Amazon.com
New York Post columnist John Podhoretz has equal amounts of love for George W. Bush and scorn for Bush's prominent liberal critics. In this energetic defense of the president, he paints a picture of Bush as being much cagier and politically clever than some of the more well-known voices on the left give him credit for. As Podhoretz describes it, Bush's classic maneuver is to take up a position thought to be unpopular among Washington insiders, such as not one but two rounds of sizeable tax cuts. He then rallies public support behind the idea, thereby outflanking possible opposition, scoring political victories, and increasing his political capital. Bush Country presents chapters on what the author says are some of the most common "crazy liberal ideas" about the President and then sets out to disprove them. But by using the most incendiary descriptions possible ("Bush is a puppet," "Bush is a moron," and "Bush wants to bankrupt the government") to describe the ideas, Podhoretz makes the disproving that much easier. And one does get the sense that he's trying to eat his cake and have it too as he complains about liberals' hatred and viciousness even as he attacks them right back and calls them crazy. But Podhoretz does not necessarily march in lockstep with every Republican official. He has much scorn for the first President Bush and talks openly about his initial misgivings as "Dubya" rose to power and prominence. The book is at its best when describing the ways in which the son has made efforts to learn from the father's mistakes and distance himself from George H.W. Bush's legacy. Written with plenty of passion and humor, Bush Country will likely please Bush supporters who have watched the president take hits from the Al Franken, Michael Moore, and others on the left. --John Moe
Book Description
Combining acerbic wit with insider political savvy, one of America's most entertaining journalists tells readers why George W. Bush is not only the Right Man at the Right Time, but has become the greatest Leader of the AgeGeorge W. Bush arrived in the White House an untested governor with an unfortunate habit of tripping over his own tongue, presiding over an economy slipping into recession, and a nation more obsessed with reality television than with the reality of international terrorism. He was considered by many opinion-leaders a dupe, an illiterate, a cowboy, a preppie, a child of privilege who would never have made it to the White House without the help of his ex-president father. Now, with his first term coming to an end, it is clear to John Podhoretz that Bush has become-and will be remembered-as one of this nation's strongest leaders. He has changed the country's agenda from top to bottom. Steeled by the tragedy of September 11, he has responded with visionary power and towering authority. He has presided over victories in two wars and a triumphant repositioning of his party. His secret: The willingness to spend political capital rather than hoard it. Bush Country makes its case with style and verve. Here is an engrossing and entertaining portrait that proves that 'misunderestimating' our forty-third president is folly indeed.
Customer Reviews:
Podhoretz Should Have Waited.......2007-06-05
Three years on, with Podhoretz himself repudiating Bush's views, and with Bush's approval ratings hovering around 30%, it seems clear that Bush cannot be considered a "Great" anything, let alone a leader of the 21st Century. The failures of his Administration are too lengthy and obvious--not to mention depressing--to document. It is small wonder that this hagiography has plummeted down the Amazon sales list like a lead brick dropped from a plane.
In years to come, I suspect that many conservatives will attempt to explain that they really, truly didn't like Bush, or trust him, or believe that he was a "real" conservative in the Reagan mold--we can already see the revisionism beginning as I write this. But when there are books like this out there, it's going to be mighty difficult for Podhoretz and his ilk to run away from their record. I suspect, however, that they will try anyway.
Insane chickenhawk neo-conman writes propaganda tripe.......2007-04-13
An Untalented Young Mr. Podhoretz owes his position to his father. By himself he is a shallow thinker of a strange category of neocons who would like us to invade the world (themselves, they would not serve) and invate the world.
A strange policy of keeping our borders open, so that any terrorist can and does enter upon payment of $5K to coyote, while at the same time have our army in Arab lands defending their borders.
Long Winded, but Right!.......2006-05-25
As an American as I was raised to love my country and always respect my President. I mean, by the simple virtue that the MAJORITY of Americans elected the man to office means he must be the better choice. I was very glad to see someone finally taking a stand against Michael Moore and all his friends and setting the record straight. Unfortunately, I found it too wordy for my personal tastes. I don't like to read a book and the dictionary at the same time! However, the points that really came across were the right ones and I would strongly advise bringing a copy of this with you too dinner parties where some of your "blue state" neighbors or relatives might be in attendence. Hopefully this book will inspire someone else to write a similar but easier to read version.
