" (These are not exact quotes, but close.) And of course, the witness gives a nefarious interpretation. But if the evidence can't stand on its own, it's not evidence.

Worse is the echo of McCarthyism and trial by innuendo--one can almost hear the questioner drone, "Are you now, or have you ever been a member of . . . ?" But this time it's not the communist party, it's the Project for a New America, an organization which believes--so says the author--that America should be pre-eminent in the world. What a shocking idea! The prosecutor dutifully elicits testimony that some members of the Bush administration have actually been connected to the organization!

The prosecutor employs another cheap trick right out of the arsenal of the sleazy lawyer. After eliciting testimony from a witness relative to the Downing Street memo (which itself is highly-questionable hearsay) that, before the war, the British government had some concerns about the legal and moral basis for invading Iraq, the prosecutor begins her next question, "Knowing there was no moral or legal basis for invading Iraq, did Tony Blair . . . ?" (Again not an exact quote, but pretty close.) Of course the witness did not say there was no moral or legal basis, but there were "concerns" But why let truth get in the way?

The book does serve as a kind of icon, a display of the deeply fraudulent case of the Bush haters against the President.

Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy

Average customer rating:

Powerful critique of GWB not written by whiney liberal
Well written critical summary of the G.W. Bush Years
Good, but...
An attack more in sorrow than in anger
Critique of the President from the Right

Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy
Bruce Bartlett
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385518277
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Book Description

George W. Bush came to the presidency in 2000 claiming to be the heir of Ronald Reagan. But while he did cut taxes, in most other respects he has governed in a way utterly unlike his revered predecessor, expanding the size and scope of government, letting immigration go unchecked, and allowing the federal budget to mushroom out of control.

Despite their strong misgivings, most conservatives remained silent during Bush’s first term. But a series of missteps and scandals, culminating in the ill-conceived nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, has brought this hidden rift within the conservative movement crashing to the surface.

Now, in what is sure to be the political book of the season, Bruce Bartlett lays bare the incompetence and profligacy of Bush’s economic policies. A highly respected Washington economist—and true-believing Reaganite—Bartlett started out as a supporter of Bush and helped him craft his tax cuts. But he was dismayed by the way they were executed. Reagan combined his tax cuts with fiscal restraint, but Bush has done the opposite. Bartlett thus reluctantly concluded that Bush is not a Reaganite at all, but an unprincipled opportunist who will do whatever he or his advisers think is expedient to buy votes.

In this sober, thorough, and utterly devastating book, Bartlett attacks the Bush Administration's economic performance root and branch, from the "stovepiping" of its policy process to the coercive tactics used to ram its policies through Congress, to the effects of the policies themselves. He is especially hard on Bush’s enormous new Medicare entitlement…and predicts that within a few years, Bush's tax cuts and unrestricted spending will produce an economic crisis that will require a major tax increase, probably in the form of a European-style VAT.

Bartlett has surprisingly kind words for Bill Clinton, whose record on the budget was far better than Bush’s. Whatever else one may think of him, Bartlett argues, Clinton cut spending, abolished a federal entitlement program, and left a budget surplus. By contrast, Bush has increased spending, created a massive entitlement program, and produced the biggest deficits in American history.

In fact, Bartlett concludes, Bush is less like Reagan than like Nixon: an arch-conservative Republican, bitterly hated by liberals, who vainly tried to woo moderates by enacting big parts of the liberal program. It didn't work then, and it won't work now—and may have similar harmful effects for the GOP.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful critique of GWB not written by whiney liberal.......2007-06-02

Well written entertaining hard hitting book on the various failures of the Bush presidency.

This book is packed with facts and logic supporting the author's thesis that George W. Bush is not a conservative president and has done a bad job from a conservative perspective. Rather GWB has been a highly partisan Republican president in the genre of Richard Nixon in that he has pushed liberal policies like expansion of medicare benefits, pouring billions into educations, committing the troops to nation-building of a democracy (which no doubt will end up like Vietnam) in a place where US troops don't belong.

If you are a die-hard Bush fan or a liberal Bush-hater don't bother buying this book as it probably won't provide any enjoyment. But if you are an intelligent open-minded individual who appreciates a frank discussion of policy from the conservative viewpoint you should not be disappointed.

Well written critical summary of the G.W. Bush Years.......2007-05-20

This book by a Reagan insider reveals in stark detail Bush's hipocracy in using the conservative title. Bartlett shows him as an grandiose opportunist who believes he is guided by God, and making all the errors of judgement that stem from such absurd overconfidence.

Good, but..........2007-04-18

I hate Dubya as much has the next good liberal, but I found this book to be a bit tough to get through due to its focus on economic issues. Cleary, he can be similarly criticized for straying from conservative positions on a whole host of other issues, but the author never strays from economics (but to be fair, that is his area of expertise). At the end, he even veers off on some VAT tax tangent that has nothing to do with Bush.

