Book Description
"Insurgents and terrorists retain the resources and capabilities to sustain and even increase current level of violence through the next year." This was the secret Pentagon assessment sent to the White House in May 2006. The forecast of a more violent 2007 in Iraq contradicted the repeated optimistic statements of President Bush, including one, two days earlier, when he said we were at a "turning point" that history would mark as the time "the forces of terror began their long retreat."
State of Denial examines how the Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to Congress, and often to themselves. Two days after the May report, the Pentagon told Congress, in a report required by law, that the "appeal and motivation for continued violent action will begin to wane in early 2007."
In this detailed inside story of a war-torn White House, Bob Woodward reveals how White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, with the indirect support of other high officials, tried for 18 months to get Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld replaced. The president and Vice President Cheney refused. At the beginning of Bush's second term, Stephen Hadley, who replaced Condoleezza Rice as national security adviser, gave the administration a "D minus" on implementing its policies. A SECRET report to the new Secretary of State Rice from her counselor stated that, nearly two years after the invasion, Iraq was a "failed state."
State of Denial reveals that at the urging of Vice President Cheney and Rumsfeld, the most frequent outside visitor and Iraq adviser to President Bush is former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who, haunted still by the loss in Vietnam, emerges as a hidden and potent voice.
Woodward reveals that the secretary of defense himself believes that the system of coordination among departments and agencies is broken, and in a SECRET May 1, 2006, memo, Rumsfeld stated, "the current system of government makes competence next to impossible."
State of Denial answers the core questions: What happened after the invasion of Iraq? Why? How does Bush make decisions and manage a war that he chose to define his presidency? And is there an achievable plan for victory?
Bob Woodward's third book on President Bush is a sweeping narrative -- from the first days George W. Bush thought seriously about running for president through the recruitment of his national security team, the war in Afghanistan, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the struggle for political survival in the second term.
After more than three decades of reporting on national security decision making -- including his two #1 national bestsellers on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush at War (2002) and Plan of Attack (2004) -- Woodward provides the fullest account, and explanation, of the road Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and the White House staff have walked.
Customer Reviews:
Great Information .......2007-10-07
There is a reason our country is such a mess and this book will give you all the true facts
Fascinating but Painful.......2007-09-20
From a political perspective, reading this book is like watching a horrific car wreck happening at slow motion. The man at the wheel happens to be one George W. Bush. I never believed in him, but those that still do should read this tome with an open mind and come to their own conclusions. Woodward's sources and methods are objective and credible, and the only real criticism I have of the book is that it came out far too late to make any difference.
A Great Read!.......2007-09-16
As are all of Woodwards's books this one is well written and informative. I enjoy all his books and I have no problem keeping up with the events and my interest stays peaked. I'm sure you'll enjoy reading this book too. I would have given five stars but I just feel all books are too high priced!
Eye-opening.......2007-09-01
Woodard evokes honestly in all his writings. We can hear the credibilty of his words. Very thought provoking and this should raise many subsequent questions about how one in Washington power uses facts or fails to use people and facts.
getting an inside view of the war on Iraq.......2007-08-12
Bob Woodward's sweeping narrative is an eye opener into the elite world of political and military Washington. He rarely tells information, but lets the players speak for themselves. Reading this book, I often felt like I was in the oval office listening in on a conversation between Bush, Rice and Rumsfeld. The incredible incompetency, inefficiency, and hypocrisy of the adminstration is staggering.
One thing that I wish the book had was a character list. Because there are so many characters coming in and out of each chapter that it's hard to keep track of them. I suggest you keep such a list as you read.
This book really helped me to see why we are in the mess we are in, and I feel like I will be better informed as I read the news these days. (The situation in August 2007, today, seems just as bad if not worse than it was when the book was finished.)
In this book you find out:
The facts about Iraq
- An average of 2500 enemy initiated attacks a month since the war started
- Iraqis were relieved to have Saddam Hussein removed from power, but dismayed and angered by how long it took for basic services such as sewage, electricity, and food supplies to be restored.
- In 2006, at the end of the book, electricity, sewage, and oil pipelines were still mostly disfunctional in Iraq
- President Bush would tally the number of Iraqis killed as a measure of how successful is the war on terror, a number that the Iraqis use to recruit insurgents.
- Sectarian violence increased after the election.
- Death tolls are getting higher and the country becoming more insecure.
About why the administration failed:
- They all believed that it was going to be quick and easy, so there was no plan or funds allocated for an extended exit strategy.
- President Bush was adamant in staying the course, regardly of how the course wasn't working.
- President Bush never asked for alternative opinions or how things were really going, he only wanted to hear and speak of good news.
- Donald Rumsfeld was arrogant and domineering, often blocking the efforts of people around him to fix problems.
- Lots of people saw what was going on and gave advice on how to fix it, but it could never be implemented because of the fighting among the members of the administration, and Bush's policy of not revising their strategy.
- The administration hid the facts about Iraq from the public and often from themselves.
- Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld all held the incredibly callous view that Iraqi casualties are irrelevant, only winning matters
- The administration put into power people who agreed with them and ostracized the ones who were critical. 'If you don't agree with us you are not a team player.'
- The competent people got frustated and some of them gave up trying to fix the problem.
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
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
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:
An Important Book That Should Be Read.......2007-10-11
The first in a trilogy of books by former Nixon counsel, John Dean, "Worse Than Watergate - The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush" is a must read book for every American today who wants to understand the mechanics at work in the current administration. Mr. Dean, a life-long Republican and a Washington insider for most of his long career, is fully qualified to delve into the inner workings of the White House. It was John Dean who had gone to President Richard Nixon and advised him that the activities surrounding the watergate activities were illegal and that they should be stopped. When Nixon refused to do so, Dean went to the authorities and turned himself in. It was Dean's testimony that ultimately led to the investigations and the resignation of Richard Nixon from office. It is with this insight and perspective that Dean examines the current Bush administration and draws a comparison between them.