The title says it all.......2006-05-16
The numerous apoplectic comments posted for this book have successfully proven the author's point:
George W. Bush has indeed driven the liberals insane.
Panacea for Reality.......2006-03-29
It's sad that when a point of view or politcal party becomes more important than reality. This book is just conjecture and wishful thinking. Nothing more than bait and switch pulp. It's too bad politcal thought and discourse have devolved in to nothing more than picking a team. Our country deserves better.
Good work Podhoretz! Satan has seen your work and he likes what he sees! You'll have plenty of time go over it with him when you burn in Hell for eternity. Hey Christians, thou shalt not bear false witness counts for you, too!
Who says the lunatic fringe are the only one's who can pass judgement?
Amazon.com
While other liberal-minded books, written by everyone from documentary filmmakers to political strategists to comedians, have been broadly critical of the entire early 21st-century conservative universe, Eric Alterman and Mark J. Green have narrowed their focus to the man living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And unlike some of their contemporaries, they choose to largely eschew the clever metaphors and whimsical storytelling to get right at their pointed criticisms of George W. Bush, whom they accuse of being less than honest with the American people while serving the interests of large corporations, the religious right, and neoconservative ideologues. Such charges, by themselves, are so commonplace by this point as to be unremarkable but Alterman and Green provide voluminous, detailed research and come at the case with the vigor of prosecuting attorneys certain of a defendant's guilt or maybe a pair of exceptionally ambitious graduate students ready to present a final dissertation. They contrast sections of Bush's public statements, especially campaign rhetoric, that seem to strike a centrist, conciliatory tone with evidence of his actions that veer hard right and contradict the very things he had said. Some of Bush's words come off more as simple talking points on complex issues than outright deception, and the authors do stop short of calling Bush a liar, but even in these situations, the president still comes off as either out of touch or disingenuous. And though some of their supporting material comes from opinion pieces in publications like the New Republic, serving more to echo the authors' perspective than document it, there's plenty more from objective sources and raw factual data. Liberals will find plenty in The Book on Bush to arm them in arguments against conservatives and they'll have the evidence to make their case. --John Moe
Book Description
Not since the heyday of Richard Nixon has there been a president more controversial and polarizing than George W. Bush. From his arrival in office through what many still regard as one of the most flagrant miscarriages of electoral justice in modern history to the long road to Iraq, Bush has been vilified by liberals as ardently as he has been embraced by the neoconservatives who have been the driving force of his administration. Both Eric Alterman and Mark Green are known for their doggedness in researching the media and political figures, and what they discover in the case of Bush is a consistent pattern of double standards, misrepresentation, and contradictions. The Book on Bush methodically critiques administration policy from the standpoint of its truthfulness as well as its merit, with the characteristic wit of both writers.
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"The Book on Bush is the first comprehensive critique of a president who is governing on a right wing and a prayer. In carefully documented detail, Eric Alterman and Mark Green, two of the leading progressive authors/advocates in the country, not only trace the guiding ideology that runs through a wide range of W's policies but also expose a presidential decision-making process that, rather than weighing facts to arrive at conclusions, begins with conclusions and then searches for supporting facts. While other commentators and authors have plumbed a particular policy (or policies) or chronicled his provable deceptions, Alterman and Green connect the dots of what's behind all the policies and prevarications. The Book on Bush reveals a president who, while determinedly uninformed, uncurious, and unyielding, is messianic in pursuing the goals of his three leading constituencies: the religious right, big business, and neoconservatives. With few exceptions, the interests of these groups have been served so effectively that the result for America is nothing less than the attempted rolling back of the progressive gains of the past century."
Customer Reviews:
The left trying to lie about the best President in 5 decades..........2007-06-25
This author should research the Clintons if he wants to find liars and numerous accounts of misleading the American public... All Bill ever did was lie, from day one to the very end, and he left the White House laughing in the faces of all Americans...