It's not a bad book, but buyer beware.

An attack more in sorrow than in anger.......2007-02-23

This is a good book. As a political book it is well above average.
As an attack book it is one of the best because it deals with facts,
mostly, and usually identifies opinions as opinions.

We have 210 pages of text, divided into 11 chapters, mostly complaining about
what Bush did, but a lot of complaints about how he did it, and why.
There 35 pages of appendices and notes, documenting the "what" quite well,
and the "how" fairly well. The "why" seems not as well done, but better than
the average political attack book.

A common attack book strategy is to make a statement as a fact, and provide
a note reference. The reference turns out to be an opinion offered elsewhere,
sometimes by the same author. Another is broad labelling. A request for a
hardship deferral makes one a draft dodger. Not accepting a particular
theory espoused by a professor makes one anti-intellectual. These are
rare in Bartlett's book.

There are also 31 pages of end notes, 49 pages of references and a 14 page
index. You can check his claims. In most cases there are references to
both sides of an issue.

I also appreciated that Bartlett identified the political biases of think
tanks and publications.

There are some weaknesses in the book. Much of the subject matter involves
economics, a topic most readers find boring, intimidating, or both.
To aid the attack, Bush is compared against Clinton in some ways and
against Reagan in others. Bartlett gives Clinton credit for welfare reform.
He properly identifies the tax increases that partly offset the Reagan
tax cuts, but ignores the slowness of spending reductions. Bartlett
argues there will be a major tax increase, probably after Bush is gone,
then spends many pages supporting a value added tax (VAT) as the least
bad way to do it.

Some Republicans will hate the book because it attacks one of their own.
Bartlett got fired for writing it. Some Democrats will hate the book
because it does not accuse Bush of treason, rape, armed robbery, and
wearing ugly ties. This is clearly an attack book, but it seems to have
been written more in sorrow than in anger. The book is far more rational
and far less emotional than some of the reviews here.

Critique of the President from the Right.......2006-09-24

This is an interesting work. Many of the critical analyses of the Bush II Administration (George W. Bush as opposed to George H. W. Bush, referred to as Bush I below) have come from journalists or those on the left or from Democrats. This book is fascinating precisely because it is authored by a conservative, one who served in the Reagan White House and in the Bush I Treasury Department. In that, it is akin to Francis Fukuyama's critical analyses of neocons and the Administration's Nation-Building efforts. And, indeed, Bartlett paid a personal price for his criticisms--he lost his job.

He suggests that the Bush II Administration is simply not conservative. In fact, the first chapter's title exemplifies that theme: "I Know Conservatives and George W. Bush Is No Conservative." Among his contentions: the Bush II administration simply does not care about serious policy analysis; it is more concerned with attaining its goals. The chapter, entitled "The End of Serious Policy Analysis," quotes part of Ron Suskind's interview with a top Bush official (some opine that this quotation may come from Karl Rove himself): "You guys, the aide said, are 'in what we call the reality-based community.' Such people are defined, the aide went on, as those who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernable reality.'" The aide went on, quoting Bartlett: "That's not the way the world works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. Any while you're studying that reality--judiciously as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities. . . ."

Other chapters question the Bush II Administration for its tax cuts, its trade policy, why Enron serves as metaphor for Bush's economic policy, the budget (mirabile dictu, Bartlett suggests that Bill Clinton's policy is preferable to Bush II), and so on.

Precisely because this is a critique from the right, this becomes a very interesting volume to reflect upon. While sometimes the critique becomes a bit shrill, this is still worth looking at and thinking about.

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy

Average customer rating:

Ground Zero
Meticulously researched and factual
Makes Al Gore look like Pollyanna
Who voted for this guy and why?
Son of Bobby nails the Plunder Elite for ongoing rape of nature

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy
Jr., Robert F. Kennedy
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060746882
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Book Description

In this powerful indictment of George W. Bush's White House, environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., charges that the administration has taken corporate favoritism to unprecedented heights -- threatening our health, our national security, and our democracy.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration, in order to enrich its corporate paymasters, has eviscerated the laws that protect our nation's air, water, public lands, and wildlife. He describes the White House doling out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to energy barons while allowing the corporations to profit by poisoning the public and eliminating security at the more than 15,000 nuclear and chemical facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. He shows how right-wing White House ideologues have taken the "conserve" out of conservatism and trampled the free-market democracy in favor of a kind of corporate-crony capitalism that is as antithetical to democracy, efficiency, and prosperity in America as it is in Nigeria.

Crimes Against Nature is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen whom Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. "Without exception," he writes, "these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American."

