Bush Books

Merry Christmas! Every December many people around the world utter these words to one another as they look forward to the wondrous holiday season. In A Very Special Christmas with Grandma, Leanne Bush charms readers with the story of young Sarah who visits her grandmother for an entire week before Christmas. Readers will find themselves wishing that all children could have the same experience as Sarah--and by writing this book, the author has made this possible. Other children, along with Sarah, can experience an old-fashioned Christmas, with all its wonderful traditions.

From the moment that Sarah's parents leave their daughter at Grandma's house, it is a very busy time for this couple who are separated by generations but united by love. It is obvious that the grandmother and grandchild are very close as they happily work together on Grandma's "to-do" list to prepare for the yearly holiday. There are Christmas cards to prepare, and a tree to decorate. The tree is a real one given to them by a neighbor who lives on a large farm. The tree goes into a stand that holds water; it is Sarah's job to water the tree every day. The author describes in detail how they decorate the tree, going into detail about how they make a long chain from loops made of construction paper. Though I'm revealing my age, I remember doing this for our Christmas trees in grade school. It is fun and seems to look better than many modern decorations we buy from stores today.

After the tree is finished, Grandma makes them some mouth-watering hot chocolate with her added ingredients of crushed peppermint candy and small marshmallows on top. Then it's time for bed so they can go to church the next morning. The rest of the week keeps them continually busy as they make various kinds of cookies and take some of them to a local nursing home where a group of people from Grandma's church sing Christmas carols to the elderly. The true "reason for the season" is not forgotten as Sarah helps her grandmother set up a nativity scene on the coffee table, and later, Grandma tells her the story of Jesus' birth.

The week passes quickly as the two build a snowman, wrap Christmas presents, watch Christmas shows on TV, and read Christmas stories together. And on Christmas Eve, they hang up a stocking for Santa to fill with goodies for Sarah. Of course, they don't forget Santa, leaving the jolly old man milk and cookies. Before going to bed, Sarah's grandmother gives her a Christmas ornament and a special stuffed rabbit named Levi that she had received when she was a little girl. Grandma had kept him in very good condition. Now Sarah will need to do the same.

On Christmas morning, Sarah discovers that Santa Clause has come and given her many nice presents. Later Sarah's parents arrive, and there are more presents to exchange. Then, after a delicious ham dinner with all the trimmings, it is time for Sarah to go home. She gives Grandma a very special hug and kiss, and of course, thanks her for the wonderful memories of such a special week.

This book is excellently narrated and an adventure that young children should not miss out on. It is written in age-appropriate language for children who want to be read to as well as for children who are old enough to read the words all by themselves. Readers should thank the author for reminding children of the values of yesterday and the special bond that they can have with their grandparents. It is my recommendation that individuals buy several copies of this book for Christmas gift-giving. The children on their list will truly enjoy it--so will the parents and grandparents

In its first iteration, Larry Beinhart's satirical novel based on the underlying events that led up to the first Gulf War was titled American Hero. The popular movie, loosely based on the book, was titled Wag the Dog. Now, ten years after its first release, the book has been re-published by Nations Books using the title from the film.

Wag the Dog opens with Jim Baker, advisor to the first President Bush, visiting the dying Lee Atwater, the architect of the Bush victory over Michael Dukakis and a brilliant campaign strategist who was never constrained by ethical considerations. Atwater gives Baker a letter that contains a strategy to save the sagging Bush presidency before the next election. Baker shares the letter and the strategy with the President: a made for television war. Top Hollywood director John Lincoln Beagle is recruited to direct this extravaganza that will be poured into American homes in glorious red, white, blue.

Of course, Beagle's involvement in this project is one of the most carefully guarded secrets in America. His agent puts out the story that he is ill and unavailable. Movie star Meggie Krebs, expecting to be featured in Beagle's next film, suddenly finds that she has been dumped. In an effort to build a breach of contract case, Maggie entices Joe Broz, a security firm consultant, away from his firm to help her gather information. When a former Beagle assistant is murdered, Maggie and Broz realize more is going on than just the avoidance of litigation. Enter the usual suspects: the CIA, the FBI, the military, and assorted contractors and their employees who are directed by high administration officials.

