Synopses & Reviews
What will be the legacy of President George Walker Bush? In this fascinating, timely book, Glenn Greenwald examines the Bush presidency and its long-term effect on the nation. What began on shaky, uncertain ground and was bolstered and propelled by tragedy, has ultimately faltered and failed on the back of the dichotomous worldview good versus evil that once served it so well. In
A Tragic Legacy, Greenwald charts the rise and steep fall of the current administration, dissecting the rhetoric and revealing the faulty ideals upon which George W. Bush built his policies.
On September 12, 2001, President Bush addressed the nation and presented a very clear view of what was to come a view that can be said to define his entire presidency: "This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil." Based on his own Christian faith and backed by biblical allusions, Bush's worldview was basic and binary and everyone was forced to choose a side. Riding high on public support, Bush sailed through the early "War on Terror," easily defining our enemies and clearly setting an agenda for defeating them.
But once the war became murkier its target unclear, its combatants no longer seen in black-and-white support for Bush and his policies dropped precipitously. Glenn Greenwald brilliantly reveals the reasons behind the collapse of Bush's power and approval, and argues that his greatest weakness is the same rhetoric that once propelled him so far forward. Facing issues that could not be turned into simple good versus evil choices the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, his plans for Social Security "reform," and, most ironic, the failed Dubai ports deal Bush faltered and fell. Now, Greenwald argues, Bush is trapped by his own choices, unable to break out of the mold that once served him so well, and indifferent to the consequences.
A Tragic Legacy is the first true character study of one of the most controversial men ever to hold the office of president. Enlightening, powerful, and eye-opening, this is an in-depth look at the man whose incapability and cowboy logic have left America at risk.
Review
"This is the best book about the worst president. Glenn Greenwald is to this administration as they've been to the country: devastating. This is more than a book: It's an act of patriotism." Alan Colmes, "Hannity & Colmes," Fox News
Review
"Glenn Greenwald's excoriating analysis of the Bush presidency goes much deeper than mere polemics. His layered interpretation of the Manichean mentality that defines the Bush White House describes a disastrously inappropriate mindset for a modern power in a time of global turmoil. This early portrait of the Bush presidency and the right wingers who cheered it on will be read and appreciated for many years to come." Scott McConnell, editor of The American Conservative
Review
"Glenn Greenwald has emerged as one of the nation's most incisive and articulate exponents of the critique of the Bush Administration. In admirably clear prose and with the ferocity of a former litigator, he is day in and day out building a powerful case against an undeniably consequential and radical presidency." Dan Froomkin, WashingtonPost.com White House Watch columnist
Review
"In the bare-knuckle cacophony of the blogosphere Glenn Greenwald has been a beacon of clarity chronicling President Bush's unfolding war on the rule of law. No one is better placed to explain how the presidents embrace of extremism in the battle against extremism has put the countrys most sacred ideals, even the country itself, under the gravest threat." Josh Marshall, editor of Talking Points Memo
About the Author
Glenn Greenwald was a constitutional law attorney and is now a contributing writer at Salon and the author of the political blog Unclaimed Territory. Greenwald has appeared on a variety of television and radio programs, including The Al Franken Show, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Air America's Majority Report, and Public Radio International's To the Point. He is a regular contributor to The American Conservative, and his reporting and analysis have been credited in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Slate, and a variety of other print and online publications. His first book, How Would a Patriot Act?, was an instant bestseller.