Download Description

In this powerful and far-reaching indictment of George W. Bush's White House, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the country's most prominent environmental attorney, charges that this administration has taken corporate cronyism to such unprecedented heights that it now threatens our health, our national security, and democracy as we know it. In a headlong pursuit of private profit and personal power, Kennedy writes, George Bush and his administration have eviscerated the laws that have protected our nation's air,water, public lands, and wildlife for the past thirty years, enriching the president's political contributors whilelowering the quality of life for the rest of us.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration has orchestrated these rollbacks almost entirely outside of public scrutiny -- and in tandem with the very industries that our laws are meant to regulate, the country's most notorious polluters. He writes of how it has deceived the public by manipulating and suppressing scientific data, intimidated enforcement officials and other civil servants, and masked its agenda with Orwellian doublespeak. He reports on how the White House doles out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to the energy barons while excusing industry from providing adequate security at the more than 15,000 chemical and nuclear facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. Kennedy reveals an administration whose policies have ""squandered our Treasury, entangled us in foreign wars, diminished our international prestige, made us a target for terrorist attacks, and increased our reliance on petty Middle Eastern dictators who despise democracy and are hated by their own people.""

Crimes Against Nature is ultimately about the corrosive effect of corporate corruption on our core American values -- free-market capitalism and democracy. It is about an administration, the author argues, that has sacrificed respect for the law, public health, scientific integrity, and long-term economic vitality on the altar of corporate greed. It is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. ""Without exception,"" he writes, ""these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American."" "

Customer Reviews:

Ground Zero.......2007-05-15

Why would I tell you this book is a bunch of liberal nonsense? Could it be that I am on the payroll of one of the plundering industries? Could it be that I think that a healthy economy is better than safe water or safe air? Could it be that I am one of the many many accused who have committed one or several of the crimes in this book? Could it be that I hold a position in government that is meant to serve you, but all I have really done is benefit a major polluter? Could it be that due to some toxic pollutant we are all exposed to thanks to wealthy profiteers that my thinking process is greatly impaired? Could it be that I just don't want you to know the truth? Could it be that I love Bush and worship the dollar? Maybe it could be one or all of these, that is if I were to tell you that it is anything but something you NEED to know.

This book will guide you to the real "ground zero". It will make you wonder who is the real "axis of evil". Should you be concerned? Let me put it this way, using the words of Benito Mussolini, "Fascism should rather be called corporatism, as it is the merging of government and corporate power."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lists names of offenders and industries and what and how they have managed to screw you, everyone of you out of your right to a healthy environment and your taxes pay for this to boot. He exposes the "Wise Use" based environmentally "friendly sounding" organizations that have been spawned by every offending industry solely to deceive you and lull you back to sleep. To these wealthy criminals, you are nothing more than cattle to be slaughtered at the alter of profit. And to those who think this book is nonsense, all I can think of to tell you that might even remotely make any sense to you is "moo".

Meticulously researched and factual.......2007-04-30

As an environmental engineer for over 18 years, I can tell you that what RFK Jr. is saying is not alarmist, it's accurate. I've spent much of my time fighting State & U.S. EPA regulators against their attempts to impose unreasonably conservative (i.e., restrictive) regulations. But the environmental violations committed by the Bush administration are heinous and egregious. I sincerely feel I'm living in a repressive society (hello, Nazi Germany) where crimes of this magnitude can escape unnoticed and unpunished. Hitler was no more insidiously evil than the Bush administration!

Makes Al Gore look like Pollyanna.......2007-04-01

WARNING: This book will make your blood boil.

Bobby Kennedy has been walking the walk for a long time--and he really tells it like it is. To a Dem or liberal or anyone who cares about the environment, he is preaching to the choir. But in my opinion, Kennedy's important contribution is to appeal to everyone--regardless of party, philosophical, or political persuasion.He describes with impeccable detail, chapter, verse, and evidence how the Bush administration has, in its headlong race towards its own--and Earth's- extinction, surgically removed the word "conserve" from conservative. Not even the most loyal Republican can read this impeccably documented presentation of the systematic,intentional and callous destruction of the Public Trust without a feeling of sadness, anger, and betrayal.

Who voted for this guy and why?.......2007-03-29

This book just gave me more reasons to dislike him.

Son of Bobby nails the Plunder Elite for ongoing rape of nature.......2007-02-14

What's so exciting about this expose is that Mr. Kennedy--senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper, and president of Waterkeeper Alliance--advocates an extreme "free-market" position:

"You show me a polluter and I'll show you a subsidy. I'll show you a fat cat using political clout to escape the discipline of the free market and load his production costs onto the backs of the public."
-- pg. 190

Kennedy starts with a description of the cesspool of Texas, in 1999 determined to be the worst-polluting state in America. It's no accident Bush became governor. For one thing, he declared emergency tort reform, making it all but impossible for Texans to bring class action suits against polluters.

