Bush Books

That is...unless your family is full of Republicans, like mine is.

I have been eagerly awaiting this book, having quite enjoyed its predecessor, "Clueless George Goes to War!" And while I really liked that one, it's sequel, "Clueless George is Watching You!" is actually funnier than the first. Pat Bagley is still at the top of his game, sending everyone's favorite monkey president on an adventure to try and stop terrorists - by spying on Americans! While the plot may sound a bit outlandish and implausible (sarcasm, of course), this book can easily be summed up in two (or is that three?) words: non-stop fun. Bagley somehow manages to add wit and humor to a not-so-humorous reality, complete with adorable black-and-white illustrations that are somewhat reminiscent of a children's storybook.

If you were a fan at all of the first book...or you are a fan of the Curious George books...or just a fan of the idea of a monkey running America, then this book is for you. Highly recommended. I have actually read it about 3 or 4 times in the past week, and I still chuckle every time.

Clueless George is a wonderful parody on several levels. Of course, it parodies the Curious George books, as well as George Bush, Dick Cheney and others. It does this with a well written little story and wonderful drawings. George and The Man (Dick Cheney) are up to their old tricks again, this time spying on people with the MSA (Monkey Spy Agency).

The second book of the series, "Clueless George Is Watching YOU" is a humorous look at how the Bush administration's spying on individuals has mushroomed and how it was hidden from the public. The drawings are detailed and need to be viewed several times before their full impact will hit.

This is the longest of the books. Although I think was great, don't read this if you are a Bush fan. If, however, you are a reasonable human with a funny bone, then these little books are a must. They are a little expensive for what you get, so I would recommend either getting it either used, from a library (as if that is likely) or by buying the three book set on sale here on Amazon.

Pat Bagley seems to have an uncanny ability to come from what may, at first glance, be far afield and then hits abruptly to the center of the issue he is satirizing. He strikes the mark many times in this short but enjoyable work. He raises metaphoric issues about the politics of our times that abound in exact truthfulness. He leaves one with many chuckles and sighs.

Read even a few media reports and watch a few TV interviews, and you will soon see that even most of America's leading thinkers, writers, and political leaders just don't get it. During the recent weeks leading up to the upcoming 2008 Presidential election, a glaring problem has become increasingly obvious: nobody even knows what to call America's 21st century foreign policy. Some (wrongly) consider it a disastrous and confused mystery; some consider it to be some natural and predictable consequence of previous policies; still others consider it evidence of a "neo-conservative" agenda or a conspiracy of "big oil."

Dr. Colucci is, to my knowledge, the only authority to date to clearly rectify this problem of confusion, ignorance, and misunderstanding. Having completed exhaustive research on the subject, including many interviews with authors of these policies and with various policymakers and experts who defined this decade and the last, Dr. Colucci has named the defining strategy of the Bush presidency "Crusading Realism."

To students of international relations, foreign policy, and world history in general, the "realism" part is not unclear. Realism, to perhaps overly simplify, recognizes the duty and responsibility of a national leader to his own citizens. The U.S. president has the Constitutional obligation to defend and promote the interests of America. In the case of the Bush presidency, myriad speeches and publications from the White House have indicated the administration's resolve to guard every American physically from the dangers of the modern world, as well as the defense and promotion of other American interests across the globe.

However, the "crusading" part is not as widely understood. As Dr. Colucci demonstrates in far greater detail than I can, the Bush administration believes that a strictly defensive posture against such dangerous ideologies as militant Islam is naively insufficient to protect those aforementioned vital and national interests. September 11, 2001 proved it and was the main catalyst for the development of crusading realism. Thus, Bush and his foreign policy team sought ways of not only winning tactical engagements against foreign enemies and preserving the United States' prime geopolitical position, but they also sought ways to proactively encourage and promote the spread of human freedom in faraway lands. President Bush's firm belief in what he often calls the "non-negotiable demands of human dignity" demands such action, even if the duty to preserve America -- and Americanism, the culture and glue that give America a fabric of national unity and national identity -- did not now demand such policy change.

