Peter Baker isthe ChiefWhite House Correspondent for" The New York Times" and a regular panelist on "Washington Week" on PBS. He is the author of the "New York Times" bestseller "The Breach," about Bill Clinton s impeachment, and, with his wife, Susan Glasser, of "Kremlin Rising," about Vladimir Putin s Russia."
Praise for "Days of Fire
" Filled with enlivening detail and judicious analysis, "Days of
Fire" is the most reliable, comprehensive history of the Bush years
yet. Jim Kelly, "The New York Times"
Mr. Baker, a White House reporter for the"New York Times," has
pulled off something of a journalistic miracle: He has written a
thorough, engaging and fair history on the Bush-Cheney White House,
the most polarizing presidency since Johnson's (Andrew, not
Lyndon), with the possible exception of the current one. Jonathan
Karl, "The Wall Street Journal"
"The story of those eight years would seem far too vast to contain
inside a single volume. Yet here that volume is. Peter Baker
neither accuses nor excuses. He writes with a measure and balance
that seem transported backward in time from some more dispassionate
future." David Frum, "New York Times Book Review
"
A fine new book about [Bush s] time in office The Bush-Cheney era
weighs heavily on America. Its divisions and disappointments help
to explain much about today s politics, from public war-weariness
to the anti-establishment contempt that seethes among the
Republican grassroots and the Tea Party. Insiders have already
penned enough don t-blame-me memoirs and score-settling biographies
to dam the Potomac. Mr. Baker concentrates on relations between the
two men at the top of the executive branch. His shrewd, meticulous
reporting offers a useful corrective to tales of a puppet-master
deputy manipulating an inexperienced boss. "The Economist"
Peter Baker, the intrepid "New York Times" reporter lately covering
his third president of the United States, has achieved the
unthinkable a vivid page-turner on the ultimately divided
not-co-presidency of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. W. Gardner
Selby, "Austin American-Statesman
" In producing the first comprehensive narrative history of what
will surely remain one of the most controversial presidential
administrations in U.S. history, Baker has done yeoman s service.
All subsequent writers dealing with the subject will find his book
indispensible Baker s conclusion, which will almost certainly stand
the test of time, is that Bush is his own man and was responsible
for the decisions made in his name. Walter Russell Mead, "Foreign
Affairs"
Baker offers clear-eyed perspective on the fateful decisions of a
decade ago [A] kaleidoscopic, behind-the-scenes narrative. Michael
O Donnell, "The Christian Science Monitor
"
Magisterial Baker has done a tremendous job of knitting together
the disparate strains of a complex and multilayered narrative. For
all its density, the book proceeds at a beach-read velocity that
makes it a pleasure to peruse. Especially enjoyable is Baker s
commendable urge to puncture many of the easy myths that still
surround the Bush years. Anyone who reads it will come away from
this account with their understanding of the period greatly
increased which, after all, is just what a history like this is
supposed to accomplish [A] remarkable achievement. Christian Caryl,
"The National Interest"
A magisterial study of the way [Bush and Cheney] influenced each
other, waxing and then waning, during the fateful eight-year
presidency of George W. Bush. Jamie Stiehm, "US News"
["Days of Fire"] is steeped in facts, and the writing is clear and
crisp. You will also be impressed by Baker s research and reporting
All told, "Days of Fire" delves deeply into the Bush-Cheney
partnership and offers breathtaking insights into power, passion
and politics at the highest levels of our government.