Kennedy shows how corporate-privilege think tanks worked to undermine the legitimate popular sentiment for clean air and water. Bush picked Dick Cheney (or Cheney picked himself) to be running mate, to guarantee support of key oil, coal, mining, timber, chemical, pharmaceutical, and agribusiness lobbies, as well as from the Christian right.

Bush-Cheney has held fast against taking action against global warming, insisting the jury is still out. There are basically no scientific skeptics anymore, and opponents of the anthropogenic, fossil-fuel greenhouse-gas theory have thinned to a small band of "industry-funded charlatans whose voices are amplified through the bullhorn of Rush Limbaugh and the shills at the Heritage Foundation."

The administration has also dumbed down and politicized the EPA, for example, ignoring the health threats of airborne contaminants following 911, thus endangering the health of firefighters, police, construction workers, and residents.

Cheney secretly convened the National Energy Policy Development Group to set the agenda for energy policy in Bushworld. The Republican-sponsored bill that proceeded from NEPD's report consisted of a cornucopia of subsidies and pollution exemptions to oil, coal, and nuclear industries. RFK, Jr. gives all the gory details.

I want to conclude my review with two particularly disturbing items that Kennedy notes:

1) Big Coal is the number one polluter in terms of greenhouse
gases, mercury, ozone, dangerous particulates and acid
rain. Particularly with the advent of mountain-top removal
mining, storage of the slurry waste becomes a huge threat
downstream of the earthen dams. Thousands of people
will die; Big Coal doesn't have to clean up the mess,
because Big Coal spent tens of millions of dollars to elect
Bush-Cheney.

...

For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]

Brian Wright
Copyright 2007

Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America

Average customer rating:

Dear Molly
Do not waste your money
A loss.....and an inspiration
A must read for every American regardless of political affiliation.
Right On, Molly

Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America
Molly Ivins , and Lou Dubose
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375713115
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

She tried to warn us: With the publication of Shrub in early 2000, syndicated columnist Molly Ivins detailed George W. Bush's privileged rise and disastrous reign as governor of Texas in the mid- to late `90s. In Bushwhacked, she looks at his first term as president. The picture she paints is unremittingly bleak—unless, of course, you're a big campaign donor well served by Bush's prescription for all economic ills (deregulation, tax cuts for those who need them least, and lax enforcement of worker and environmental safety standards). As the only president in U.S. history to slash taxes and go to war simultaneously, Bush wins consistently low marks from Ivins for pursuing "crony capitalism" to its inevitably depressing extremes. While many of the topics covered here have been covered extensively (Enron, the war in Iraq), Ivins does a good job of building on what's already been written (proving Bush's close ties to former Enron chief Ken Lay, and laying out the fundamentalist, apocalyptic view of Iraq and the Middle East that drives Bush's foreign policy). Ivins is particularly good in taking arcane federal regulations and showing how the Bush administration's lax oversight has hurt ordinary Americans, making their jobs, homes, water, and food less safe. Ivins is no distanced observer. She's clearly incensed by Bush's policies, but her reporting is so detailed and writing so witty that even those who come to the book undecided about Bush will likely be outraged by the time they finish it. ----Keith Moerer

Book Description

A simultaneously rollicking and sobering indictment of the policies of President George W. Bush, Bushwhacked chronicles the destructive impact of the Bush administration on the very people who put him in the White House in the first place. Here are the ties that connected Bush to Enron, yes, but here, too, is the story of the woman who walks six miles to the unemployment office daily, wondering what happened to the economic security Bush promised. Here are reports on failed nation-building missions in Kabul and Baghdad. Here, too, the story of a rancher who has fallen prey to a Bush-Cheney interior department that is perhaps a wee bit too cozy with the oil industry. Bushwhacked is highly original and entirely thought-provoking—essential reading for anyone living in George W. Bush's America.

Customer Reviews:

Dear Molly.......2007-03-08

Yours was the first book that turned me into an politicalaholic. The story you wrote of people who could make a change, lived simply but made a difference, had a real affect on me.

I was also unaware, until you came along, how this administration has relaxed food inspection standards to the point the production lines may not be stopped unless an inspector sees contaminants. It's stupefying that people are dying daily because food inspectors are not supposed to stand in the way of big business. This was just one chapter in a myriad of things you brought to light.

Thanks to Bush, Houston now has a higher level of air pollution than Los Angeles. There is not a clean river in the entire state. And there is an alarming rise in respiratory illnesses. The man also claimed, that as governor Texas had the most comprehensive health coverage in the country. The bill was only passed over his second veto, and was left unsigned on his desk. You let us know all these things.