Dr. Colucci lays out a convincing case that the Bush Doctrine is, in fact, a return to the very core principles of the American Revolution. For the same reasons that early American colonists were justified in creating a "novus ordo seclorum" (if your Latin is a little rusty, that's a "new order for the ages") in the 18th century; for the same reasons that another generation of Americans spilled its own blood at Gettysburg in the 19th century; and for the same reasons that yet more young Americans were needed to give the greatest sacrifice in defense of freedom against the Nazis in the 20th century, so now the Bush Doctrine plots a course of action in defense of freedom and the natural rights of man and in active opposition to the forces of evil that threaten citizens of the 21st century.

But, don't take my word for it! Scholarly yet easy-to-swallow for any American citizen, this book is an absolutely necessary addition to the collection of any American patriot.

What has 9/11 done to the foreign policy of America? "Crusading Realism: The Bush Doctrine and American Core Values After 9/11" is a look at the emergence of the Bush doctrine and how it has taken shape over the past few years. Looking to explain it while trying to maintain the political roots of the country and their relevance to Bush's actions, "Crusading Realism" is a deft and scholarly explanation of international affairs in a post 9/11 world.

As a student of politics and philosophy, I have been waiting for the definitive book on the "whys" of the Iraq War to come out. Professor Colucci's Crusading Realism is that book.

9/11 changed America's fundamental philosophy on National Security and gave us the Bush Doctrine, but what does that mean in practical terms? Was this simply 'blood for oil,' or was there something deeper and more meaningful at work? Colucci's thesis is that there was something much deeper and thoughtful at work than the popular media has been telling us.

Professor Colucci's work is incredibly detailed, researched, cited, and is based on direct interviews wherever possible. The book makes two assertions: the 9/11 attacks weren't the 'beginning' of the Islamo-fascist movement, and also neither was the Bush Doctrine something new. Rather, Colucci asserts that it was something very old: a return to a foreign policy based on the beliefs of the Founders of the country and their notion of Natural Law.

Crusading Realism is a landmark achievement, and represents something you literally won't find anywhere else: a scholarly, yet still engaging look at the philosophy behind the Bush Doctrine. If you are interested in the facts surrounding what those inside the administration were thinking and doing, you should pick up this book, no matter what your opinion on the war.

We as "Americans" have long thought that our "democratic system" is flawless. As "American" many of us believe that all we have to do is elect the right president and they'd solve our problems for us. and we also have those who feel America's leaders have screwed it up along with the political process itself which is driven by wealth and media. This endless cycle must end. Our solutions will not come from media produced "solutions". the seed to plant in order to produce wise, workable solutions such as the author's insights that emerge from diverse perspectives and experience. This book is accountable and creative enough not to only address the causes of today's crises but to offer solutions.

This is the book that will change America for the better! Not only does it list the problems, but it gives us detailed ways to solve the problems without violence or civil war.

It breaks the illegal bond between corporate America and our "trusted" lawmakers. The author says it is of Historical Significance and he is not kidding!

A must read for every American!

This is an easy to read book stating what is going wrong in America as we speak. The author gets to the point without a whole lot of mumbo jumbo filler as other authors do. I particulary like the part where he uses personal examples of being scamed and highlights a way all Americans are scamed. But the best part is that he actually gives us several solutions that we as Americans can do to change the downward spiral our society has become accustomed to. This is more than your average call your congressmen crap that most feed us. The solutions empower us instead of them.

Dorie is the history of every woman in East Tennessee who's family comes from "the mountains". A "must read" for any person seeking a peek back in time to what lives were like for those before us and the roots of where we come from.

Dorie:Woman of the Mountains is an excellent book. Very well written - you feel as if you are talking with Dorie herself as she chronicles her life in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This book is so entertaining you want to read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a most enjoyable trip back in time.