The contents of this book are very well researched and presented in a clear, concise and non-inflammatory manner. This is not a book based on character assassination or slander. Rather, what you will find are coherent and publicly available facts outlining the activities of the Bush administration. Dean begins by drawing the comparison between the Nixon administration and the Bush administration by showing the similarities in patterns of behavior and policies. He then begins to unfold in a methodical fashion how the Bush administration has, from day one, systematically engaged in a campaign of stone walling and secret agendas designed to keep information away from the public eye. The hidden agendas and obsessive secrecy employed by this administration are exposed for examination. Some of the activities revealed are downright shocking and disturbing to say the least. For those who are skeptical of the contents of the book, almost every sentence in the book is footnoted and referenced back to the source material from where the information came. So it is extremely easy to check and verify if the information is accurate.
The book is well paced and easy to read and engaging which makes for a very quick read. Unfortunately, the information contained within it's pages is quite disturbing. Nevertheless, it is information that all Americans should be aware of no matter how unpleasant it might be. The Bush administration has done an excellent job of sweeping important facts under the rug and out of sight and this book contains very critical information that should be understood by the electorate. President Bush, as Nixon, has operated outside and above the law and has pursued an agenda that has thrust this country into a diabolical war that is now pushing a price tag of almost $600 billion with no signs of stopping. Dean makes it very clear that the purpose of his book is to educate the population and to make it clear that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be impeached for their willful misconduct, outright lies, and obsessive secret agenda that has now attacked the very foundations of our democracy and civil liberties.
The ABSOLUTE Truth.......2007-09-06
If there was any question or doubt that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were and are sleaze-ball gangsters, you the doubter, will abandon your doubts once you read this book. They are truly frightening men, without morals and without conscience. Yes, they and all they have done is much worse than Watergate.
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.
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.
Book Description
The selections in this reader were chosen with two aims in mind: (1) to provide a historical perspective, so often neglected in similar texts, that explains how the events of the past two centuries led us to where we are today, and (2) to present the most important current issues that are shaping the Bush administration and the presidency. This collection of readings offers students a combination of âclassicâ scholarly analyses, the best of current scholarship, and engaging insights into the nature of the contemporary presidency.
Book Description
Should the Supreme Court have the last word when it comes to interpreting the Constitution? The justices on the Supreme Court certainly seem to think so--and their critics say that this position threatens democracy. But Keith Whittington argues that the Court's justices have not simply seized power and circumvented politics. The justices have had power thrust upon them--by politicians, for the benefit of politicians. In this sweeping political history of judicial supremacy in America, Whittington shows that presidents and political leaders of all stripes have worked to put the Court on a pedestal and have encouraged its justices to accept the role of ultimate interpreters of the Constitution.
Whittington examines why presidents have often found judicial supremacy to be in their best interest, why they have rarely assumed responsibility for interpreting the Constitution, and why constitutional leadership has often been passed to the courts. The unprecedented assertiveness of the Rehnquist Court in striking down acts of Congress is only the most recent example of a development that began with the founding generation itself. Presidential bids for constitutional leadership have been rare, but reflect the temporary political advantage in doing so. Far more often, presidents have cooperated in increasing the Court's power and encouraging its activism. Challenging the conventional wisdom that judges have usurped democracy, Whittington shows that judicial supremacy is the product of democratic politics.
Book Description
Drawing on extensive interviews and archival research, Fred Greenstein reveals that there was great political activity beneath the placid surface of the Eisenhower White House. In a new foreword to this edition, he discusses developments in the study of the Eisenhower presidency in the dozen years since publication of the first edition and examines the continuing significance of Eisenhower's legacy for the larger understanding of presidential leadership in modern America.
Customer Reviews:
Was Eisenhower an Effective President?.......2006-07-14
This was a path-breaking book when it first appeared more than twenty years ago, reflecting a rehabilitation of Dwight D. Eisenhower as president. It is an example of "revisionist history," something that should not be considered a negative term. Greenstein argued that the image of Eisenhower as an amiable "do-nothing" president who smiled and played golf while crises threatened to destroy the nation was incorrect. He worked hard behind the scenes while giving the appearance of inaction, and in most instances his indirect approach to leadership was highly effective.
I have found this study valuable in my own work on the history of the U.S. space program. While Greenstein did not spend much time exploring the history of the space program in this study his analysis can be extended to that arena. In the context of the Sputnik crisis of 1957 and the development of early U.S. space policy, Eisenhower was almost alone in concluding that the Soviet American competition in space was a non race. He didn't see the need to treat it as a crisis. And there is much to recommend this position. But if the former image of Eisenhower as a "do-nothing" president was inaccurate, the revisionist interpretation of Greenstein and others of him as a master of hidden-hand politics is somewhat wide of the mark. With American prestige clearly at stake in the Cold War, it is puzzling that the chief executive should have been so reluctant to recognize this fact of life.
I found this an important statement of Eisenhower and his leadership style. It is a benchmark in the historiography of the subject. Enjoy!
Stevenson Supporter Learns Truth!.......2003-01-05
In the preface to this landmark book on the Eisenhower presidency, Greenstein talks about how he had begun a project on presidential leadership, with a quick stop at the Eisenhower Library to get confirmation that Eisenhower was as hands-off as possible, a doddering old fool who let his underlings run the country whilst Ike played golf. But as Greenstein looked at the research in front of him, he discovered Eisenhower was much more of a hands-on president than most accepted. He worked behind the scenes, however, hence this "hidden-hand" description.
Greenstein's book on Eisenhower is significant for all students of Eisenhower. Most revisionist scholars of Eisenhower were also Stevenson supporters in the '50s, and have come away with a better understanding of how Ike worked, and his handling of major crises. (Anyone who thinks the 1950s was "Leave it to Beaver" or "Happy Days" is poorly mis-informed and needs to take himself to the public library to look at all the brinksmanship reported in the newspapers and newsmagazines of the time.)
