Synopses & Reviews
The preeminent political essayist writes about the perversion of America's democratic legacy under George W. Bush-- and makes a compelling case for impeachment.
Lewis Lapham stands virtually alone among mainstream American journalists in having consistently seen through the fog of lies and narcissism surrounding the Bush administration from its earliest days in Washington. Pretensions to Empire brings together Lapham's trenchant political commentaries from his award-winning Notebook column in Harper's, giving us a complete picture of a presidency whose brazen abuses of power-- and incompetence-- have led the United States down a precipitous path, culminating in Lapham's eloquent case for impeachment.
From a perspective deeply informed by history, Lapham's essays measure the current political moment against a backdrop of past events. Whether discussing the failure of the Bush administration's imperial project in Iraq, its shameless servitude to the country's corporate and religious minority and equally shameful ineptitude in responding to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, or the disturbing revelations of illegal domestic spying authorized by the president himself, Lapham perceives in George W. Bush and his allies a fundamental betrayal of the nation's democratic heritage.
Written with the clarity of thought and elegance of prose that have become Lapham's signature style over the years, Pretensions to Empire is a brilliant and provocative work of political reportage.
Review
"Intelligent insight . . . for those who are tired of the endless Clint Eastwood–speak emanating from the White House." —
Los Angeles TimesSynopsis
Pretensions to Empire brings together Lewis Lapham's recent political commentaries from his National Magazine Award-winning Harper's "Notebook" column, beginning with the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and culminating in Lapham's eloquent (and widely cited) case for the impeachment of George W. Bush.
Written in the highly literate and "self-assured style" (Publishers Weekly) that has earned Lapham a large and devoted readership, the pieces in this collection provide not only a critical perspective on Bush's presidency--helping us understand what happened and how it happened--but also vital new information and research, including a brilliant dissection of the Republican propaganda mill's octopus-like network and its role in the neoconservative ascent to power. As Lapham writes in the book's preface, "these essays describe a march of folly, establish a record of moral incompetence and criminal intent, speak to the character of a government stupefied by its worship of money and blinded by its belief in miracles."
Elegant and erudite, Pretensions to Empire is a "rousing" indictment of a stumbling political regime from the "loquacious lion of the literary left" (Mother Jones).
Synopsis
Pretensions to Empire brings together Lewis Lapham’s recent political commentaries from his National Magazine Award–winning Harper’s “Notebook” column, beginning with the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and culminating in Lapham’s eloquent (and widely cited) case for the impeachment of George W. Bush.
Written in the highly literate and “self-assured style” (Publishers Weekly) that has earned Lapham a large and devoted readership, the pieces in this collection provide not only a critical perspective on Bush’s presidency—helping us understand what happened and how it happened—but also vital new information and research, including a brilliant dissection of the Republican propaganda mill’s octopus-like network and its role in the neoconservative ascent to power. As Lapham writes in the book’s preface, “these essays describe a march of folly, establish a record of moral incompetence and criminal intent, speak to the character of a government stupefied by its worship of money and blinded by its belief in miracles.”
Elegant and erudite, Pretensions to Empire is a “rousing” indictment of a stumbling political regime from the “loquacious lion of the literary left” (Mother Jones).
About the Author
Lewis Lapham is the editor of
Lapham’s Quarterly. Formerly the editor of
Harper’s Magazine, he is the author of several books, including
Money and Class in America,
Theater of War (The New Press),
Gag Rule, and
Pretensions to Empire (The New Press). He lives in New York City.