Wag the Dog is an intelligently conceived and skillfully written book. It is a very humorous, engaging read. And although a decade has passed since its first publication, it has as much relevancy and bite as it did when it first appeared. It is an important work of political satire that should be ranked with Animal Farm, Brave New World, and 1984. You will be entertained by the story and disquieted by the fact that our political "reality" has gone beyond the fictive world that some of our most imaginative writers can create.

"The War at Home" by Frances Fox Piven is a sharp indictment of the Bush administration's neoconservative agenda. Cloaked in the righteousness of war, Ms. Piven argues that extremist elements within the Republican Party skilfully exploited the public's fears in order to further a radical domestic agenda. By demonstrating that this behavior flies in the face of history -- where war has often been a catalyst for increasing democratic rights at home -- Ms. Pivens believes the political Right has opened an opportunity for the Left to successfully challenge the status quo.

The heart of Ms. Pivens' thesis is that the apparent irrationality of the Bush administration's foreign policy and the Iraq War in particular can be partly explained by the political advantage it has gained for Republicans at home. From exorbitant no-bid contracts for reconstruction in Iraq to huge outlays for defense and homeland security to a panoply of corporate tax cuts and deregulation, the war has proven to be a boon for corporate America. On the other hand, Ms. Pivens details how a host of social programs such welfare, meal assitance, unemployment insurance, health insurance and after school programs have been quietly cut or underfunded, thereby making the lives of many ordinary Americans more difficult than before.

Interestingly, Ms. Pivens discusses differences within the Republican Party constituency to highlight some of the contradictions created by the Bush administration's policies. For example, deregulation is a key issue for the tobacco and gun industries, but increased spending on homeland security has significantly increased the regulatory function of government. Similarly, the mostly wealthy anti-tax crowd cannot help but be alarmed by the explosive growth of the federal deficit and the threat this may pose to the long-term health of the economy. The author suggests that the rallying effect created by the September 11 attacks cannot persist in holding these factions together and that fissures within the Republican base will soon become exposed.

Of course, at the time of her writing in mid-2004 Ms. Pivens was hopeful that the people might reject Bush's bid for reelection. However, she anticipated the possibility that the Republican political machine might unabashedly exploit the public's fear of terrorism and propagandize a handful of deeply-flawed social initiatives in order to win, a prediction that sadly proved to be true. Yet, in my sole criticism of this book, she does not articulate a Leftist or Democratic agenda that might counterpose the far-Right Republican agenda. In my opinion, the Democrats must bear responsibility for its failure to oppose the war and to articulate a credible vision for America which has created a void that the Republicans have been only too happy to fill.

Still, I think this book does a superb job of illuminating the highly destructive course that the Bush administration and its neoconservative policies have charted for our country. I highly recommend this enlightening and empowering book to everyone.

Wealth, Women, and War
By Clifford Allen Potts, Ph.D

Based on the analysis of his last 50 years, Clifford Allen Potts, Ph.D., brings another thought-provoking page turner as we delve once again into our world's dynamic human environment. Wealth, Women, and War brings a unique perspective upon our nation's finances, gender roles, and who has the biggest bomb of them all. This book is a unique accounting on our world's history and possible future, from theology to capitalism and beyond. Wealth, Women, and War is a gem in the collection of books written by Clifford Allen Potts, Ph.D. Other written works include Well Past Midnight, Radicals, Religion, and Revelation, and Conspirators, Confederates, and Cronies. I look forward to joining the brilliant Dr. Potts as he unravels more mysteries in future works.

Matthew Doherty
Readers Daily Review

White House Daze (by Kolb) is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why Bush failed. There are so many lessons to be learned regarding what a president should NOT do if he wants to be successful.

Ollie North and pals erroneously thought that DELETE meant DELETE when using the White House email system. Editor Tom Blanton andthe National Security Archive people explain how the George Bush people tried to bury the evidence - then they present VERBATIM the evidence. Blanton reprints in the book about 240 of the 4,000 extant messages pried loose, and another 260 on diskette. You have to be combination History Wonk and Voyeur to truly appreciate these messages. In light of the litigation to recover Clinton White House email, this is a fascinating look at how the system works. Oh, and Ollie North comes across as knowing and controlling exactly what was going on - the Reagan-Bush administration's role in obfuscating the truth is patently obvious in reading these emails. Ain't Federal Immunity grand?