In this book, Greenstein offers his argument, and then goes through a series of case-studies to look at how Eisenhower worked actively behind the scenes to accomplish his goals.
This is indeed a landmark book for scholars. The general reader, however, may be overwhelmed by the academic use of language. For them, the two-volume book on Eisenhower by Ambrose may be a better book to read.
Reassessment of the Eisenhower Presidency.......2000-04-22
Greenstein was not the first but has certainly assembled the most coherent argument for a fundamental reassessment of Ike's presidency.
Common wisdom held Ike to be a somewhat dodering, benevolent and detached president who routinely mangled english syntax in his press conferences. He is seen as surrounded by powerful men who ran government as THEY saw fit.
Greenstein shows repeatedly that Ike was a deft behind-the-scenes mover and shaker who held all the reins of power in HIS hands. He consistently refused to engage in "personalities" and would deal with political challenges with tact and persuasion, often hidden from public light. His handling of McCarthy, often seen as a do-nothing approach, is re-examined in a new light. Eisenhower is seen pre-empting McCarthy consistently while also refusing to publicly engage him, which in Ike's mind, would have served to legitimize him (McCarthy) in many eyes.
Finaly, Ike has been critized for relying too much on a rigid and formal system of staff and infomation processing. His background in the Army, many critics contend, made him a stickler for procedure. This much is true. However, he used his considerable charm and intellect to draw on a wide group of people (all white and male) to augment his formal structures. Many blame the dismantling of the fromal advising structure by Kennedy to his lack of information during the Bay of Pigs.
A good book for Eisenhower specialists, policital scientists studying the organizational presidency, and presidential students of all stripes.
Fred Greenstein famous title--well, famous for academics.......2000-02-23
Well, if you want to read the experience from academia, go right ahead. For a better insight, see Michael Beschloss or Ike's own biographer, Stephen Ambrose. This book was a hit in the scholastic arena but never caught on in mainstream
Aha! Ike wasn't just a golf-playing war hero!.......1999-10-14
Greenstein processes many of Eisenhower's papers not previously available, and comes to the conclusion that Eisenhower was a deft, behind-the-scenes manipulator. This book has helped solidify Ike's increasing reputation as President, with some in-depth look at his approach to McCarthy.
Amazon.com
Although the George W. Bush administration is famous for being "on message," delivering a consistent and polished political perspective no matter what, such consistency apparently does not extend to every member of the conservative universe. In Where the Right Went Wrong, veteran pundit and occasional presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan offers up scathing criticisms of Bush's policies, the arrogance and boorishness of which, he warns, could ultimately dramatically destabilize the United States' superpower status. The problem, in Buchanan's eyes, is the rejection of traditional Reagan-era conservatism by an administration under the sway of the so-called "neoconservatives," who favor a pre-emptive military strategy and big government and don't mind running up dangerously huge budget deficits to support it. The war in Iraq, fought without direct demonstrable threat, alienates America in the eyes of the rest of the world, says Buchanan, squandering the global goodwill earned after the 9/11 attacks and creating exponentially larger numbers of terrorists who will threaten the U.S. for generations to come. The zeal over free trade among elected officials, a feeling notably not shared by Buchanan, Ross Perot, and Ralph Nader, is costing America jobs, Buchanan theorizes, and leading to a de-industrialized service-sector-only economy, an end to American self-sufficiency in favor of a reliance on global corporations, and a looming economic crisis. Refreshingly, and unlike pundits of his day, Buchanan crafts his arguments by examining world history, offering detailed analogies to the Roman Empire, the Civil War, and pre-Soviet Russia among others. Conservatives alienated by the Bush administration will find an eloquent champion in Buchanan and even liberals, who may not have known there was a conservative argument against war in Iraq, stand to learn something from a right side of the aisle perspective so different from that found in the Bush White House. --John Moe
Book Description
Revised and expanded to account for the 2004 election-a searing indictment of the G.O.P. by three-time presidential candidate and bestselling author, Pat Buchanan The New York Times bestseller Where the Right Went Wrong chronicles how Beltway conservatives have abandoned their principles, and how a handful of insiders have hijacked U.S. foreign policy, and ignited a 'war of civilizations' with the Islamic world that will leave us mired down in Middle East wars for years to come. Where the Right Went Wrong calls to task the Bush administration for its abandonment of conservatism including: -The neo-conservative cabal-liberal wolves in conserva-tive suits -Why the Iraq War has widened and imperiled the War on Terror -How current trade policy outsources our sovereignty and industrial strength. A controversial clarion call, Where the Right Went Wrong defines the battle for the heart of the G.O.P.
Customer Reviews:
An interesting critique of Iraq, but otherwise it's deceptively just a critique of liberals.......2007-10-15
I enjoyed listening to this book as a liberal, and as it seems other liberals have, partly because it's gratifying in some way to hear someone normally opposed to your point of view to criticize his own "side" for ineptitude. Buchanan lays out why we should have never gone to Iraq and how it is becoming (already in 2004) an imbroglio.
But now that I've had more time to think about the book, I've come to the conclusion that it's mainly a very typical condemnation of liberalism. Buchanan is mainly talking to fellow conservatives about conservative ideals, and that's fine. As a liberal, there are certainly some issues that I agree with conservatives on. I thought this was a kind of book where Buchanan would find common ground with his usual liberal foes and we could come together to try to figure some things out and solve some issues rather than participating in the same cliche arguments.
But other than saying basically the same thing many liberal critics of the war have been saying all along, Buchanan never suggests reaching out to those normally on the other side of the ideological line. Almost the opposite. The book, while condemning Iraq and the neoconservatives who started it, is a lot about how the neoconservatives are not conservatives at all. While I would agree with that assessment, Buchanan suggests they were simply liberals who decided to pretend to be conservatives when republicans started winning. So basically, while liberals have been the main critics of the ware since before day one, those responsible for getting us into the war were also liberal and this then cancels out any good the liberals have done to criticize our involvement. Buchanan never gives credit to the liberals who have been criticizing the war all along, even while making many of the same arguments they have been making!