Your writing style made each page an effortless wonder of new information served up in an impressive and humorous way.

It's good that there were people like you who walked the earth. We are the better for it, and that is why we will miss you.

I don't have a stetson, only my Yankee cap to tip, but my hat's off to you!

Happy Trails, gracious lady!

Ed

Do not waste your money.......2007-02-05

This book is a feeble attempt to slam a politician. There's nothing constructive here, just liberal whinning.

A loss.....and an inspiration.......2007-02-01

America just lost a great journalist in Molly Ivins. That she found a way to add humor to her writing was value additive. It made the trip through her thoughtful work something you could cope with. Somehow the horrors she told us at least found some balance this way. I always thought of Mark Twain. In this way I thought she was wonderfully considerate of audience both for telling us the truth, and sparing a knife blade in our gut with the kindness of humor. It takes such writing work to write with humor.People do not realize. This was my favorite book as she wrote of Bush in office. I'd rather choke on dirt or learn to bungee jump off a hot air balloon than tell his "evolving" and she credited him with thinking ability, amazing. I am a school teacher and what she said about how education devolved/developed in Texas under the Shrub was very helpful. And on NCLB also so insightful. But I'm reviewing to say basically to all women, she was a model for having a voice, making a mark on the field, operation with integrity and grit. We should all have a week off to read her and recall what a mind. I think of her as an American writer who chose to report.I'd recommend any of her works but I preferred this one.

A must read for every American regardless of political affiliation........2006-12-17

Molly Ivins at her absolute best. She and Lou Dubose have put together an indictment of the Bush administration that every American - regardless of political affiliation - should read. This book had the power to infuriate me, delight me and upon occasion bring me to tears. Ivins and Dubose interviewed people (many of them life-long Republicans) who have been negatively impacted by the Bush administration through scorched earth land use legislation favoring large corporations instead of landowners, health care legislation favoring large health care conglomerates instead of patients, education legislation written to favor textbook manufacturers and test suppliers instead of students, food processing legislation favoring large scale operations at the expense of their workers. Many of those interviewed live lives shattered beyond repair by Bush and his cronies. They present very real and personalized accounts of the damage the Bush administration has done to this country and its people, much of which will likely take decades to undo - some which will never be undone. With her "no BS" attitude, Ivins, along with Dubose, has skewered the makers of this disaster deftly, accurately, and completely. Thank God for Molly Ivins.

Right On, Molly.......2006-11-10

Ivins has a way with words and situations that is just priceless. She kept me laughing driving down the freeway.

My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
A good and decent man
An easy read
Heartwarming.
Passionate Labor of Love

My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush
Doro Bush Koch
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell

ASIN: 0446579904

Book Description

As president, he oversaw the end of the Cold War and helped liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein's forces. As the U.S. Liaison to China, he held tenure during communist rule under Mao, and as Ambassador to the United Nations, he forged relations around the world. From his days as a young Texas congressman to witnessing his son become the current president, George H. W. Bush has played a major role on the world stage for decades and continues to as elder statesman. Now, using events from his life, the former president's only daughter examines how her father confronted challenges, how he responded to crises, and how he kept his humor and personality through it all.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-05-12

Learned many things about George H W Bush that I never knew. Very enjoyable book and easy to read.

A good and decent man.......2007-03-11

This book provides more insight into the essential goodness of George H.W. Bush. Aside from the facts and figures of his early career, vice-presidency and Presidency, the book gives us a fascinating look at how someone so prominent can still adhere to the Golden Rule. I found the stories told by Secret Service agents and staff about his common courtesy, concern and humor to be the most interesting. He never felt he was better or more important than anyone else, although I think history will ultimately say otherwise.

An easy read.......2007-02-21

What a wonderful tribute to her father! This is a great read and gives us an insight into what makes this man tick.

Heartwarming........2007-02-08

This was a very informative book. It is refreshing to hear good things about such public figures. Mr. Bush is thought of in endearing ways by many people and loved dearly by his family.

Passionate Labor of Love.......2007-02-06

Doro Bush Koch has compiled a very special account of not only her father, but her entire family. It is obvious that this was a passionate labor of love project. The detailed amount of research for this book proves that the author did not rush pell-mell into this project. Personal notes and letters are included. The results of her interviews with a multitude of political and world leaders add stories and point of views of others. An added bonus are the numerous personal family photos and annual nonce Christmas cards that allows the reader a peek into the private lives of the Bush Family. If you are a political fanatic or just want to know more about the Bush Family journey from several generations, then you will enjoy this book.

