The Presidency of George W. Bush: A First Historical Assessment [NOOK Book]

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Overview

The Presidency of George W. Bush brings together some of today's top American historians to offer the first in-depth look at one of the most controversial U.S. presidencies. Emotions surrounding the Bush presidency continue to run high--conservatives steadfastly defend its achievements, liberals call it a disgrace. This book examines the successes as well as the failures, covering every major aspect of Bush's two terms in office. It puts issues in broad historical context to reveal the forces that shaped and constrained Bush's presidency--and the ways his presidency reshaped the nation.

The Presidency of George W. Bush features contributions by Mary L. ...

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Overview

The Presidency of George W. Bush brings together some of today's top American historians to offer the first in-depth look at one of the most controversial U.S. presidencies. Emotions surrounding the Bush presidency continue to run high--conservatives steadfastly defend its achievements, liberals call it a disgrace. This book examines the successes as well as the failures, covering every major aspect of Bush's two terms in office. It puts issues in broad historical context to reveal the forces that shaped and constrained Bush's presidency--and the ways his presidency reshaped the nation.

The Presidency of George W. Bush features contributions by Mary L. Dudziak, Gary Gerstle, David Greenberg, Meg Jacobs, Michael Kazin, Kevin M. Kruse, Nelson Lichtenstein, Fredrik Logevall, Timothy Naftali, James T. Patterson, and the book's editor, Julian E. Zelizer. Each chapter tackles some important aspect of Bush's administration--such as presidential power, law, the war on terror, the Iraq invasion, economic policy, and religion--and helps readers understand why Bush made the decisions he did. Taking readers behind the headlines of momentous events, the contributors show how the quandaries of the Bush presidency were essentially those of conservatism itself, which was confronted by the hard realities of governance. They demonstrate how in fact Bush frequently disappointed the Right, and how Barack Obama's 2008 election victory cast the very tenets of conservatism in doubt.

History will be the ultimate judge of Bush's legacy, and the assessment begins with this book.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Distinguished historians from MIT, Georgetown, Princeton, and other leading universities recount, almost exclusively, George W. Bush's failures, from the poorly planned and falsely fomented war in Iraq to the slow, tragic response to Hurricane Katrina. While none of the writers try for complete remove, they do an admirable job of bolstering their opinions with facts and even occasionally assess a rare success. Kevin M. Kruse, for instance, examines Bush's well-funded fight against AIDS in Africa, but also the collapse of his faith-based charitable programs. In "Minorities, Multiculturalism and the President of George W. Bush," Gary Gerstle shows keen insight into Bush's relationship with Latinos and African-Americans, writing that Bush "proved surprisingly cavalier about the discharge of even basic government duties," words that will no doubt remind readers of the disintegration of the American economy at the end of Bush's second term. Despite its title, this isn't the first assessment of this divisive president, but it may be the most reactionary.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal
Zelizer (history & public affairs, Princeton Univ.; Jimmy Carter) has gathered an A-list of American historians who present a detailed analysis of the presidency of George W. Bush. Each essay examines a particular facet of Bush's two terms, including such topics as terrorism, faith-based initiatives, energy policy, education, and the war in Iraq. Most of the 12 contributions are scholarly assessments without the partisan political rhetoric found on newspaper op-ed pages or cable TV news shows. Some of the essays, particularly those on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, go over territory that will be familiar to most readers. The more interesting chapters, one by Zelizer, delve into Bush's place in the American conservative movement. Another thought-provoking treatise is David Greenberg's (history, journalism, & media studies, Rutgers Univ.) study of the Bush administration's denigration of professional expertise on subjects such as global warming, judicial nominations, and evolution. VERDICT It may be too soon for many readers to consider a historical analysis of the George W. Bush presidency. But Zelizer's work provides a valuable benchmark for historians to build upon.—Robert Bruce Slater, Stroudsburg, PA

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781400836307
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press
  • Publication date: 9/13/2010
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 398
  • Sales rank: 652,562
  • File size: 1 MB

Meet the Author

Julian E. Zelizer is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Arsenal of Democracy, On Capitol Hill", and "Taxing America". He is a frequent contributor to CNN.com, "Politico", and the "New York Times", among others.

Table of Contents


List of Contributors ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1: Establishment Conservative: The Presidency of George W. Bush by JULIAN E. ZELIZER 1

Chapter 2: How Conservatives Learned to Stop Worrying and

Love Presidential Power by JULIAN E. ZELIZER 15

Chapter 3: A Sword and a Shield: The Uses of Law in the

Bush Administration by MARY L. DUDZIAK 39

Chapter 4: George W. Bush and the "War on Terror" by TIMOTHY NAFTALI 59

Chapter 5: Anatomy of an Unnecessary War: The Iraq Invasion by FREDRIK LOGEVALL 88

Chapter 6: Transformative Economic Policies: Tax Cutting, Stimuli, and Bailouts by JAMES T. PATTERSON 114

Chapter 7: Wreaking Havoc from Within: George W. Bush's Energy Policy in Historical Perspective by MEG JACOBS 139

Chapter 8: Ideology and Interest on the Social Policy Home Front by NELSON LICHTENSTEIN 169

Chapter 9: Creating Their Own Reality: The Bush Administration

and Expertise in a Polarized Age by DAVID GREENBERG 199

Chapter 10: Compassionate Conservatism: Religion in the Age of George W. Bush by KEVIN M. KRUSE 227

Chapter 11: Minorities, Multiculturalism, and the Presidency of George W. Bush by GARY GERSTLE 252

Chapter 12: From Hubris to Despair: George W. Bush and the Conservative Movement by MICHAEL KAZIN 282

Notes 303

Index 363

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