U.S. Presidents: George W. Bush

In many ways George W. Bush did not seem built for the presidency or the paces necessary to win it. He was a laid-back good-time guy with little appetite and limited talent for formal oratory, someone who often projected affability more easily than authority. He was a homebody who seemed to prefer surroundings and situations that were utterly familiar to those that were risky and unpredictable. His interests could be narrow and his efforts to expand them only fitful. But he got there, and after September 11, 2001, confronted a challenge more daunting than many of his predecessors had faced. In the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Bush was left with the responsibility to lead Americans through a time of unusual anxiety and uncertainty, to inspire and reassure them. Could he do it? In Ambling Into History, Frank Bruni, who covered Bush's presidential campaign and first eight months in the White House for the New York Times, mines the countless hours during which he observed and interacted with Bush to explore that question, and to present sides of Bush that readers have never encountered. He looks to small moments for big truths, going behind the scenes and offering fresh insights into Bush's oft-chronicled weaknesses, sometimes overlooked strengths, and his journey-alternately earnest and reluctant-from an innate levity to a newfound gravity. Bruni also takes readers on his own trip through the strange maze of presidential politics, wryly chronicling life in the insular "bubble" of political reporting and its frequently dispiriting effect on the coverage that politicians get. It is a candid, eloquent, and illuminating adventure that shows why Newsweek called Bruni "probably the most influential" reporter on the Bush beat.

This all-in-one reference guide will help students, researchers, and interested readers make sense of the infamous election of 2000. Following an overview of the 2000 presidential race, five essays spotlight separate issues related to the race and its outcome. Biographical entries cover major players in the story. Primary documents from court cases show the actual wording of the legal decisions. Millions of U.S. citizens can easily operate ATMs, yet elections for the nation's highest office still involve manual ballot counting, punch cards, and dangling chads. Why? This all-in-one reference guide will help students, researchers, and interested readers make sense of the infamous election of 2000. Following an overview of the 2000 presidential race, five essays spotlight separate issues related to the race and its outcome. Biographical entries cover major players in the story. Primary documents from court cases show the actual wording of the legal decisions, and Dover considers into the political and legal issues behind the actions and rulings. Additional essays consider the role of federalism in national elections and the relevance of the Electoral College itself. The potential long-term consequences of the election are examined. Will there be sweeping changes in future presidential elections? In what areas will they appear? Finally, an annotated bibliography selects and reviews the most important responses written about the election. This guide is indispensable to anyone wanting to make sense of this perplexing historical event and electoral politics in the United States.

No More Prisons: A Hitchhiker's Guide to Community Organizing, Urban Life, Home-Schooling, Hip-Hop Leadership, the Cool Rich Kids Movement, and Why Philanthropy Is the Greatest Art Form of the 21st Century WINNER! Firecracker Alternative Book Award: Best Book: Politics

Examines the inner operations of the administration of George W. Bush through the experiences and assessments of former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill.

In this long-awaited successor to his #1 national bestsellerThe Best and the Brightest,David Halberstam describes in fascinating human detail how the shadow of the Cold War still hangs over American foreign policy and how domestic politics have determined our role as a world power.More than twenty-five years ago Halberstam told the riveting story of the men who conceived and executed the Vietnam War. Today the Pulitzer Prize- winning author has written another unforgettable chronicle of Washington politics, this time exploring the complex dynamics of foreign policy in post-Cold War America.Halberstam brilliantly evokes the internecine conflicts, the untrammeled egos, and the struggles for dominance among the key figures in the White House, the State Department, and the military. He shows how the decisions of men who served in the Vietnam War -- such as General Colin Powell and presidential advisers Richard Holbrooke and Anthony Lake -- and those who did not have shaped American politics and policy makers (perhaps most notably, President Clinton's placing, for the first time in fifty years, domestic issues over foreign policy).With his uncanny ability to find the real story behind the headlines, Halberstam shows how current events in the Balkans, Somalia, and Haiti reflect American politics and foreign policy. He discusses the repercussions in Washington on policy makers from two different administrations; the wariness of the American military to become caught again in an inconclusive ground war; the frustrations of civilian advisers, most of whom have never served in the military; and the effects these conflicting forces have on the American commander in Kosovo, General Wes Clark.Sweeping in its scope and impressive in its depth,War in a Time of Peaceprovides fascinating portraits of Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Kissinger, James Baker, Dick Cheney, Madeleine Albright, and others, to reveal a stunning view of modern political America.