While most of this book is about Iraq, Buchanan does talk about some issues closer to home - social conservative issues like abortion, the Supreme court, trade with China, and immigration. While these are important subjects on their own, I don't see how they relate to Iraq or neoconservatives. Either neoconservatives don't really concern themselves with social issues, or they go along with the social conservatives. True, Bush is more liberal on immagration, but I don't think that has anything to do with somehow being manipulated by neocons as it's been argued is the case with Iraq. So is all of this here just to make it more clear to his fellow conservatives that Buchanan is just as anti-liberal has he's ever been and just because he happens to hold a similar position as them on Iraq, that this should in no way be taken that he wants to have anything to do with them?
While many liberals will see this book as vindication and even a fig leaf of sorts, I just don't see it as anything but a the same old rhetoric about how horrible liberals are. Perhaps conservatives need some reminder in this sense ans Buchanan seems to be showing that there's been a great deal of confusion as to what conservatives really stand for, at least in terms of foreign policy. Maybe his thought that reminding them who their real foe is (liberals) is the sure fire way of reuniting them into a cohesive group again?
Pat Buchanan is an honest, smrt guy.......2007-09-26
Pat Buchanan knows what he's talking about -- having been involved in Republican politics going back to Barry Goldwater, this book provides Mr. Buchanan an opportunity to discuss what is wrong with the current Republican Party, and clearly illustrates how and why the current Republican Party is a liberal, big government, imperialist party which holds no similarities with the traditional Republican Party.
If you once supported the Republicans and have come to oppose their big government spending, or are a current Ron Paul supporter, this book is right up your alley.
Every American should read this book to see exactly what needs to be done to stop the current undemocratic and elitist two party system in this country, and how we can take our Republic back.
Interesting read from a true conservative.......2007-06-12
Pat Buchanan is well-known as a speechwriter and political analyst. He's also run for President and written a host of good books about conservatism in America. In this book, Buchanan's thesis is that the conservative Republican party has been hijacked by neo-cons, most of whom defected from the Democratic party. These neo-cons have hijacked the party of Ronald Reagan and even, according to Buchanan, our current President's brain. While this might be overstated, his bottom line is well-argued. Buchanan attacks the neo-cons on immigration, free trade, and our new role as world policeman. He pulls no punches.
What I so like and admire about Pat Buchanan is that he cuts through the political baloney and tells it like he sees it. The chips fall where they may. He's not a goose-stepping ideologue of either party. And unlike many windbag political commentators, this guy really believes what he's saying and doesn't just spout off to grab attention and make money. I don't agree with him on everything, but I always respect his opinion and the way he argues it.
Warning--Not recommended for people who do not like their preconceptions challenged. If you do, you should stick to Ann Coulter and Michael Moore.
An Unsettling Book for Those Who Need to be Unsettled.......2007-06-06
Great powers remain great only for as long as they can resist getting involved in the sticky political, military, and economic affairs of other nations. This philosophy is called isolationism although in WHERE THE RIGHT WENT WRONG, Patrick Buchanan prefers to call it protectionism. Buchanan notes that throughout most of America's history, we were strict isolationists who involved ourselves in overseas matters only when American interests were clearly at stake. Beginning with the Second World War, the United States has deliberately chosen to abandon those principles of the Founding Fathers that permitted them to avoid the collapse of one European regime after another. Buchanan now sees the United States at the tipping point where in its quest for American Empire is sure to travel the same path that other former empires proudly began but badly finished.
Buchanan notes that the United States is probably the strongest power that ever was, yet despite that its power is not unlimited. As long as America retained its industrial base, avoided treaties with foreign powers that could drag us into ill-advised wars, ran budget surpluses, and understood that our republic was ours only for as long as we could keep it, then the United States could remain First among Equals. Buchanan maintains a near sorrowful edge in his voice as he notes that the neocons have changed all that. He calls them ex-Trotskyites, ex-liberals, ex-Reds, and pretty much ex-students of history. He accuses them of misleading President George Bush on a wide spectrum of issues that range from the War on Terror, open borders immigration folly, budget overruns, and globalism. He examines each of these with a dispassionate eye, always pointing out that these arenas of political life are deteriorating yearly. Essentially, the link connecting each of them is the neocons' blind faith in American power to establish a Pax-American hegemony worldwide. Since the general thrust of his analysis is an admitted conservatism, left-wingers who believe in Big Government, socialism, and secular progressivism will surely object. I had a problem with what I saw as no small anti-Israel bias when he suggests that we ought to abandon Israel on the grounds that its existence is not crucial to ours. However, most of his analyses hold sufficient water for me to agree that if the United States does not reclaim its historical roots of America first, last, and always, then the sun that set on the British Empire must surely set on us too.
I Always Wondered..........2007-04-14
HOW MY PARTY ENDED UP IN THE TOILET. NOW I KNOW. AN EYE OPENING ACCOUNT OF THINGS. ANOTHER WINNER BY PAT.
Book Description
Dick Cheney is the most powerful yet most unpopular vice president in U.S. history. He has thrived alongside a president who from day one had little interest in policy and limited experience in the ways of Washington. Yet Cheney’s quiet, steady rise to prominence over a span of three decades occurred largely behind the scenes. Now veteran reporters Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein reveal the disturbing truth about the man who has successfully co-opted executive control over the U.S. government, serving as the de facto “shadow president” of the most dominant White House in a generation.