DORIE: WOMAN OF THE MOUNTAINS is an excellent example of new history-making, literature in which one person's story is representative of an era and its people. Dorie's narration of her life in the Great Smoky Mountains during the earliest years of the twentieth century evokes memories of our own old folks and their storytelling. Her account of the often hardscrabble existence she and her family endured in the mountains of East Tennessee is not a depressing one, but a testimony of the pioneer spirit that helped build this nation. Dorie's life straddled the fence between the old ways and the modern age, a time when many people still worked to produce everything their families needed even as other people discovered all the things that money could purchase at the local store or through the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogues. Education was not always as easily obtained. Jobs became increasingly hard to find as the area was developed into a national park and with the onset of the Great Depression. Through Dorie's story, we get an inside glimpse of life in an isolated but beautiful mountain wilderness, and the ways in which modernity simultaneously improved financial situations and contributed to the destruction of a uniquely American way of life.

AS "EYES WIDE OPEN: WHAT THE LIBERALS DONT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT HOW AMERICA WORKS", IS NOT YET AVAILIBLE IN STORES AND HAS BEEN SHIPPED VIA DIRECT SOLICITATION ONLY, THE REVIEW BY JAMES SCHIFELING WAS ACCOMPLISHED APPARENTLY WITHOUT ACTUALLY READING THE BOOK. SUCH A NAUGHTY LIBERAL, YOU GOT CAUGHT !

At first glance, this book appears to be a book on philosophy. But after reading the first two chapters, I realized that this book says a whole lot about our American economy. As a former banker and current stay-at-home-mom, I find Smith's book very enlightening and am enjoying reading it. His personal anecdotes have made the book a pleasure to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in investing for their future.

This book is intense and refreshing. David Smith illuminates
everything from how the capital markets work to the sales process to
current politics using humor and easy to understand explanations. I
agree completely with him that Americans are continuing to shirk
personal responsibility and that liberals are nurturing this attitude.
I was haunted by the evidence Mr. Smith gives of the softening of
America. Although this book deals with serious subjects, I found
myself chuckling at his personal stories and cutting wit. After
experiencing the recent Presidential election I thought I had heard
every Democrat vs. Republican angle, but Eyes Wide Open provides a
unique insight into current American politics. An excellent read with
a totally original writing style!

From the beginning, where Anderson announces that to understand present American politics, one must grasp that Texas is a third world country whose capitol is Houston, he grabs the reader's attention and doesn't let it go. (Not only is Texas a 'third world country,' but Bush et al. have tried to run the US the same way... and were successful for several years.) _Follow_ tracks several characters (DeLay, Bush, Abramoff) through a twisting maze of money laundering, fraud, and crooked politics.

Much of the book focuses on the Delay/Abramoff scandal, though he outlines clear ties between Abramoff and Karl Rove. (eg. Rove's personal assistant is Abramoff's former personal assistant.)

If you're not the sort of person who reads the news, this is not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you wish to know just how the American government was stolen by politicians more familiar with the Banana Republic known as Texas (and how it all fell apart...), buy this book.

"Follow the Money" begins in Houston, a city 62% minority, one of the most ozone-polluted areas in the country, and the largest city in the U.S. without zoning regulations. In 1994, top Texas officials were all Democrats, as was the majority of its House and Senate, and its Congressmen in Washington. The only exception was its two national Senators - both Republicans. George W. Bush won the Governor's seat in 1994, beating incumbent Ann Richards with 53% of the vote. (The author suspects that Rush Limbaugh's popularity in the state was a factor.)

After a brief introduction to James Baker (major player in the Bush I administration, and architect of Bush II's Florida win), the scene shifts inexplicably to Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Grover Norquist, and Karl Rove. It's on to Abramoff's first clients (Marianas Islands - fighting to retain their exemption from U.S. labor laws, and a Mississippi Indian tribe trying to prevent new competition in nearby Alabama), DeLay's creation of the K-Street Project and relief for corporations from taxation and regulation.

Abramoff goes on to create a number of false front organizations to launder his fees and donations, double-cross one Indian tribe client (also worked for their competitor against them), made numerous contacts with Karl Rove and the White House (learned despite use of Republican National Committee e-mails to elude retention requirement), etc.