Review by:
Pamela Jarmon-Wade

Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush

Average customer rating:

Obessive Secrecy
I finally agree with him completely.
So True
Reader's Digest version of Dean's latest diatribe against all things Republican
Like A Monarchy: The Forgetful Presidency of George W. Bush

Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush
John W. Dean
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Against All Enemies

ASIN: 0446694835

Amazon.com

The most facile presidential comparison one could make for George W. Bush would be his father, who presided over a war in Iraq and a struggling economy. Some "neocons" reject the parallel and compare Bush to his father's predecessor, Ronald Reagan, citing a plainspoken quality and a belief in deep tax cuts. But John Dean goes further back, seeing in Bush all the secrecy and scandal of Dean's former boss, the notorious Richard Nixon. The difference, as the title of Dean's book indicates, is that Bush is a heck of a lot worse. While the book provides insightful snippets of the way Nixon used to do business, it offers them to shed light on the practices of Bush. In Dean's estimation, the secrecy with which Bush and Dick Cheney govern is not merely a preferred system of management but an obsessive strategy meant to conceal a deeply troubling agenda of corporate favoritism and a dramatic growth in unchecked power for the executive branch that put at risk the lives of American citizens, civil liberties, and the Constitution. Dean sets out to make his point by drawing attention to several areas about which Bush and Cheney have been tight-lipped: the revealing by a "senior White House official" of the identity of an undercover CIA operative whose husband questioned the administration, the health of Cheney, the identity of Cheney's energy task force, the information requested by the bi-partisan 9/11 commission, Bush's business dealings early in his career, the creation of a "shadow government", wartime prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, and scores more. He theorizes that the truth about these and many other situations, including the decision to go to war in Iraq, will eventually surface and that Bush and Cheney's secrecy is a thus far effective means of keep a lid on a rapidly multiplying set of lies and scandals that far outstrip the misdeeds that led directly to Dean's former employer resigning in disgrace. Dean's charges are impassioned and more severe than many of Bush's most persistent critics. But those charges are realized only after careful reasoning and steady logic by a man who knows his way around scandal and corruption. --John Moe

Book Description

Now in paperback-the New York Times bestseller by former White House counsel John W. Dean that reveals how the Bush administration has been even more damaging than Nixon at his worst-with a post-election chapter written especially for this edition. Nobody knows more, both from firsthand experience and legal expertise, about the abuse of presidential power and its dangers than John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon. Laying out a blistering case against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, Dean reveals: - How the Bush administration exploited the 9/11 tragedy, while working to scuttle all efforts to investigate why the nation was so unprepared - How Bush's secret decision making is costing American lives abroad and making the US more vulnerable to terrorism - How Bush and Cheney's use of Nixon-style stonewalling, obfuscation, and deceit deprives the public of vital information and may be grounds for impeachment - and much more.

Download Description

Nobody knows more, both from first hand experience and legal expertise, about the abuse of presidential power and their dangers than John Dean, former counsel to President Nixon. In WORSE THAN WATERGATE, Dean delivers a stunning indictment of the current Bush administration, and issues an urgent alarm to the nation: the Bush team's obsession with secrecy and their willingness to deceive make them even more dangerous than Nixon's. Dean brilliantly explores Bush's emphasis on image over substance; his angry, mistrustful personality; his excessive fear of leaks; his reversing the work of his predecessors in opening up government; his imperial governing combined with deeply flawed decision making; and his serious abuses of national security secrecy. From refusing to explain the precarious health of the powerful vice president to hiding the identity of those setting the nation's energy policy, from obstructing 9/11 investigations to unprecedented secrecy in the name of fighting terrorism, Dean exposes the dangers of a presidency that is using weapons of mass deception against the American public.

Customer Reviews:

Obessive Secrecy .......2007-06-01

I finished this book in 2 days because I was so intrigued at not only the shocking comaprison's between Bush and Nixon but that the actions of the Bush-Cheney administration would make Nixon roll over in his grave upset he had not thought off executing his plan in the precise fashion the Bush-Cheney administration has. Ironically after I finished reading this book I was reading an article in the paper about Cheney not allowing the public to see his visitation log at his executive residence (which is customary for this information to be public)citing executive privilege (which never included VP's until Bush amended the law). Why can't the public see who has been to his home? Another article was on Bush not going along with the EU's plan to reduce emissions in the environment in an effort to stop global warming. He says he was going to think of another more efficient plan. Just reading those two articles after this book just confimed everything I read in this book which is very scary in terms of where our nation is headed.