Not everyone is going to agree with his politics but you've got to admire Bush's fitness program. For someone his age, he's in really good shape. This workout is pretty basic but it should help to get some of us couch potatoes in shape.

Compiled and edited by Martha Joynt Kumar (Department of Political Science, Towson University) and Terry Sullivan (Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), The White House World: Transitions, Organization, And Office Operations is an imposing collection of scholarly essays by a variety of learned authors. Drawing from interviews with seventy-five former senior White House officials representing six administrations (as well as with former President Gerald Ford), to present a picture as assembled by top political scientists of what really goes on in the White House West Wing, The White House World would well serve future White House administrations seeking practical advice on how best to organize their presidencies. Topics scrutinized include the mechanics of Presidential transition, the role of various offices such as Press Secretary or The Office of Communication, and a special focus upon President George W. Bush's transition. A worthy glimpse of the workings of American government itself, The White House World is an invaluable contribution to Political Science reference collections and reading lists.

This 86 year old author has hit a number of the problems with this administration right on the money. She's been around for a number of years, has lived through a number of administrations, and gives her views on what is wrong with the present administration's direction. Even though she is critical of the administration, she writes an open letter to President Bush and tells him it's not too late to change his direction and points to directions he should be pursuing to help all of the US and not just the priviledged few. It's a great, fast, and entertaining read, and I encourage all to pick up a copy.

This is a very well written, researched, and constructed book. I've always found politics such an ugly thing that I have never wanted to look further than the front page or nightly news about the goings-ons of the currant administrations. Plus who are you going to believe? They're all liars imo. And everything is so complicated and convoluted, I'm sure intentionally, that it discourages detailed thorough inspection. Mr. Pious tho sifts out the facts and presents them in a clean, clear manner. Easily digestible. I would say all currant and future presidential candidates should read this book so as to learn from others mistakes. But I'm afraid they'd use it as a how-to guide - how NOT to get caught.

I'm left, as I was before reading this book, with the feeling that running the United States of America has become nothing but a game between the dems and gop. A money making game for the insiders, a losing game for all the rest. It's amazing how obsessed the presidents and the people around them can be and what they are willing to do to acheive a goal (usually a wrong one) even in the face of daming evidence that to continue is wrong wrong wrong. They mine the law books in order to skirt the laws, coverup the presidents involment...... throw billions of tax dollars down black holes then have the nerve to ask for more.

From the cover:

Presidents are surrounded by political strategists and White House counsel who presumably know enough to avoid making the same mistakes as their predecessors. Why, then, do the same kinds of presidential failures occur over and over again? Why Presidents Fail answers this question by examining presidential fiascos, quagmires, and risky business - the kind of failure that led President Kennedy to groan after the Bay of Pigs invasion, "How could I have been so stupid?"

In this book, Richard M. Pious looks at nine cases that have become defining events in presidencies from Dwight D. Eisenhower and the U-2 fights to George W. Bush and Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. He uses these cases to draw generalizations about presidential power, authority, rationality, and legitimacy, and he raises questions about the limits of presidential decision making, many of which fly in the face of the conventional wisdom about the modern presidency.

Contents page:
Introduction Presidential Fiascoes
1 Reputation: Eisenhower and the U-2 Flights
2 Power Stakes: Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs
3 Compellence: Johnson and the Vietnam Escalation
4 Command and Control: Ford and the Mayaguez
5 Rhetoric: Carter and the Malaise Speech
6 Prerogative Power: Reagan and the Iran-Contra Affair
7 Gamesmanship: Bush 41 and the Budget Summit
8 Program Innovation: Clinton and Health Care
9 Parallel Governance: Bush and Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction
10 Presidents Unbound: Crises of Authority and Legitimacy
11 Risk and Resilience: Toward a White House Learning Curve

Another book by Mr. Pious I might read is The War on Terrorism and the Rule of Law.