Cheney has always been an astute politician. He survived the collapse of the Nixon presidency, finding a position of power in the administration of Gerald Ford. He was then elected to the House of Representatives, and later he earned a spot in the cabinet of the first Bush presidency. But when he became George W. Bush’s running mate, Cheney reached a new level of influence. From the engineering of his own selection as vice president to his support of policies allowing torture as a permissible weapon in the “war on terror,” Cheney has steered America consistently rightward. In Vice, Dubose and Bernstein uncover startling revelations, including
• the extraordinary intimidation of CIA officials by a vice president bent on obtaining intelligence to support a foregone conclusion: the invasion of Iraq
• details on Cheney’s secret energy task force, including his meeting with Enron chief Ken Lay months before Lay was indicted–and how Cheney went to court to erode the powers of Congress
• how Cheney helped to kill 2003 diplomatic overtures from Iran to discuss concessions on its nuclear program and policy toward Israel
• Cheney’s role in engineering multibillion-dollar military contracts in Iraq to benefit Halliburton, the company he once ran
• eyewitness reports from prominent Republican and conservative sources who go on record for the first time to tell the truth about how Dick Cheney has hijacked the American presidency
In the words of one of Cheney’s colleagues from the House: “Dick keeps his own counsel. He’s completely in control. He’s completely sure of himself in everything he does. It’s what got him to where he is today: the most powerful vice president to ever hold office. It’s also what’s bringing about his downfall.” In Vice, we get an unprecedented exposé of how Cheney operates and what his vice presidency will mean to America–now and in the future.
Customer Reviews:
An Absolutely MUST READ.......2007-10-04
This is perhaps the most insightful book published so far of the Bush-Cheney era, and certainly the most in depth look into the exploits of a man who has been at the center of power and steered our country into more disasters than any man alive.
For seven years we've been blaming the man at the top when we should have been looking at the man pulling the puppet strings. One can not ignore a man whose political career has involved him in every war this country has been in since Viet Nam as advisor to Presidents, Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, and planner and coordinator of our disaster in Iraq.
And lest we forget, former CEO of Halliburton, the only entity in the world to profit from that war.
Read this book and ask yourself the question why any sane person, Republican or Democrat, would want to inherit the Presidency in 2009.
Profiling the biggest Dick in history.......2007-04-04
Former president Richard Nixon was often referred to as Tricksy Dick by his critics. Such a name is probably more appropriate for our current vice president, Dick Cheney. This book explores the personal and political history of Dick Cheney, beginning with his schoolboy days in Wyoming, and ending with his supposed involvement in the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson. The facts and interpretations put together in this book portray a stubborn, cunning man, the ultimate bureaucratic warrior who is always ten steps ahead of everyone else. Probably the most interesting part of the book is the number of individuals who reflect negatively on Cheney's personality, such as his vindictiveness, his dishonesty, his bullishness, his inability to compromise, and his fear-based hysteria. The overall portrait is of one scary man and probably not the best choice to pick for an elected official. Excellent book.
Cheney: Secretive and paranoid.......2007-03-09
"Vice", a perfect name for this book, confirms what so many of us have long thought about Dick Cheney...he's cold, secretive, ruthless, heartless and ultimately paranoid. Making the case against the Vice President with an astonishing narrative, authors Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein peel away the layers behind the throne's real power. If the emperor has no clothes, it's the work of his tailor.
As the authors point out, Cheney doesn't seek power so much as power seems to follow him. With incredible luck and skill, Cheney rose from being President Ford's Chief of Staff (the youngest in U.S. history) to a ten-year stint as Wyoming's only Congressman, to George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Defense to his current role in the White House. While not a meteoric rise, it followed the building blocks that Cheney so desired. He could not really have been disappointed that his brief thoughts of a run for the White House didn't pan out.....he's gotten his wish to be in charge.
To be fair, Dubose and Bernstein give Cheney some credit...he was well thought of as SecDef (contrast that one to Donald Rumsfeld's malfeasance!) and his crisis management on 9/11 was intact. But one angle that the authors argue is this...that Cheney's series of heart attacks may very well have made him a changed man...and not one for the better. Certainly his hatred of the CIA gets full coverage in "Vice" and we also receive a comprehensive look at Cheney's relationship with Halliburton. There's even a chapter on the dark one's dark partner, Lynne, titled "Lady MacCheney"...if you thought lowly of the Veep before, this chapter will seal the deal.
The scariest thing to be reminded about after reading "Vice" is that Cheney is still in power, although reading this book just after Scooter Libby's conviction adds an extra bit of interest... will the Vice President's power now begin to wane as he becomes the most reviled person to hold that office in history. Time will tell but in the meantime, read "Vice" and learn more about the enemy within. It puts you right in the thick of the swirling current surrounding Dick Cheney and is wonderfully written. I highly recommend it.
Must read.......2007-01-18
Whether you believe Dick Cheney is trying to protect our country by "fighting terrorism" or is simply unhinged by hubris (and perhaps ill health), you need to read this book. Don't be swayed by terms like "Torture Presidency" or "Lady MacCheney". Yes, the book has bias, but its reporting is too thorough for dismissal as a partisan hack job.
Anecdotal evidence suggests his influence is banking. Yet he bestrides this administration like a Claude Raines villain in an old Warners adventure movie, a guardian-chamberlain dominating Dubya, the cocksure, brittle dauphin on the throne. Fellow reviewer Robert D. Steele says Cheney should be placed in irons, and presents persuasive evidence crystallizing the themes of the book.
Vice documents how Dick Cheney and his long-time counsel David Addinhgton have put into action an authoritarian "unitary executive" theory to give the president unwaarranted powers, and have arrogated these powers to the vice president's office, accountable to no one.
It's all here: torture, signing statements, shadow governance in "the dark side, if you will," as Cheney puts it, eavesdropping on the White House staff, the lies leading to the Iraq War, the wiretapping, the seeret energy task force, sweetheart Halliburton contracts, the failure - almost surely deliberate - to reconstitute Congress in prospective post-attack plans. The 25 questions for Dick Cheney at the end (page 225 or thereabouts) should be at the top of Congress's list when Cheney and Addington get their subpoenas.