I finally agree with him completely........2007-03-28

Dean is on the right track in so many ways, but honestly, it's only slightly worse than Watergate, as described in this book. With enough sleazy lawyers, they have managed to find a legal justification or distorted precedent for most of this stuff. All the Family Jewels investigations in the `70's is not quite dwarfed by what the Bush Administration had done by `05. In the last year and half, though, things have changed. Congress is not allowed to further investigate how much the NSA was ordered to violate the FISA in its eavesdropping on the orders of the President? Karl Rove and the Justice Department lie to Congress to get the Patriot Act altered in March '06 to give the President sole authority to appoint interim U.S. federal attorneys, without Senate confirmation of candidates, and without a requirement for moving to permanent replacements? Then they immediately use it to replace unbiased federal attorney's with ones that will be "loyal Bushies and play ball" so they can try and rig the run-up to the '08 elections by only allowing corruption investigations of democrats and overturning elections that don't go their way? I mean, what the hell?! That is FAR worse than anything Nixon did. That is a downright attempt to subvert the republic. Is it possible NSA and FBI illegal conduct has also been used for political purposes? Is the Bush Administration now worried if another Republican doesn't get the presidency that the true extent of their corruption will finally be investigated? Quite simply, the behavior of the administration right now amounts to Guilty Demeanor. They appear to be in a panic, attempting to hold control by whatever means possible, even if it means invoking executive privilege and classifying the hell out of everything they can. Dean has good instinct, but it's only recently that his posit has been proven out.

So True.......2007-03-13

John Dean's insight is profound. Everyone should have read this book as soon as it hit the book shelves, but it's still not too late. Like Nixon, Bush does not believe he should have to answer to anyone. It's really frightening.

Reader's Digest version of Dean's latest diatribe against all things Republican.......2007-01-08

"I hate Bush because he is a Republican" by John W. Dean.

Like A Monarchy: The Forgetful Presidency of George W. Bush.......2007-01-04

Dean's book is an easy read and quite compelling. Cheney and Rumsfeld's attitudes are even more scary to "Freedom-Loving People" than Bush's.
The book carefully explains much of the positioning by Cheney and Rumsfeld to make the Bush administration even less accountable than the Nixon administration was. Yikes!

The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W. Bush

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Review
Great intro to U.S. presidency
Wonderful Comparative look at the Modern Presidents
Presidential Leadership in the 20th Century
Creative, Original, and Objective...

The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W. Bush
Fred I. Greenstein
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691119090

Amazon.com

Princeton University's Fred I. Greenstein caps off an illustrious career as a presidential scholar with The Presidential Difference. This book won't fundamentally change the way anybody looks at the last 11 chief executives--Greenstein's earlier work The Hidden-Hand Presidency revolutionized the academy's view of Eisenhower--but it does provide a worthwhile series of minibiographies and analytical summations. Greenstein rates his subjects in several categories: communication, organization, political skill, vision, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence. His assessments can be quite frank: Roosevelt is the source of "endless positive lessons"; Truman "illustrates the cost of a defective communication style and a situation-determined approach to presidential leadership"; Ford is "underappreciated"; and so on. Who is Greenstein's favorite? It's clearly FDR, even though he confronts the question with an amusing anecdote about LBJ. Walking on a tarmac in Vietnam, an airman says, "This is your helicopter, Mr. President." Johnson replies, "They are all my helicopters." Writes Greenstein: "Each of the modern presidents is a source of insight, as much for his weaknesses as his strengths. The variation among them provides intellectual leverage, permitting comparisons and expanding our sense of the possible." And so, he writes, "They are all my presidents." --John J. Miller

Book Description

For a quarter-century, Fred I. Greenstein has been one of our keenest observers of the modern presidency. Here, he provides a fascinating and instructive account of the qualities that have served well and poorly in the Oval Office, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt's first hundred days. Newly expanded, this second edition now covers the momentous events of George W. Bush's administration--from his handling of the events of September 11 to the war with Iraq.

Throughout, Greenstein offers a series of bottom-line judgments on each of his twelve subjects and a bold new explanation of why presidents succeed or fail. He surveys each president's record in public communication, organizational capacity, political skill, vision, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence--and argues that the last is the most important in predicting presidential success.

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Fred Greenstein is among the top students of the American presidency -- his book on Eisenhower, The Hidden-Hand Presidency, is regarded as a classic. His pioneering work in political psychology has done much to illuminate the nature of power and leadership writ large. Now, as the culmination of a half-century of study and firsthand experience, The Presidential Difference rewrites the book on greatness in the presidency.

Greenstein looks at both personality and context to consider how well each president "fit" his times. From FDR to Clinton, he paints a portrait, by turns sweeping and detailed, of the era of the imperial presidency. The Presidential Difference employs a concise set of six categories by which a chief of staff is rated: communication, organization, natural skill, vision, cognitive style, and the unexpected key to the whole package -- emotional intelligence. Not since Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power has a scholar so clearly defined the keys to success for the world's most powerful office.