"BookPage"
"The complex partnership of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
undergirds this authoritative narrative of their tumultuous eight
years in Washington. Baker, the senior White House correspondent
for "New York Times," skillfully navigates how Bush, a national
security neophyte, came to rely heavily on the former Wyoming
congressman and secretary of defense, a consummate Washington
insider. Although Cheney became one of the most influential vice
presidents in American history and grew to relish his Darth Vader
reputation, Baker upends the popular perception that Bush did his
bidding Baker delivers a fast-paced read that deftly weaves the
trials and tribulations of the Bush presidency into a monumental
tale of hubris and missed opportunities for greatness." "Publishers
Weekly," starred review
"A thorough, objective and surprisingly positive examination of the
Bush-Cheney years. Written as though it has the perspective of a
century's distance on the events of the last decade, "New York
Times"senior White House correspondent Baker dispatches false and
puerile memes Bush stole Florida, blood for oil, Bush lied and kids
died, etc. to the dustbin of history as he delivers "the most
documented history of the Bush-Cheney White House to date." The
author is no Bush cheerleader; he shines a pitiless light on the
failures of judgment, erroneous intelligence and excessive reliance
on subordinates that led to the debacle in Iraq, which undid Bush's
second term. Baker concludes that Bush "was at his best when he was
cleaning up his worst."The author shows how it all went wrong,
however, without a hint of partisan rancor. This briskly written
but exhaustively detailed account defies expectations by portraying
an administration of intelligent, patriotic adults with necessarily
limited information striving to do what they believed was best for
the nation in a dangerous era, with real but overlooked
achievements. The president, in particular, appears as a man of
decency who retained his optimism and dedication to principle as
his polls declined to record lows and political allies fled. In
delineating the businesslike relationship between Bush and Cheney,
Baker refutes the popular notion that Cheney was the dominant
figure, though Bush relied heavily on his experience during his
first term A major contribution to the rehabilitation of our 43rd
president." "Kirkus Reviews," starred review
"An ambitious, engrossing, and often disturbing study of the inner
workings, conflicts, and critical policy decisions made during the
eight years of Bush and Cheney governance This is a superbly
researched, masterful account of eight critical, history-changing
years." "Booklist," starred review
"Peter Baker's superb biography of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
will stand as the most complete and balanced discussion of the men
and their administration for decades. Until the Bush library opens
the wealth of papers that will expand our knowledge of their White
House, we will be indebted to Baker for his brilliant
reconstruction of this presidency. No one hasdrawn the complicated
Bush-Cheney relationship more convincingly than Baker. Anyone eager
to understand our current dilemmas does well to read this book."
Robert Dallek, author of "Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in
Power"
"Peter Baker tells the story of Bush and Cheney with the precision
of a crack reporter and the eye and ear of a novelist. This is
perhaps the most consequentialpairing of a president and vice
president in our history. And Baker captures it all the triumphs
and defeats, the partnership and eventual estrangement. It is a
splendid mix of sweeping history and telling anecdotes that will
keep you turning the page." Chris Wallace, anchor of "Fox News
Sunday"
"It turns out George W. Bush was no puppet, and Dick Cheney no
puppet master. "Days of Fire" takes us inside a relationship that
came to define American conflict, peace, and politics. Forget
everything else you've read. This excellent book tells us what
really happened, from the mouths of the players themselves, and
explains why, more than a decade after 9/11, we are still a nation
at war." Gwen Ifill, coanchor of "PBS Newshour"
"9/11, two long wars, a crushing recession, neo-cons, and turf wars
defined the first decade of twenty-first-century American politics.
In the middle of it all, the president and his powerful
vice-president. The complicated and then contentious relationship
between Bush and Cheney is worthy of Shakespeare. Peter Baker s
"Days of Fire" is a book for every presidential hopeful and every
citizen." Tom Brokaw, author of "The Greatest Generation
"
"Without ever surrendering his critical detachment this book is no
valentine Baker humanizes the leader whose post-Reagan agenda was
hijacked by foreign terrorists and Wall Street crooks. You may or
may not agree with George W. Bush's actions as president, but by
the time you put "Days of Fire" down, you will understand them, and
him, as never before." Richard Norton Smith, author of "Thomas E.
Dewey and His Times""
Praise for "Days of Fire
""Filled with enlivening detail and judicious analysis, "Days of
Fire" is the most reliable, comprehensive history of the Bush years
yet."--Jim Kelly, "The New York Times"
"Mr. Baker, a White House reporter for the "New York Times," has
pulled off something of a journalistic miracle: He has written a
thorough, engaging and fair history on the Bush-Cheney White House,
the most polarizing presidency since Johnson's (Andrew, not
Lyndon), with the possible exception of the current one."--Jonathan
Karl, "The Wall Street Journal"
"The story of those eight years would seem far too vast to contain
inside a single volume. Yet here that volume is. Peter Baker
neither accuses nor excuses. He writes with a measure and balance
that seem transported backward in time from some more dispassionate
future."--David Frum, "New York Times Book Review
"
"A fine new book about [Bush's] time in office ... The Bush-Cheney
era weighs heavily on America. Its divisions and disappointments
help to explain much about today's politics, from public
war-weariness to the anti-establishment contempt that seethes among
the Republican grassroots and the Tea Party. Insiders have already
penned enough don't-blame-me memoirs and score-settling biographies
to dam the Potomac. Mr. Baker concentrates on relations between the
two men at the top of the executive branch. His shrewd, meticulous
reporting offers a useful corrective to tales of a puppet-master
deputy manipulating an inexperienced boss."--"The Economist"
"Peter Baker, the intrepid "New York Times" reporter lately
covering his third president of the United States, has achieved the
unthinkable--a vivid page-turner on the ultimately divided
not-co-presidency of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney."--W. Gardner
Selby, "Austin American-Statesman
""In producing the first comprehensive narrative history of what
will surely remain one of the most controversial presidential
administrations in U.S. history, Baker has done yeoman's service.