At the the same time, the book raises as many questions as it answers, largely due to the authors' lack of access, a largely absent paper trail (a tip learned from Cheney's mentor Don Rumsfeld) and the secretive nature of this enigmatic American version of Yuri Andropov. (An aside: The handling of the Texas hunting accident and subsequent reassignment of all the Secret Service agents had touches of Kremlin black comedy).
The book raises, but cannot answer, Cheney's evident shift from an extreme, but pragmatic, right-wing Rpublican who said Saddam Hussein's downfall was not worth "very damn many" American lives, to the rigid, hell-bent-for-war authoritarian ideologue we see today. (Is it 9-11? Partly. The heart attacks? Perhaps. Cheney's onetime friends are baffled. But the authors can only raise the questions.)
So, if the final book has yet to be written, this one gives us a useful map. The surprise is that it has not received more notice; it is on par with - and in some ways superior to - the recent works of Suskind, Ricks, Isikoff, Woodward, Rich and Chandrasekaran, among others, who have tried to shed light on this administration's apparently endless dark corners.
Extraordinary Detail That Should Put Cheney in Irons Immediately.......2007-01-10
EDITED 5 September 2007 to add ten links to other related books.
This book is vastly more detailed, and covers more high crimes and misdemeanors, than either State of Denial, which misunderstands Bush as being in charge, or Crossing the Rubicon, which focuses primarily on Cheney's role in first permitting 9-11, and then working assiduously to cover up his malicious malfeasance. See also Ron Susskind's book, "One Percent Doctrine," which crucifies Cheney, Rumseld, and Rice.
I take this book so seriously that I urge everyone to get the "Do It Yourself Impeachment" kit. He should be required to immediately resign or be impeached. He should not be allowed to serve another month in office.
For the sake of brevity, here is a list of impeachable offenses documented by this book:
1) Secret meetings in violation of the law to include exclusion of government experts
2) Refusal to honor demand from Congress for a list of participants
3) Lies to the public about Iraq, while holding maps of oil fields and already having in mind a US-only domination of those oilfields (he first focused on Iraqi oil while serving Secretary of Defense Brown)
4) Over-ruling of the Environmental Protection Agency on very important matters including its concern over Halliburton's reliance on hydraulic fracturing that uses chemicals that contaminate aquifers--Cheney personally ensured that the EPA's wording was replaced with Halliburton's wording.
5) Consistent and pervasive usurpation of Congressional authorities and consistent and maliciously deliberate avoidance of appropriate disclosure.
6) Fostered attacks on Sy Hersh, and considered authorizing a break-in on his home.
7) From the 1970's, see also Ron Susskind's One-Percent Doctrine, subverted the authority of the Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller, and teams with Justice Scalia (then an assistant attorney general) to increase executive privileges and push back reforms.
8) As a Congressman personally blew off Russian offer in 1983 for arms cuts, and subverted the authority of the President and the Secretary of State then serving.
9) As an extremist Republican, supported Ollie North and the White House in violating the Congressional prohibitions on aid to the Contras, and obstructed justice thereafter.
10) Page 78 has a lovely discussion of how Cheney and North were "in the zone" in deceiving the public and Congress during the televised hearings.
11) Adopted as his own the lunatic report by Khalizad (who is a very lazy scholar, see my review of his rotten RAND book on revolution) and Libby, on how the US as a superpower should be able to do ANYTHING.
12) Attempted to undermine due process and keep tactical nuclear weapons in the Army inventory.
13) Subverted the authority of the Secretary of State (Colin Powell) by allowing his daughter to overrule Ambassadors and meet privately with various heads of state.
13) Lied repeatedly to the public about his continuing financial equities with Halliburton, and was so involved in giving Halliburton up to 16 billion in no bid contracts.
14) Shut both foreign competitors and more cost-effective indigenous contracting solutions, severely harming the national security of the United States by fostering an environment of unproductive looting by Halliburton, Bechtel, and others.
15) Ignored his dual mandates on terrorism and intelligence. The book suggests that Bush was not briefed on Al Qaeda for the first eight months he was in office (the Vice President's priorities were energy and missile defense).
16) Personally impeded negotiations with North Korea after they proved amenable to diplomatic engagement.
17) Personally rejected Iranian overtures for negotiation conveyed by the Swiss in 2003
18) Personally reinforced Rumsfeld on use of torture, by-passing the President's more measured restrictions.
19) Conspired with Speaker Hastert to subordinate the House of Representatives, using a special office of his own (first time in history) so that Representatives could be brought to him rather than his calling on them.
20) Manipulated the President into numerous "signing statements" inconsistent with the will of Congress that ignored legislation then in force.
21) "Bureaucratically emasculated" the President (page 177--if the President has a friend that reads this review, PLEASE get the book and the review to the President--he really may have no idea his balls have been cut off)
22) Contemptuous and manipulative of the CIA, refusing to accept their best professional judgments based not only all source intelligence, but on a extraordinary effort by Charlie Allen in running line crossers into Iraq to document beyond a shadow of a doubt that there were no weapons of mass destruction there.
23) Lied repeatedly, over and over, to the public, to Congress, to the President, to foreign leaders, even after the lies were exposed he continued to repeat them.
The book does not discuss the 9-11 situation and emerging findings that place the Vice President at the center of our deliberately inept response.
Two gems apart from the impeachable offenses:
1) The search for a Vice President was a complete fraud, he was picked from day one, and made a fool of every serious candidate, while also personally leaking to destroy Keating just to ensure the only real rival would not be considered at the last minute.
2) The discussion of Joe Lieberman's refusal to confront Cheney with all that was known to be wrong with him was explained at the time as "taking the high moral road." I am not so sure. I speculate that Lieberman is actually a neo-con and has been playing the Democrats for fools while minding the interests of his Wall Street masters.
On page 147 the authors discuss how Cheney accused Clinton and Gore of "extend[ing] our military commitments while depleting our military power." Lovely. And now?