Customer Reviews:

Review.......2006-06-06

Greenstein's The Presidential Difference is short and sweet. It condenses the story of our Presidents from FDR to George W. Bush into an easy to read manner. Each chapter is dedicated to a President and gives six points upon which they are evaluated, which makes comparisons with other Presidents in the book easy. Even with only 223 pages nothing seems to be left out. The book is engaging from beginning to end and before you know it you have gone through twelve presidencies. To end it all Greenstein wraps 13 chapters up in a magnificent conclusion titled "Lessons from the Modern Presidency". There isn't any more one can ask for. I highly recommend this book as a good read, that is fun, short, and a great way to brush up on knowledge of our Presidents.

Great intro to U.S. presidency.......2003-01-08

Fred Greenstein explores the leadership style of the presidents from FDR to Bill Clinton in his piece "The Presidential Difference." In the new edition, Greenstein includes an updated afterword on George W. Bush. The book is a great introduction to the modern day presidents and is recommended to the amateur historian to the most serious public policy students.

The organization of the book is wonderful. Greenstein spends a chapter on each president. The format is the same for each chapter. Each opens with interesting quotes from the respective president, and then goes into a brief biography. Greenstein then spends time describing the major events of the president's tenure, and closes the chapter with the significance of the president's leadership. In doing this last bit, Greenstein analyzes five areas of each chief: public communication, organizational capacity, political skill, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence.

There are other aspects of the book that are praiseworthy. Greenstein scatters wonderful pictures throughout; my favorite is of LBJ in the face of Senator Theodore Green. The appendix is also a wonderful tool, as it in effect shows the resume of each president. It outlines important life events and information, election results, the political composition of Congress, appointments, staff, and key events.

This book is recommended to all as a great introduction the the U.S. presidency.

Wonderful Comparative look at the Modern Presidents.......2002-11-04

Greenstein does a great job in setting aside his bias and reporting on the facts from the people who knew. He reports on the "Modern Presidency" - all of the presidents who were elected from FDR to Clinton. He evaluates them based on a number of qualities including vision, cognitive ability and a few other qualities. Greenstein first gives a basic history of life before being elected president and then evaluates the qualities. At the end of the book, he sums up the qualities he has just evaluated and proceeds to explain that no president will ever be able to perfect all of these qualities because every man is flawed. Overall, this is a great read for everyone who wants to brush up on their knowledge of these presidents. It doesn't go into too much detail but what it does present is both useful and sufficient.

Presidential Leadership in the 20th Century.......2002-03-06

This book by political scientist Fred Greenstein is the first I've read focusing, not on presidential achievement but on effective leadership. Using a series of criteria including vision, cognitive ability, management style and most importantly emotional intelligence, Greenstein looks briefly yet closely at each president from FDR through Clinton with a special afterword on George W. Bush. (pre 9/11) Greenstein chronicles the successes and failings of each president he profiles. Roosevelt receives the highest regards for his ability to translate his popularity into bold leadership. His secretive and manipulative management style is condemmed. Truman is praised for his management style but criticized for his inability at times to lead the nation along the lines of his vision. There is truth to this criticism but Greenstein doesn't look at external facotrs that effected Truman's ability to govern such as the Republican demagoguery of the Democrats as "soft on communism". Eisenhower is highly praised, and properly so, for his strong management style and his strong, quiet leadership. Kennedy gets deserved criticism for his early failings but not enough credit for his later growth. One thing Kennedy is properly criticized for, in my view, is his overreliance on intellectuals, something that would plague Clinton as well. After Kennedy we have a series of failed presidents, with Ford excepted. The common denominator between Johnson, Nixon and Carter are their weak emotional intelligence quotas. All are thin skinned, unable to work well with others, naturally suspicious of those outside their circle. Clinton too is regarded as weak emotionally. Greenstein's thesis is that persons of low emotional intelligence should not become president as it is a recipe for failure. Interestingly, in his brief comments on President Bush, written before Sept. 11, 2001, he predicts, based on his observations of Bush's steady emotional inner core, that he will be a strong and succesful leader. You don't have to agree with Greenstein's entire analysis to appreciate the achievement of this book. It is refreshing to read a book about the presidency that moves beyond Arthur Schlesinger's tired and outdated theory of active and passive presidents. A good read and I highly recommend it.

Creative, Original, and Objective..........2002-01-19

An excellent book! The book illustrates a face of American presidents in a way in which we rarely see in politics today. Not only is the book bipartisan, but Greenstein gives many specific examples of each of his points, therefore giving you a true feeling as if you knew each of the American Presidents. The book does a great job of summarizing the successes and downfalls of each administration, while at the same time reflecting the specific leadership styles of each president. Greenstein has put together a fabulous compilation of facts and examples as this book reflect tremendous research of an insiders' view of each of the presidents he discusses.

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