A well-detailed and sordid history of recent American politics.

"Follow the Money" is, as John Anderson writes, a "first pass at history," an effort to chronicle a "vast web of intrigue." He might well have said a vast web of corruption, as intricate as a Mark Lombardi diagram, for that is the book's subject -- the barely concealed but highly complex efforts of Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, and a host of others, most with close ties to Texas, in their bald pursuit of money and power. Abramoff's story is particularly appalling -- for example, Anderson explains how Abramoff manipulated the anti-gambling Christian right in the service of his pro-gambling Native American clients who wished to crush competing tribes in nearby states, and then turned around to represent those same competing tribes in their efforts to legalize gambling -- but it is only one strand in Anderson's fascinating story.

Anderson's account is thoroughly documented and fair minded, acknowledging honesty and integrity on either side of the aisle whenever it presents itself. Witness the examples of Paul O'Neill, James Comey, and even John Ashcroft, all of whom come out quite well in Anderson's account.

Although George W. Bush is certainly an actor in this tale, his relative absence, compared to others, is telling in and of itself. Bush is not a prime mover in his own universe. That role falls to others, such as Dick Cheney and Karl Rove (yet another Texan).

Anderson's story, exposing the naked power grab of the Republicans in Washington, D.C. (and particularly in Congress), as well as in Texas, is a shocker. We can only hope the Democrats in Congress, and perhaps soon the White House, do a better job.

This book has left me no doubt that there are still bush supporters in America's ally, Canada. Dr. Moens has written a excellent well worded report on bush's first term. Also his 900 plus footnotes gives the reader ample evidence that Dr. Moens has researched George jr. with diligence and much time.This book is one of the most incredible books written about an American president by an Canadain proffessor

As a person interested in what is going on in a troubled world, and not knowing much about American Politics,The Foreigh Policy book by Moens abosolutely captivated me. It was profoundly interesting and easy to read. Even an uneducated man (such as my self) can read this very deep detailed book with ease. The chapter on The War President kept me from going to bed until I was done. Well done Mr. Moens. I very strongly recommend this book for anyone, whether you are a scholar or a car salesman (as I am myself)

In 'The Foreign Policy of George W. Bush - Values, Strategy and Loyalty', professor Alexander Moens provides us with a readable, concise and enjoyable book that provides clear answers to the questions such as: Who really is George W. Bush? What factors shape his worldview? And, in particular, how does all of this come to bear upon his foreign policy?

Follow George W. Bush's first election to the US presidency, the War on Terror and other events post 9/11, the War on Iraq and, most recently, the run up to his 2nd term re-election as President as Alexander Moens draws out for us a balanced and thorough portrait of George W. Bush. And while doing so, he builds for us a compelling case that explains George W Bush's decision making processes in general and, more specifically, how this influences his foreign policy.

As often underestimated and misunderstood (and certainly often maligned!), 'The Foreign Policy of George W. Bush - Values, Strategy and Loyalty' provides balanced answers that serve to address these perceptions. In his excellent book, Alexander Moens addresses such topics and issues as...The background and personality of George W. Bush...Running for President...The Bush White House, the Decision-making Process, and the Priority of Domestic Policy...Foreign and Defense Policy before September 11...The War President...The Iraq Nexus...Bush's Style, Record and Vision.

A recommended read that serves to thoroughly present the views and foreign policy of George W. Bush--in a balanced and thoughtful fashion!

This is the fourth of the Mario Conde books. This novel documents an interesting time in Cuban history, the tail end of the Soviet Union when Cuba's socialist system was working. Conde, as many of the protaganists in Cuban art, struggles against the need to be a part of the collective, which means reining in his free spirit. Great characters and an interesting glimpse of how in a socialist society, greed, jealousy and ambition push people to go past society's limits.

Lots of interesting details about CUban life in the 1980's, an era some call the "Golden Age" of Cuban socialism.