The loosing left should leave this man alone, he is the most incredible President that this country has seen in the last 50 years...
Liberals are the seeds of Socialists, and Socialists are the roots of Communists... If you do not like living in the RIGHT country... then leave...
Make the change today: THINK RIGHT, GO RIGHT and BE RIGHT...
Our Son In White House is an Honor Student.......2006-11-02
This book is written by two progressive authors with a report card on different subjects for President Bush who advocated NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. The subjects affect all Americans in economics, environment, civil liberty, healthcare and education. Despite his grades, he managed to have White House lease extended for four more years. That must be democracy and politics.
This book showed George came from the right wing with a prayer to serve the trinity of religious right, corporate business and neocons. George is a tough cowboy not to mess with. He shows America is no paper tiger to the Axis of evil. His top gun Mission Accomplished show was impressive after the shock and awe.
As Commander in Chief, George's policy affects rich & poor, faithful & secular, war & peace. This book helps you decide on the bumper sticker MY SON IN THE WHITE HOUSE DOES NOT DO HIS HOMEWORK IS AN HONOR STUDENT.
An Insult to Minorities that is chilling in many other ways.......2006-07-25
I read this in passing at the new San Jose Main Public Library the other day.
These coauthors' writing is as harsh as Ann Coulter's but of an opposite persuasion. However, their use of citations and supporting documentation is lacking. It is mostly up to the reader to guess which points are supported by which references in the bibliography. There are no footnotes, just mere page number references. A great number of references are simply for the sprinklings of quotations used. The fact, that Alterman and Green are employed by any journal, is chilling and an insult for that employer.
Alterman, intending to attack "neocons," uses an example of voter intimidation in places like Baltimore where the "Get out the Vote" advertisments also say "...and take care of your oustanding warrants, overdue rent, etc..." Another example is one that persuades people to show up at the polls days after election day. [Incidentally, the book's issues like this are debatably related to the topic of President Bush...]
So much for the idea of a "well-informed electorate!"
Such voter intimidation is not just sad but almost laughable.
First, does anyone want to admit depending on a voter base of individuals who fall for intimidation like this? This was an insult to liberal causes! To think this was a great book, you too would probably fall for voter intimidations like these examples given by Alterman and Green.
Second, are these guys trying to tell us that a qualification, to be considered a minority, consists of being duped by garbage like this? What an insult to minorities!
Third, if these guys are responsible journalists, can they report on anybody of their own polity that might be doing something about the state of the electorate's information?
While Alterman and Green make this point on their own voter base being so inadequate with any base of knowledge, they are trying to make a point, by begging the question from the first page, that President Bush himself has a very inadequate base of knowledge. Worse yet, Alterman and Green propose that a bad state of knowledge is further demonstrated by President Bush's tendency to ask "stupid" questions. Perhaps all readers should reflect on whether it is better to have stupid questions asked than to have stupid results occur when nobody has the courage to ask stupid questions. And back to the concept of a "well-informed electorate," real education begins with real questions. It is too bad that Alterman and Green have evidently been too proud to ask any questions, starting with "Why did so and so ask such and such question?" instead of jumping to their conclusions.
Another example of Alterman and Green's points is that President Bush's tendency to leave the "details" to others is a weakness. It would have been more useful to their point to expound on how this balances one's own core competencies with those of others. It's an effective corporate strategy. Maybe journalists know nothing about that.
Alterman and Green's publication is a strike out for journalism.
If you are a proponent of progressiveness or of the idea of a "well-informed electorate," this book does not help either of these causes.
I love this...........2006-02-04
This was one of the books I have read to understand what my opinion is about Bush. I puts into print the concepts, ideas and realities of the dichotomy of Bush. Politics to the fullest. No wonder this nation is so full of apathy. I love books like this that make you look deeper into subjects....
And (Mis)leads the world: a view from the UK.......2005-09-03
American audiences might be forgiven for wondering what benefit a UK citizen could obtain from reading such a thorough and exhaustive dissection of the failures of Bush's domestic and foreign policy. But the fact remains that citzens of the world are in many respects the disenfranchised electorate of the United States. For as this book makes abundantly clear, as the world's only hyperpower, the US is in a position to dictate terms to every single person alive on the planet today. What the President says and does will impact everybody, whether we like it or not - and mostly, we do not.