All subsequent writers dealing with the subject will find his book
indispensible ... Baker's conclusion, which will almost certainly
stand the test of time, is that Bush is his own man and was
responsible for the decisions made in his name."--Walter Russell
Mead, "Foreign Affairs "
"Baker offers clear-eyed perspective on the fateful decisions of a
decade ago ... [A] kaleidoscopic, behind-the-scenes
narrative."--Michael O'Donnell, "The Christian Science Monitor
"
"Magisterial ... Baker has done a tremendous job of knitting
together the disparate strains of a complex and multilayered
narrative. For all its density, the book proceeds at a beach-read
velocity that makes it a pleasure to peruse. Especially enjoyable
is Baker's commendable urge to puncture many of the easy myths that
still surround the Bush years. Anyone who reads it will come away
from this account with their understanding of the period greatly
increased--which, after all, is just what a history like this is
supposed to accomplish ... [A] remarkable achievement."--Christian
Caryl, "The National Interest"
"A magisterial study of the way [Bush and Cheney] influenced each
other, waxing and then waning, during the fateful eight-year
presidency of George W. Bush."--Jamie Stiehm, "US News"
"["Days of Fire"] is steeped in facts, and the writing is clear and
crisp. You will also be impressed by Baker's research and reporting
... All told, "Days of Fire" delves deeply into the Bush-Cheney
partnership and offers breathtaking insights into power, passion
and politics at the highest levels of our
government."--"BookPage"
"The complex partnership of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
undergirds this authoritative narrative of their tumultuous eight
years in Washington. Baker, the senior White House correspondent
for "New York Times," skillfully navigates how Bush, a national
security neophyte, came to rely heavily on the former Wyoming
congressman and secretary of defense, a consummate Washington
insider. Although Cheney became one of the most influential vice
presidents in American history and grew to relish his Darth Vader
reputation, Baker upends the popular perception that Bush did his
bidding ... Baker delivers a fast-paced read that deftly weaves the
trials and tribulations of the Bush presidency into a monumental
tale of hubris and missed opportunities for
greatness."--"Publishers Weekly," starred review
"A thorough, objective and surprisingly positive examination of the
Bush-Cheney years. Written as though it has the perspective of a
century's distance on the events of the last decade, "New York
Times" senior White House correspondent Baker dispatches false and
puerile memes--Bush stole Florida, blood for oil, Bush lied and
kids died, etc.--to the dustbin of history as he delivers "the most
documented history of the Bush-Cheney White House to date." The
author is no Bush cheerleader; he shines a pitiless light on the
failures of judgment, erroneous intelligence and excessive reliance
on subordinates that led to the debacle in Iraq, which undid Bush's
second term. Baker concludes that Bush "was at his best when he was
cleaning up his worst." The author shows how it all went wrong,
however, without a hint of partisan rancor. This briskly written
but exhaustively detailed account defies expectations by portraying
an administration of intelligent, patriotic adults with necessarily
limited information striving to do what they believed was best for
the nation in a dangerous era, with real but overlooked
achievements. The president, in particular, appears as a man of
decency who retained his optimism and dedication to principle as
his polls declined to record lows and political allies fled. In
delineating the businesslike relationship between Bush and Cheney,
Baker refutes the popular notion that Cheney was the dominant
figure, though Bush relied heavily on his experience during his
first term ... A major contribution to the rehabilitation of our
43rd president."--"Kirkus Reviews," starred review
"An ambitious, engrossing, and often disturbing study of the inner
workings, conflicts, and critical policy decisions made during the
eight years of Bush and Cheney governance ... This is a superbly
researched, masterful account of eight critical, history-changing
years."--"Booklist," starred review
"Peter Baker's superb biography of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
will stand as the most complete and balanced discussion of the men
and their administration for decades. Until the Bush library opens
the wealth of papers that will expand our knowledge of their White
House, we will be indebted to Baker for his brilliant
reconstruction of this presidency. No one has drawn the complicated
Bush-Cheney relationship more convincingly than Baker. Anyone eager
to understand our current dilemmas does well to read this
book."--Robert Dallek, author of "Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in
Power"
"Peter Baker tells the story of Bush and Cheney with the precision
of a crack reporter and the eye and ear of a novelist. This is
perhaps the most consequential pairing of a president and vice
president in our history. And Baker captures it all--the triumphs
and defeats, the partnership and eventual estrangement. It is a
splendid mix of sweeping history and telling anecdotes that will
keep you turning the page."--Chris Wallace, anchor of "Fox News
Sunday"
"It turns out George W. Bush was no puppet, and Dick Cheney no
puppet master. "Days of Fire" takes us inside a relationship that
came to define American conflict, peace, and politics. Forget
everything else you've read. This excellent book tells us what
really happened, from the mouths of the players themselves, and
explains why, more than a decade after 9/11, we are still a nation
at war."--Gwen Ifill, coanchor of "PBS Newshour"
"9/11, two long wars, a crushing recession, neo-cons, and turf wars
defined the first decade of twenty-first-century American politics.