I recommend the entire Havana Quartet. This is the Mystery genre combined with that 'mysterious' thing we call Literature. In the not-too-distant future, when Havana is destroyed by MacDonalds, Starbucks, and Target, these books will no doubt recall a different era in Havana that one may look back to with nostalgia (not so different, perhaps, that one feels for New York City before it became something between Las Vegas and Disneyworld for the rich, famous, and wretched!). After reading the Quartet, I also recommend the other Mario Conde mystery entitled, "Adios, Hemingway." Another Mario Conde mystery set six, seven years later.

In 1989 Cuban police detective Mario Conde hates being a cop as he would have preferred to be a writer. However, no matter how he tries to romanticize his existence, he must eat and so cop he is. Drinking helps him when state sponsored corruption interferes with his investigation.

His current case makes him want to quit in order to turn into a 24/7 alcoholic. Someone murdered pretty Pre-University High School schoolteacher, Lissette Nunez Delgado. This particular inquiry hits home as Conde went to school here when he dreamed of becoming a Cuban Hemingway. As he interviews the headmaster, staff and pupils, Conde wonders what happened to his dreams and those of his countrymen.

The fourth Havana police procedural is a great tale (likes its colorful predecessors) that follows one year in the life of a dedicated cynical Cuban cop. The story line is fast-paced as Conde investigates the murder of a young popular teacher, but runs into bureaucracy from the school and his superiors. However, the key to this saga remains the disenchanted hero who struggles to do his job properly, which to him means solving the case, but to others connotes satisfying the state and the Party.

Harriet Klausner

All aircraft are good, or else they wouldn't land safely; only a few become legends, such as the Douglas DC - 3 and the de Havilland Beaver, the world's greatest bush plane built in Canada at Downsview, Ontario, from 1947 to 1967.

The Beaver was a typically Canadian project, it is rugged, reliable, durable and practical for people who were haulers of water and hewers of wood. It is the haul-anything, go-anywhere pickup truck of the air; similar to their earthbound brothers before they became "sport utility vehicles" that are too genteel to stray from perfect pavement. The Beaver is 30 feet long, with a 48 foot wingspan, cruises at 125 miles an hour with a 1,500 pound payload -- and weighs less than most SUVs.

Phil Garratt, longtime head of DHC, created the Beaver. Think of him as an original Sam Walton with an MBWA degree -- management by walking around -- long before Walton. Garratt didn't like rules, titles or organization charts. His favorite expression was, "You know what you're here for, go do it." The people who designed and built the first Beaver were like the dot com pioneers of the Internet who became legendary for living on pizza and Pepsi and working around the clock. Under Garratt, there were no time clocks. When workers came late, they worked late. If Sunday was needed for work, then Sunday was a work day. Garratt knew he was building the world's best bush plane, he inspired that vision. People who create exciting new projects sometimes don't rest even on the seventh day.

Sean Rossiter captures the mood and spirit of de Havilland Canada. This isn't a dull, dry, `how I built an airplane' book, it's a story of teamwork, spirit, confidence and fun. When I worked in Test Flight at DHC in the 1960's, it was a company filled with pride, legends and humor. Many stories seemed too fanciful to be true, but most turned out to be solid fact. Rossiter presents facts, stories, legends and with typical Canadian spirit includes the humor. It is a superb book.

In the final analysis, when you look at anything worthwhile, people make the difference. In Canada, just after World War II, there was a glowing confidence that anything could be done. A few miles away at Malton, Canadians built the Avro Jetliner which first flew in 1949. Since neither Canada nor the world needed 1,692 superlative bush planes, most were built for military use. The US bought 980 Beavers, the first foreign planes bought in peacetime by both the US Army and Air Force. The US didn't buy any Jetliners, thus only the one was built (there's an attitude in Canada that if the US doesn't buy a product, then it's not worth buying).

The last Beaver was built in 1967, Canada's Centennial Year. The English owners of DHC closed the production line because the inventory had increased to a couple of unsold aircraft. Today, 53 years after the Beaver's first flight, a thousand or more are still flying. How do you justify making more if they won't wear out?