The exposing of foreign policy flaws in the Middle East comes as no surprise; indeed the situation in Iraq today is exactly that predicted by the authors and their sources, only worse. But the revelation for a foreign reader such as myself was the extent to which the Bush administration is systematically asset stripping the nation of its entitlement in terms of education, health care, social services and the environment, whilst annexing yet more wealth for the top tier of American society and a cadre of handpicked cronies. The meticulous examination of federal tax policy and who really benefits was very informative and shocking in its audacity.
In spite of the measured and forceful arguments proposed by the authors, George W Bush was re-elected in November 2004. As an outsider, I find this completely perplexing since in my own country, the overwhelming majority of voters (had we been able) would have chosen the other candidate. But if you are an American beginning to see through the cracks in the surface and wish to know more about the motives and intentions of your government, I strongly recommend this book. In spite of its failure to prevent the re-election of this President it may still have a powerful influence over who gets to be the next one.
Customer Reviews:
Educational.......2007-08-30
This book packs a lot of information into very few pages. Bugliosi does a good job of supporting his suppositions with law. There are so many points made, most everyone will be unaware of some of them. The biggest drawback for me was that sometimes Bugliosi strays into name-calling which leads one to begin to doubt if some of the scholarship isn't slanted more than is obvious at first blush.
A case Excellently Presented.......2007-08-05
Bugliosi is one of a kind! He makes his points clearly and effectively. I wish he could take all these so called "justices" to court where he would run circles around them with his startlingly clear reasoning and thinking, ending with them all being dragged off to the nearest prison for treason. A great book to get the juices of freedom flowing again from a great man who truly cares about justice.
Right Result, Wrong Reasoning.......2007-06-01
I voted for Al Gore in 2000 and wish that he were finishing his second term as President at this time. However, if you put partisan emotions aside and look at the full legal context of that election, it is clear that Bush was the legally elected President.
Article II of the Constitution gives state legislatures the authority to appoint electors to the electoral college, using whatever criteria each legislature establishes. In the early days of the Republic, most legislatures chose all electors themselves, by majority vote. Over time, other criteria were used, until now all 50 states award electors based on the results of the popular vote. With only one or two exceptions (I forget which states), the candidate with the highest popular vote in a given state gets ALL of that state's electoral votes.
For many decades, Florida has followed this procedure to award its electoral votes. But Florida election laws clearly state that the state legislature has the right to set aside the results of the popular vote totals; the legislature may then directly award, by majority vote of all legislators, the electoral votes to whichever candidate it chooses. In 2000, both Houses of the Florida legislature had solid Republican majorities. The Republican leaders of both bodies (and the Republican governor, Jeb Bush), clearly stated that, if necessary, they would call a special legislative session to award ALL Florida electors to George W. Bush.
Had that scenario occurred, here is what would likely have played out. On the day that Congress was scheduled to count the electoral votes, the Gore operatives would have challenged the Florida electoral count. Existing FEDERAL election laws would then have become operative. The Republican U.S. House majority would have awarded the electoral votes to Bush. The U.S. Senate would have voted 51-50 to award the electoral votes to Gore, with then Vice President Gore casting the tiebreaking vote in his favor. Federal law states that if the Senate and House award electors to different candidates, the governor of the state in question has the right to break the tie and award the electors to the candidate he so chooses. The Florida governor in 2000...Jeb Bush, George W.'s brother. In a last ditch effort to salvage the election for Gore, the Florida Supreme Court would probably have tried to use their powers of judicial review to thwart this scenario, by claiming that a state Supreme Court has authority to review all acts of its own legislature. However, the U.S. Supreme Court would certainly have ruled that the U.S. Constitution unequivocally gives the power to select electors (by whichever method it chooses) to state legislatures, outside the scope of state court judicial review - and by more than a 5-4 vote.