The authors conclude that Dick Cheney is "nakedly amoral." I agree.
One final scary note: in the many doomsday drills that Cheney participated in across his career and inclusive of his Vice Presidency, they always failed to reconstitute Congress.
Dick Cheney has done more damage and is a greater threat to our Republic and others, than Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein combined.
The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11
Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil
Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory
9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA, Fourth Edition
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III
The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America
9/11 Mysteries Part 1: Demolitions
9/11: Press For Truth
9/11 - The Myth and the Reality
Aftermath: Unanswered Questions from 9/11
Average customer rating:
- Sometimes dated, but always a fun read
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The American Presidency
Clinton Rossiter
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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ASIN: 0801835453 |
Customer Reviews:
Sometimes dated, but always a fun read.......1999-03-02
Though this book was written close to 40 years ago, and though Rossiter knew nothing about the Kennedy assasination, Watergate, or Vietnam, this book makes bold predictions about the future of our country and our presidency with surprising accuracy. The book is written sometimes in a conversation-like tone that makes for easy reading, and the author (while incredibly knowledgable) makes no effort to talk over the readers head. It is a bit old though, and the type of analysis Rossiter uses (namely a constitutionalists point of view) is out-dated. However, it is an optimistic and inspiring book that every future president should read.
Customer Reviews:
The Unraveling of the Bush Presidency.......2007-09-28
Well thought out and balanced regarding how inapropriatley Bush and his administration is marshalling the unique resources of the US and not in the best interests of the world. Among the most precious of these resources is the Values it stands for and the Goodwill it had earned over centuries.
The message is not an argument but a reasoned voice for what is just.
A short book yet not a "quick" read and well worth the time.
Read this review, it'll change your mind........2007-09-06
This is a work which propagates the ills or rather the chills of the Bush administration, meant to inform the readers what is going on, not a biblical study by any means, not sure what the past reviewer is thinking but perhaps I could refer him to A POWER GOVERNMENTS CANNOT SUPPRESS.
This is a pamphlet book, cheap and easy to access.
One has to remember that the sensationalistic media does not allow for much in the way of a large, overburdening text which will never be read.
This is a book of 48 pages! It could have been 1500!.......2007-08-29
This book recaps much of what we have already heard about "Dubya's" corrupt and incompetent administration. No theme was developed beyond a cursory brushover. But why should have Zinn regurgitated all that we already know in a long running tome? It would have been redundant. However, if you are inclined, buy this book and thirty years down the line, in 2037, give it to your grand kids so they might read a good summary of just how dangerous and disgraceful Bush's 8 years in office really were. Hopefully Zinn will have to write a postscript some day about the endless crimes for which many of Bush's lieutenants were jailed -and- hopefully Bush himself. For such a work I might stick around for another 30 years!
Amazon.com
Primary Colors author Joe Klein offers a nonfictional take on his favorite subject, Bill Clinton, whom he describes as both "the most talented politician of his generation" and "the most compelling." Klein is of two minds when it comes to the man from Hope: he is at once disappointed by Clinton's failure to achieve greatness, but also a defender of what Clinton did do. He can be unremittingly harsh about the 42nd president's personal shortcomings: "Bill Clinton often seemed the apotheosis of his generation's alleged sins: moral relativism, the tendency to pay more attention to marketing than to substance, the solipsistic callowness." Yet he also credits Clinton with running "a serious, substantive presidency" whose chief success was dragging "Washington toward a recognition that a revised form of government activism might be appropriate in the anarchy of an instant economy." Klein is a smart and engrossing writer, and The Natural is an honest liberal's best effort to explain eight controversial years. Readers who supported Clinton will discover new insights into why he didn't accomplish more; those who opposed him will gain a sharper understanding of why he remained so popular with the public. --John Miller
Book Description
Joe Klein, best-selling author of Primary Colors and one of our most brilliant political analysts, now tackles the subject he knows best: Bill Clinton. Astute, even-handed, and keenly intelligent, The Natural is the only book to read if you want to understand exactly what happened–to the military, to the economy, to the American people, to the country–during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and how the decisions made during his tenure affect all of us today.
Much has been written about Clinton, but The Natural is the first work to cut through the gossip, scandals, media hype, and emotional turbulence that Clinton always engendered, to step back and rationally analyze the eight years of his tenure, a period during which America rose to unprecedented levels of prosperity. Joe Klein puts that record into perspective, showing us what worked and what didn’t, exactly what was accomplished and why, and who was responsible for the successes and the failures.
We see how the Clinton White House functioned on the inside, how it dealt with the maneuvers of Congress and the Gingrich revolution, and who held power and made the decisions during the endless crises that beset the administration. Klein’s access to the White House over the years as a journalist gave him a prime spot from which to view every crucial event–both political and personal–and he sets them forth in an insightful, readable, and completely engrossing manner.
The Natural is stern in its criticism and convincing with its praise. It will cause endless debate amongst friends and foes of the Clinton administration. It is a book that anyone interested in contemporary politics, in American history, or in the functioning of our democracy, should read.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
Joe Klein, best-selling author of Primary Colors and one of our most brilliant political analysts, now tackles the subject he knows best: Bill Clinton.
Astute, even-handed, and keenly intelligent, The Natural is the only book to read if you want to understand exactly what happened -- to the military, to the economy, to the American people, to the country -- during Bill Clinton's presidency, and how the decisions made during his tenure affect all of us today.
Much has been written about Clinton, but The Natural is the first work to cut through the gossip, scandals, media hype, and emotional turbulence that Clinton always engendered, to step back and rationally analyze the eight years of his tenure, a period during which America rose to unprecedented levels of prosperity. Joe Klein puts that record into perspective, showing us what worked and what didn't, exactly what was accomplished and why, and who was responsible for the successes and the failures.
