The Bush Tragedy
by Jacob Weisberg
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| Who, what, where, when, why, how: George W. Bush | 1 | 1 | 03/01/2008 09:11AM |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 177)
On one level I find this a fascinating discussion of what made Dubya Dubya. But it is interesting as well on another, broader level.
A year ago I read LBJ: Architect of American Ambition (R. Woods). I really got into Woods using Johnson as a vehicle to describe the scope and history of 20th century American politics, especially that of the Dem. party. It was a great look at the whos, hows, and whys that shaped America up to 1970 or so (which of course is central to what followed). And, it ...more
A year ago I read LBJ: Architect of American Ambition (R. Woods). I really got into Woods using Johnson as a vehicle to describe the scope and history of 20th century American politics, especially that of the Dem. party. It was a great look at the whos, hows, and whys that shaped America up to 1970 or so (which of course is central to what followed). And, it ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Okay, so I said it was time to take a break from books on Iraq for my blood pressure's sake. But this isn't a book about Iraq exclusively; it's about Bush...and exploring his personality and how it has driven his presidency, including in Iraq. That might mitigate this as a "lapse."
There is also something appealling in how Weisberg treats the failures of the Bush presidency, which is to say, he just accepts in his intro that the presidency is a failure, and does not belabor the ar...more
There is also something appealling in how Weisberg treats the failures of the Bush presidency, which is to say, he just accepts in his intro that the presidency is a failure, and does not belabor the ar...more
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Read in May, 2008
The author begins his story well before Bush 43’s presidency, going back to earlier Bush and Walker generations for traits and characteristics. Actually, the author seems to go back much earlier than that, alluding to parallels between George Bush #43 and Shakespeare’s Prince Hal from Henry IV and Henry V. In those plays, Prince Hal starts as a wild, undisciplined Prince, unsuited to kingship, and as he evolves to become a mature man, declares that his riotous time will come to a close, an...more
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Read in March, 2008
I'm a thorough anti-Bushite who believes he's lead (or more accurately NOT lead) this country into a domestic and foreign relations/policy mess that will take decades to clean-up. And that's when I'm optimistic.
I picked the book up after having read the reviews promising that it was an objective look at how Bush got us to this point. My goal was to actually be able to read something about the man that would not make me start yelling back at the pages.
This really is an objective overview as ...more
I picked the book up after having read the reviews promising that it was an objective look at how Bush got us to this point. My goal was to actually be able to read something about the man that would not make me start yelling back at the pages.
This really is an objective overview as ...more
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Read in April, 2008
A pretty engaging, harrowing window into the dark inner circles of the Bush/Walker family. There's so much hero worship, Oedipal relationships, and usurping that it feels like some sort of Greek myth or Shakespearean tale of ambition (both of which are compared to Bush's rise to power).
Weisberg spends considerable attention paralleling Bush's saga to the plotline of Henry V by Shakespeare. It has been some years since I've read the latter, but from my memory, the resemblances are uncanny. A...more
Weisberg spends considerable attention paralleling Bush's saga to the plotline of Henry V by Shakespeare. It has been some years since I've read the latter, but from my memory, the resemblances are uncanny. A...more
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This book is sober and only occasionally vicious. Without sarcasm or paranoia it provides a well-documented, level-headed explanation for the major mistakes made by the major players in Bush's administration. With regard to the personalities involved (the two Bushes', Cheney's and Karl Rove's), although it references Freud's book on Woodrow Wilson, it does not engage in remote sensory psychoanalysis, but draws straightforward, reasonable inferences from established, universally acknowledged ev...more
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bookshelves:
political-junkie
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
political junkies
This is a fascinating look at George W. Bush -- the man and his presidency -- from the point of view of his family background and significant adult relationships. The chapters on W's extended family background, his relationships with Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, and the evolution of his foreign policy are especially compelling.