Several firms in Canada and the US refurbish used Beavers, and some will still fly 50 years from now. These survivors aren't pampered pets of millionaires, carefully tucked into air conditioned hangers; they fly every day over some of the world's most rugged terrain. A century is a long time for the commercial life of any aircraft; but hundreds of Beavers may achieve it.

They're like the Model T Ford, the DC-3, the World War II Jeep -- the best ever built for a specific purpose. But, the world moves on. Today, people want a Lincoln Navigator, a Boeing 737, or a Hummer. Yet, a first love lingers long. One of Canada's best bush plane operators summed up the widespread love of pilots and passengers for this plane, "He got d' Beaver fever."

They couldn't have been built in any country but Canada, and Rossiter nicely sums up this immortal plane and the unforgettable characters who made it so. Read it, and catch some of ". . . d' Beaver fever."

A Great Airplane, and a Great Example of Niche Marketing.

World War II was an aviation war. Literally thousands of airplanes were produced and offered for sale after the war. While this included P-51's and B-17's, it also included smaller planes such as the small observation planes. The market for most airplane companies was difficult.

de Havilland corporation in Canada looked around for a niche where they could design and build a plane that would sell in sufficient quantity to keep them alive. They decided that they would build the greatest Bush Plane that ever existed. And they did.

The thought when they were doing the design was to build the airplane equivalent of the half-ton pickup. The plane was first designed around a smaller engine, so when they decided to use the P&W 450 hp engine, it became quite a performer.

As a marketing niche during difficult times, it essentially saved de Havilland as an aircraft manufacturer. Almost 2,000 planes were build, a long way from the Cessna/Piper production numbers, but it was a much more expensive airplane.

This book is the story of the plane, and it really describes a love affair with the plane.

I first flew in a Beaver in Viet Nam. Didn't know what it was but enjoyed the flight( didn't get shot at ). It was Olive drab with black insignias. A circle with a Beaver inside surrounded by the words" Low, Slow , Reliable" . My second experience in a Beaver was on floats in Alaska some 15 years later. This plane had fish guts, moose meat and Dall Ram intesines. It was the greatest adventure. I fell in love with the plane, along with the romance and adventures it could bring to you.

This book explains everything about the Beaver. Its conception , its improvements and finally its rightful place in aviation history. The plane has improved since it was first designed and built. Built in Canada, flown mostly by the US and reinvented again in BC and Seattle airplane restoration shops. It truly is an amazing story. This book presents it all, text, photos and anything else you might want to know or see. If you live near the water in the Northwest you will have heard and seen a Beaver. If you have flown in Ak you probaly were close to , if not inside, a Beaver. The book is simply the very best on the subject. Buy it , read it, memorize it. Have fun and happy flying. The only two things could be better than owning this book: 1) owning a real Beaver on floats - about $750K ( or more) 2) Flying a Simulator of a Beaver on Floats. About $150. The book <$20. Oh, you can build models of the Beaver; both non powered and RC vesions both wheels and floats. They just don't seem the same however.

An astoundingly good read. Visually entertaining. Something perfect for expanding the minds of ones' young whilst at the same time being rather entertaining. The Australian aboriginal tales speak of a time long since past, but strangely of the present. This is a book well worth the purchase, so good that I picked one up for my friends children. Cheers!

This collection of Aboriginal folk tales has been updated for today's readers and one can almost her the haunting notes of the traditional didgeridoo and see the red earth of the arid Australian landscape. Beautifully crafted, these stories of the "Dream Time", as the Aborigines called the beginnings of living things, remind the reader that all morality tales and legends are similar, no matter what civilization or religion. Though often described as primitive, the Aboriginal civilization establised an ecological life that enabled them to survive in their harsh land. This short and easyy-to-read volume will be a helpful addiition of students studies of diverse peoples.

Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings will nurture your dreams about ancient times. As we say in French, the result of this very professional work is 'merveilleux'.