In the middle of it all, the president and his powerful
vice-president. The complicated and then contentious relationship
between Bush and Cheney is worthy of Shakespeare. Peter Baker's
"Days of Fire" is a book for every presidential hopeful and every
citizen."--Tom Brokaw, author of "The Greatest Generation
"
"Without ever surrendering his critical detachment--this book is no
valentine--Baker humanizes the leader whose post-Reagan agenda was
hijacked by foreign terrorists and Wall Street crooks. You may or
may not agree with George W. Bush's actions as president, but by
the time you put "Days of Fire" down, you will understand them, and
him, as never before."--Richard Norton Smith, author of "Thomas E.
Dewey and His Times"
Praise for "Days of Fire
""The story of those eight years would seem far too vast to contain
inside a single volume. Yet here that volume is. Peter Baker
neither accuses nor excuses. He writes with a measure and balance
that seem transported backward in time from some more dispassionate
future."--David Frum, "New York Times Book Review
"
"Peter Baker, the intrepid "New York Times" reporter lately
covering his third president of the United States, has achieved the
unthinkable--a vivid page-turner on the ultimately divided
not-co-presidency of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney."--W. Gardner
Selby, "Austin American-Statesman
"
"Filled with enlivening detail and judicious analysis, "Days of
Fire" is the most reliable, comprehensive history of the Bush years
yet."--Jim Kelly, "The New York Times
"
"Baker offers clear-eyed perspective on the fateful decisions of a
decade ago ... [A] kaleidoscopic, behind-the-scenes
narrative."--Michael O'Donnell, "The Christian Science Monitor
"
"Magisterial ... a remarkable achievement ... The book proceeds at
a beach-read velocity that makes it a pleasure to peruse ... Anyone
who reads it will come away from this account with their
understanding of the period greatly increased--which, after all, is
just what a history like this is supposed to
accomplish."--Christian Caryl, "The National Interest
"
"The complex partnership of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
undergirds this authoritative narrative of their tumultuous eight
years in Washington. Baker, the senior White House correspondent
for "New York Times," skillfully navigates how Bush, a national
security neophyte, came to rely heavily on the former Wyoming
congressman and secretary of defense, a consummate Washington
insider. Although Cheney became one of the most influential vice
presidents in American history and grew to relish his Darth Vader
reputation, Baker upends the popular perception that Bush did his
bidding ... Baker delivers a fast-pace
Praise for "Days of Fire
""Peter Baker's superb biography of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
will stand as the most complete and balanced discussion of the men
and their administration for decades. Until the Bush library opens
the wealth of papers that will expand our knowledge of their White
House, we will be indebted to Baker for his brilliant
reconstruction of this presidency. No one has drawn the complicated
Bush-Cheney relationship more convincingly than Baker. Anyone eager
to understand our current dilemmas does well to read this
book."--Robert Dallek, author of "Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in
Power"
"Peter Baker tells the story of Bush and Cheney with the precision
of a crack reporter and the eye and ear of a novelist. This is
perhaps the most consequential pairing of a president and vice
president in our history. And Baker captures it all--the triumphs
and defeats, the partnership and eventual estrangement. It is a
splendid mix of sweeping history and telling anecdotes that will
keep you turning the page."--Chris Wallace, anchor of "Fox News
Sunday"
"It turns out George W. Bush was no puppet, and Dick Cheney no
puppet master. "Days of Fire" takes us inside a relationship that
came to define American conflict, peace, and politics. Forget
everything else you've read. This excellent book tells us what
really happened, from the mouths of the players themselves, and
explains why, more than a decade after 9/11, we are still a nation
at war."--Gwen Ifill, coanchor of "PBS Newshour"
"9/11, two long wars, a crushing recession, neo-cons, and turf wars
defined the first decade of twenty-first-century American politics.
In the middle of it all, the president and his powerful
vice-president. The complicated and then contentious relationship
between Bush and Cheney is worthy of Shakespeare. Peter Baker's
"Days of Fire" is a book for every presidential hopeful and every
citizen."--Tom Brokaw, author of "The Greatest Generation
"
"Withou
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