"In this short but highly incisive book, business historian Jim Hoopes explains why contemporary America's cult of moral leadership, as exercised by corporate CEOs as well as politicians and presidents, is such a problematic idea. Hoopes is an expert guide to the ethical borderland that links management and morality, which is why his explanation for the occasional successes and the vast failures of President George W. Bush is so fresh and revealing."

"Now here is a truly subversive book. Hoopes identifies a cult that has insidiously taken over in both politics and business. This is the cult of moral leadership—the illusion that our leaders have risen to their rank because of their moral character and that their decisions should be guided by their values. This cult is dangerous to democracy because it enjoins us to trust those in power. Hoopes reminds us of a deeper, hard-earned wisdom—that power corrupts and that democracy therefore requires checks and balances rather than obedience. Using Pres. Bush and various business leaders as compelling counter-examples, Hoopes make the case that truly moral leadership is too humble and too knowledgeable to claim a mantle of morality. Its legitimacy comes not from its proclaimed values, but from its honesty and competency."

"Jim Hoopes' inspired idea has been to approach George W. Bush as an archetypal corporate boss of the Enron era whose insistent claims to moral leadership are betrayed by a conduct of affairs which is both incompetent and morally flawed. An original and important book."