So there you have it, folks. Lament all you want over what federal election laws should be, bash the electoral college, lambaste the confusing "butterfly" ballots in south Florida, criticize the flimsy equal protection arguments of the 5 or 7 justices, etc. But all partisan feelings aside, George W. Bush was the legitimately, constitutionally elected winner of the 2000 Presidential election. All other legal reasonings in this book make for nice academic discussions, but are beside the point in any practical sense.
Doesn't mince any words.......2007-05-30
Bugliosi turns a prosecutor's eye to Bush v. Gore and finds the decision not just lacking substance, but a criminal act.
First he deals with motive. All of the 5 justices who chose Bush as president came up through partisan Republican politics. While that's expected (since they come to their positions through the political process), integrity in upholding their oath to support the Consitition has been expected to take precedence. Beyond their partisan pasts and connections, 3 of the 5 had immediate and direct interest in a Bush presidency. Justice O'Connor publically said that if Gore won she'd have to postpone her retirement at least 4 years (so as not to have a Democratic President apppoint her successor.) Justice Thomas's wife, through her Heritage Foundation position was poised to serve on the Bush transition team and Justice Scalia's two sons work for a law firm that handles Bush's legal business.
Bugliosi doesn't say what would happen if we, the non-elite, helped out friends or worked things to our interest through service on a jury, but I'm sure something would.
Next Bugliosi deals with the legal issues. How could the court accept Bush's argument that Bush needed "equal protection" from Gore? That is... the court assumed that Bush won the election and that by counting the votes Gore could take it away from him. Votes, 60,000 in this case, the sacred element of our democracy... the very core of what people fight and die for... were negated as the Court ignored its own entrenched states right biases and regarded time frames as inflexible when complete past practice and case law showed recounts and seating delegates, (with disputes always decided by states and state courts), to be viewed as target dates and not rigid dealines.
On p. 155 Bugliosi has a hypothetical script. He suggests the dialog of the justices and how they came to "reason out" their unsigned opinion that allowed them to pick the president over 50 million voting Americans.
In the early part of the book (written in 2001) he likens this decision to the "preposterous" idea that Republican prosecutors would prosecute only Democrats and vice versa. It was strange that he would mention it, because it was this exact thing that piqued my current interest in this 2001 book.
Supreme Court Betrayal.......2007-05-12
Mr. Bugliosi's excellent book brings into question the entire operation and philosophy of the supreme court. Perhaps the supreme court should be simply the highest appellate court and leave questions of constitutionality to the judicial committees of Congress. As Mr. Bugliosi points out, there is nothing in the Consitution that gives the Supreme Court the right to strike down federal and state laws as unconstitutional.
Average customer rating:
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The Book on Bush: How George W. Bush is (Mis)leading America
Eric Alterman , and
Mark J. Green
Manufacturer: Sound Library
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ASIN: 0792731379 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Cross Currents, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1907 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: American Christianity and the re-election of George W. Bush.(What's the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America)(Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate)(Book Review)
Author: Marian Ronan
Publication:
Cross Currents (Newsletter)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 55
Issue: 2
Page: 276(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Modern Age, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2006. The length of the article is 2472 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Betraying conservative principles.(Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy)(Book review)
Author: George W. Carey
Publication:
Modern Age (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 48
Issue: 3
Page: 269(5)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Presidential Studies Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1032 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Command of Office: How War, Secrecy, and Deception Transformed the Presidency, from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush.(Book Review)
Author: Russell L. Riley
Publication:
Presidential Studies Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35
Issue: 3
Page: 613(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Humanist, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1072 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: From Watergate to downing street: lying for war.(Up Front: news and opinion from independent minds)(War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death)
Author: Norman Solomon
Publication:
The Humanist (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 65
Issue: 4
Page: 5(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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- Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition
- Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing)
- Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times
- Charlotte's Web (Trophy Newbery)
- Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone
- Civil Rights Chronicle (The African-American Struggle for Freedom)
- Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality
- Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy And the Next Great Crisis in the Middle East
- Conservatives Without Conscience
- Created Equal, Brief Edition, Single Volume Edition
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Misunderestimated : The President Battles Terrorism, Media Bias, and the Bush Haters
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