How Bush Rules: Chronicles of a Radical Regime

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

In a series of columns and essays that renowned journalist and former presidential adviser, Sidney Blumenthal wrote in the three years following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a unifying theme began to emerge: that Bush, billed by himself and by many others as a conservative, is in fact a radical - more radical than any president in American history. In "How Bush Rules", Blumenthal provides a trenchant and vivid account of the progression of Bush's radical style - from his reliance on one-party rule and his unwillingness to allow internal debate to his elevation of the power of the vice president. Taking readers through pivotal events such as the hunt for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the rise of the foreign-policy neoconservatives, Abu Ghraib, the war on science, the Jack Abramoff scandal, and the catastrophic mishandling of Hurricane Katrina, the book tracks a consistent policy that calls for the president to have complete authority over independent federal agencies and to remain unbound by congressional oversight or even the law. In an incisive and powerful introduction, Blumenthal argues that these radical actions are not haphazard, but deliberately intended to fundamentally change the presidency and the government. He shows not only the historical precedents for radical governing, but also how Bush has taken his methods to unique extremes. With its penetrating account of a critical new era in American leadership, "How Bush Rules" is a devastating appraisal of the Bush presidency.

Reviews

"Sidney Blumenthal ... understands the workings of the White House. His recently published book, How Bush Rules: Chronicles of a Radical Regime, collects his columns from November 2003 to April 2006, and they provide week-by-week freeze-frames of an array of significant events over the past three years. (They are, in fact, wonderfully insightful probes by a seasoned journalist with insider experience who knows exactly where to look.)"--John Dean, findlaw.com "Sid Blumenthal [is] the rare analyst of contemporary affairs who brings to his commentary a deep knowledge of American history and political culture... He was one of the people warning us all along about this administration's radicalism. But not enough of us listened or understood."--David Greenberg, TPMCafe "How Bush Rules is exemplary, convincingly arguing that George W. Bush is 'the most willfully radical president of the United States,' by documenting in real-time the episodes that have made up his presidency... Blumenthal's columns stand the test of time. Even the oldest pieces aren't dated... Blumenthal is ... original and illuminating... How Bush Rules is a book comprised of timely interventions that is destined to stand the test of time."--Rick Perlstein, In These Times "As an advisor to President Clinton, the man has an insider's perspective on how the White House works--or in Bush's case, fails--a claim few authors can make."--Billy Kekevian, Philadelphia City Paper "While lucid and elegant ... Sidney Blumenthal is ... savage in his verdict on George W. Bush in this collection of columns and essays from the Guardian and Salon."--Richard Briand, International Affairs "A fascinating study of the presidency, of presidential decision making, and of the Bush (II) presidency, journalist Sidney Blumenthal's interesting volume theorizes that George Bush is not really a true conservative... The beauty of this book is that it will stimulate countless hours of discussions, debates, and heated arguments... Highly recommended."--Choice

Author Bio

Sidney Blumenthal, former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, is a regular columnist for the "Guardian" of London and for "Salon", and has been a staff writer for the "New Yorker", the "Washington Post", and other major publications. His books include, most recently, "The Clinton Wars" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). He is currently a Senior Fellow at the New York University Center on Law and Security. In 1999, he gave the Willard and Margaret Thorp Lecture in American Studies at Princeton University, speaking on American presidential history.