Weisberg uses Shakeseare's plays, Henry IV Parts I and II and Henry V, to highlight how W's relationship with his father has been a consistent influence in his decision...more
Weisberg uses Shakeseare's plays, Henry IV Parts I and II and Henry V, to highlight how W's relationship with his father has been a consistent influence in his decision...more
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Read in April, 2008
Weisberg sets up an interesting prism for viewing the failed Bush presidency -- his relationships with a number of other people (H.W., Cheney, Rove, etc.). It sometimes strays into shifting some of the blame onto these other actors, or explaining Bush's destructive policies as mere expressions of his flawed personality, but it's not quite an apologist book. The tragedy of the title, though, is not his presidency. It's more complicated than that -- more like the line of Bush men and Bush's lif...more
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recommends it for:
Democrats and disappointed Republicans, anyone interested in political theory
Though at times Weisberg's reliance on his Henriad metaphor gets in the way of his argument (not to mention it carries just the kind of intellectualizing that Bush would hate), overall this is a fascinating psychological study of Bush and the failure of his presidency, combining keen insight with hard facts for an involving read. And the Henriad metaphor is pretty well-drawn, even if I think it's called back too often. One can only hope that our next president, Republican or Democrat, actually c...more
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bookshelves:
family,
to-read
This is not a book of extensive original reporting. Rather, it is one of analysis built upon much that has already been reported, and much that is observable but not so often reported. Pulling together Bush's personal history and his relationship to his family, to his faith and to his surrogate family in the White House, Weisberg concludes that the decision to invade Iraq grew out of a predisposition "to vindicate his family and outdo his father" by "completing a job his dad left ...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Marguerite by:
Momrecommends it for: Voters
A great explanation of why W is the way he is, and why he did what he did. I could have done without the Henry IV, Henry V Shakespeare parallels, but I found the modern-day conjecture (Yes, in the end it's still conjecture) totally plausible. And, even though it's billed as a tragedy, Weisberg had some fun with it. It's laugh-aloud silly at times, particularly in the chapters on Bush's religious language (as opposed to any real beliefs) and Karl Rove and his "Brokeback Mountain" lustin...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Mike by:
John Stewartrecommends it for: anyone
A compelling portrait of the Bush family, with parallels to Shakespeare's Henry IV, of a son that is willing to go to any lengths to outshine his father's legacy. With chapters devoted to Cheney and Rove (I didn't know his mother suicided, or that his father was gay!) the author adds layers to our current situation. Bush is not portrayed as a buffoon nor a monster, but Weisberg has done a great job of nailing his history of decision making, his belief in his own certainty and his sense of workin...more
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bookshelves:
nonfiction
Read in May, 2008
A lot of the information Weisberg melds together is rehashed from previous works on the Bush dyanasty, Dick Cheney and Karl Rover. However, his thesis that Bush 43's life resembles a Shakespearean tragedy was interesting to read. This book provides a sound personality assessment of a president who will more than likely go down as leading eight of the most wasted years in the previous 100 in this country.
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Good book. I read much of the histories of the Bushes and Walkers in Kevin Phillips' book, Dynasty, but the implications for George W were a lot easier to grasp in The Bush Tragedy. For those who want more info, I definitely recommend Phillips' book which runs along many of the same lines as this one. However, Phillips brings a political economist's perspective. The dense arguments are worth the trouble.
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Read in February, 2008
There is so much I got out of this book. Not only was the look into the psyche of W interesting, but seeing how few people really have influence in this administration really explains a lot. I liked how Shakespeare's Henry V was linked to Bush's story. That added an extra dimension. Once again, the truth is stranger than fiction.
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Jesus Christ, for a while, I thought I was beginning to feel something approaching empathy. But in the end, it cannot be denied that the tragedy is ours, and so my empathy was actually directed towards myself, as usual.
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Any fan of family systems should read this book - it traces the modern W. legacy back through generations of family relationships and personas. This doesn't excuse the tragedy of his presidency, but it does help explain it. So far, this is one of my 07-08 best reads, along with The Terror Dream by Susan Faludi.
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Read in April, 2008
When I'm finished, I'm sure this will be 5 stars. I'm currently on Chapter 3: Gospel According to Bush. The previous two chapters gave a surprisingly personal perspective of the Bush/Walker family. Jacob Weisberg is either quite insightful, or skillfully speculative.
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Read in June, 2008
Parents behavior and successes set up many facets of a son's personality. Decisions made to impress or top the father's successes have devastating consequences for country and the future successes of his own family. A good historical-psychological study.
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bookshelves:
abandoned
Read in April, 2008
As with most things about the Bush admin. my interest is tempered by my disgust. Only got about 100 pages into this thing. My entire 30s have been spent with this horrible person and his cohorts in charge of America. It's a depressing notion.
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