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The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2007, 5th Edition (American Presidency (CQ))
Sidney M. Milkis, Michael Nelson
CQ Press, 2007
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What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception 186 reviews
Scott McClellan
PublicAffairs, 2008
What Happened
The book is much better than any of the political commentaries made when it was first released. Strongly suggest reading it -- whether one is a confirmed Democrat (as I am) or a devoted Republican.
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Obama's Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency5 reviews
Robert Kuttner
Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008
The road to redemption
This small, interesting book begins "Barack Obama could be the first chief executive since Lyndon Johnson with the potential to be a transformative progressive president." Author Kuttner believes that will only happen if Obama is a more radical president than he is a presidential candidate. This does not mean operating outside the mainstream. Rather, it means the country needs radical changes, ...
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Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
H.W. Brands
Doubleday, 2008
A sweeping, magisterial biography of the man generally considered the greatest president of the twentieth century, admired by Democrats and Republicans alike. Traitor to His Class sheds new light on FDR's formative years, his remarkable willingness to champion the concerns of the poor and disenfranchised, his combination of political genius, firm leadership, and matchless diplomacy in saving democracy in America during the Great Depression and ...
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The Assault on Reason 335 reviews
Al Gore
Penguin (Non-Classics), 2008
Should be a high school textbook
This book is the literary equivalent of having a bucket of cold water thrown on you while you sleep, and its exactly what we all need right now. As i read through this book I found myself getting angry, angry because I realized that I had given up my right to change the course of this country by allowing someone else to make the decisions for me. For allowing the television to make up my mind ...
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Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values52 reviews
Keith Olbermann
Random House, 2007
A truly revealing and excellent book
Certainly, those persons who spend their days as apologists for the Bush Administration, with their heads firmly buried in the sand, will list out all the reasons why this book is owned by the democratic party, and they'll shriek out the usual evangelistic defenses of Dumbya. But truly, Olbermann is a thorough, well-researched and articulate journalist, and his book touches on so many of the key ...
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Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters23 reviews
Richard A. Clarke
Ecco, 2008
excellant
For those desiring to learn more about the process that has gotten our country into the current miserable shape that we find ourselves, this book is a must read. If anything Mr. Clarke overwhelms you with too much information. The facts as presented, show that there is no 'one' thing wrong, but an endless parade of malfunction and misfunction.
I would like to think that he could be correct and ...
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Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America14 reviews
Walter R. Borneman
Random House, 2008
Polk: The Man Who Transformed The Presidency
Polk
The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America
By Walter R. Borneman
If asked to name those who have served as President of the United States, few average Americans would be able to offer more than a handful of names. Among those least likely to be named is that of James Knox Polk our eleventh president. Yet, in a 1948 poll of leading historians conducted by the late Arthur ...
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Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches29 reviews
John W. Dean
Viking Adult, 2007
Informative and solidly written
John W. Dean has worked in government at the highest levels, has stellar credentials and credibility, and is definitely qualified to discuss this Republican administration's actions. Being Republican himself, I consider his views even more objective and valuable than those rants I hear from established contrarians -- on both sides. Dean is a republican who dares to speak the truth to power, even ...
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God in the White House: A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush7 reviews
Randall Balmer
HarperOne, 2008
FASCINATING!
GOD IN THE WHITE HOUSE: HOW FAITH SHAPED THE PRESIDENCY FROM JOHN F. KENNEDY TO GEORGE BUSH W. BUSH is a fascinating, wonderful introduction to an important topic. Let the work speak for itself. What follows are selected sections from Randall Balmer's book. In a few places I have taken the liberty of conflating quotes from two or more parts of the book, but I have remained faithful to the ...
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The Politics of the Presidency1 review
Joseph August Pika, John Anthony Maltese
CQ Press, 2008
A good overview of the changing face of the Am. Presidency
I have this book as a text for a political science class I'm taking at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Though a bit pricey at $40, I truly find this a solid read. It should be appropriate for all levels of reader, though it seems to be geared towards those with at least basic knowledge of the American political system.
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For the President's Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush11 reviews
Christopher Andrew
Harper Perennial, 1996
Eye Opening Reading For Secret Intelligence Buffs
For the Presidents Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush is exciting reading for fans of secret intelligence or presidential history. The book answers the all important question "what did the president know and when did he know it" and more importantly to secret intelligence buffs "how did he know it." Professor Christopher Andrew provides a through ...
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The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration29 reviews
Jack L. Goldsmith
W. W. Norton, 2007
A very important look at a critical issue
I found this to be an extremely valuable book on a radioactive topic--the purported legal justifications for the Bush Administration's "war on terror" and its treatment of detainees. The book takes an unique perspective--the author served for 9 months as the head of the Office of Legal Counsel ("OLC") at the Department of Justice. Those of us who are "alums" of DOJ know how critical the work of ...
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1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies 1 review
David Pietrusza
Union Square Press, 2008
Just so-so
This book is a good read for readers who previously had little or no knowledge of the 1960 campaign. For people with even a moderate familiarity with that era, the book offers no new information or insight.
The book also would have benefited from some more careful editing. In at least two places some person is identified as a candidate's principle adviser,when the correct English is principal ...
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The Bush Tragedy54 reviews
Jacob Weisberg
Random House, 2008
You Won't See the Same Shrub
Molly Ivens warned us all about Dubya in the nineties, when he was wreaking havoc in Texas. So what has happened is no surprise. However, The Bush Tragedy makes me see him and his family entirely differently, as failed humans rather than as the characatures the world sees. The Senior Bush rises somewhat in stature as I see him now, and the son sinks even lower. But each newsclip, each Great ...
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Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics20 reviews
Glenn Greenwald
Crown, 2008
THE Book for the Post Nixon/Reagan/Bush Era
Glenn Greenwald is the writer for our time. I think historians will use Glenn's writings as a milestone beginning the end of the corporate propaganda era. Glenn has few sacred cows except the truth, which we all know has a liberal bias. This book is another in his impressive catalog exposing the Hypocrites in the corporate media and corporate bought government. Conservative apologists and the ...
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Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (Vintage) 10 reviews
Douglas L. Wilson
Vintage, 2007
A Scholarly Analysis readable by Anyone
Lincoln's Sword illuminates the power and clarity of Lincoln's words. Even if the reader is not a Lincoln devotee or scholar, this book's treatment of Lincoln's speeches are clear, concise and pleasureable. This is a book that anyone would enjoy reading.
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Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy34 reviews
Charlie Savage
Back Bay Books, 2008
Takeover
Clearly written, well thought out, well supported and utterly infuriating.Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
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The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power6 reviews
Gene Healy
Cato Institute, 2008
A book Americans need to read--especially this year
Do yourself--and the country--a favor, and pick up a copy of Cato Institute scholar Gene Healy's new book, The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power. This important book has the potential to start a much-needed national conversation about the monstrous amount of power we invest in the individual who occupies the White House at any given moment.
Every four ...
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The Presidency And The Political System 3 reviews
CQ Press, 2005
It looks boring, but is isn't
This is a collection of essays on the presidency. It doesn't look like an interesting book, but many of the pieces are in fact quite interesting. The book covers many different aspects of the presidency, and one can learn a lot merely by reading this book. Although it is definitely an academic book, it is not so dry that it cannot be read by those that are not involved with academics.
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