We see how the Clinton White House functioned on the inside, how it dealt with the maneuvers of Congress and the Gingrich revolution, and who held power and made the decisions during the endless crises that beset the administration. Klein's access to the White House over the years as a journalist gave him a prime spot from which to view every crucial event -- both political and personal -- and he sets them forth in an insightful, readable, and completely engrossing manner.
The Natural is stern in its criticism and convincing with its praise. It will cause endless debate amongst friends and foes of the Clinton administration. It is a book that anyone interested in contemporary politics, in American history, or in the functioning of our democracy, should read.
"Joe Klein knew Bill Clinton before the rest of us did. Now he reminds us what we forgot -- and what history will remember. The best book yet on an astonishing presidency."
H.W. BRANDS, AUTHOR OF THE FIRST AMERICAN AND T.R.: THE LAST ROMANTIC
"Any one of Joe Klein's skills -- dogged reporting, a thorough, subtle grasp of issues, and a clear-eyed, compelling style -- would make him the envy of most political journalists. By putting all of these skills to work on such a rich subject as Bill Clinton, Klein has produced the first indispensable book on the Clinton Presidency. He has performed the almost impossible task of fighting past the melodramas and sex farces to ask -- and answer -- the question so often obscured by the larger-than-life Clinton persona: 'What kind of President was this?' Friend or foe of the forty-second President, you will find your judgments challenged by this book."
JEFF GREENFIELD, HOST OF CNN'S GREENFIELD AT LARGE AND AUTHOR OF OH WAITER! ONE ORDER OF CROW
"When they talk about the first draft of history, this is the epitome of what they mean."
JOSEPH J. ELLIS, AUTHOR OF
FOUNDING BROTHERS AND
AMERICAN SPHINX
Customer Reviews:
A fair but ultimately very sad book.......2007-09-07
Joe Klein takes a detailed, dispassionate look at the Clinton Presidency. He takes great pains to put it in perspective, both generational (Baby Boomers take over from the WWII Generation) and international (pre-9/11). He acknowledges that it took Clinton a while to get a handle on being President, and bemoans how much was opportunity was squandered because of the President's own failings. Yes, Klein opines (and I agree) that Bill Clinton is one of the most staggeringly bright and naturally gifted men to ever hold the White House. But he also nails Clinton on character issues, even beyond Monica Lewinsky (once referring to the President as "a bimbo when he comes to flattery"). When you're done with the book, you appreciate all the nuanced things Clinton accomplished, but you're heartbroken over what he could have done, if not for the inexcusable distractions.
Clinton's intense but flawed humanity is what makes him interesting.......2007-01-25
This short, fast-moving book on Bill Clinton forsakes a historian's detailed and measured treatment to get at the essence of this man's presidency. Because it's more like a magazine article than a doorstop, you're likely to actually read it, maybe in one sitting.
The book has become timely again, in light of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. The "Hillaryland" liberal faction split the White House of her husband, elected as a "Third Way" moderate. Her premature insistence on addressing health care was the most grievous policy error of her husband's presidency. And Hillary's unbelievably complicated proposal, concocted in secret, showed no political sense. Aides described how Hillary could drive Bill, with a phone call, from a good mood to a staff-chastising tantrum, and how they distinguish those tantrums by the tone of his shouting.
She comes across as the more conspiratorial and paranoid of the two, an uncompromising liberal true-believer pursuing a scorched-earth policy against enemies. Sort of like, uh, that president she helped impeach, Richard Nixon. You wonder how she, and this country, would fare with her in the Oval Office.
Klein does not see this as a sham marriage, though. While ever aware they might be playing him, he sees them as devoted to each other.
One of his best chapters describes how Washington's culture of political warfare began with Watergate, intensified through the endless Iran-Contra investigations and the attack-ad era and culminated in the Gingrich speakership and the relentless Whitewater, Paula Jones and Lewinsky investigations.
Clinton failed his potential for several reasons. The placid Nineties were too tame for a truly great presidency. After the healthcare miscalculation, he never seized another opportunity to remake major domestic policy. And the impeachment scandal fatally distracted him in 1998 when he had the budget surplus and standing with Congress to make a real mark by fixing Social Security.
Like a charcoal sketcher, Klein has a fine eye for quick but telling detail. He sees Clinton as needy of praise and human contact. He'd keep dazed listeners awake into the wee hours, talking more and more intensely, unwilling to let the moment go.
Klein describes bowling with him one midnight just before the New Hampshire primary, after the candidate enters but finds the emptied-out joint devoid of hands to shake. Klein, awaiting his turn in the lane, would find Clinton standing so close he pressed up against him, seeming to crave human contact. Clinton's intense but flawed humanity is what makes him interesting, and endlessly so.
Pleasurable Read.......2005-11-29
The book shows that a journalist wrote it. That wasn't meant to be as backhanded as it seems. The stories about Clinton et al are those we can recall, this isn't a back room exposé full of conspiracy theory.
A good journalist (at least) writes as if he has something to tell you. Only in the last chapter does Klein really subject the reader to an opinion piece.
If you were alive at all for the eight years of Clinton's presidency then...no, none of this is really "new" or "insightful" but I, for one, found it none the less interesting.
A very Objective Look at Clinton.......2005-04-23
I have to admit that Klein's book about the Clinton presidency is one of the most objective accounts of Clinton I have ever seen. Although friendly with the ex-prez, Klein pulls no punches and presents Clinton's presidency warts and all. In the end we all know what Clinton did, but Klein gives us more insight as to the "whys" of his actions. Is Clinton the greatest president of all time? No. Is he the worst? Not even close. If all books on presidents were written as objectively as this one, we would all have a better understanding of what makes these men tick.
Is Clinton a better president than W? You tell me: peace and prosperity vs. war, a declining stock market, and skyrocketing gas prices.
too short, unorganized.......2004-06-20
I got the impression that Mr. Klein just threw together a bunch of odds & ends he had left over from another book and notes -- the way they made the movie "Midway" out of edit-outs from "Tora, Tora, Tora!"
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