An all-star cast of historians examines the perplexing presidency of George W. Bush--the 'compassionate conservative' who frequently ended up allied with the hard right, the 'uniter' who presided over one of the nation's most divisive political eras, the advocate of 'humility' on the world stage who fiercely championed unilateral presidential powers. After the journalists and pundits have had their say, the historians are here to put Bush's tumultuous tenure in historical perspective. An essential resource for anyone seeking to understand contemporary American politics. -- Jacob S. Hacker, coauthor of "Winner-Take-All Politics" and "Off Center" With clarity and precision, some of America's most prominent historians of politics, law, and international relations examine the controversial presidency of George W. Bush. Their assessments of Bush's administration are sober, rigorous, and eye-opening. Together these essays will provide a foundation for the next generation of scholarship on early twenty-first-century America. -- Thomas J. Sugrue, author of "Not Even Past: Barack Obama and the Burden of Race" George W. Bush once stated that 'we'll all be dead' by the time history casts its judgment on his presidency. Instead, in this engaging and timely portrait of the Bush era, eleven leading scholars assess the 'war on terror,' the resurrection of the imperial presidency, the effects of tax cuts and corporate deregulation, and other foreign and domestic policies promoted by big-government conservatism. While acknowledging the administration's political accomplishments, the contributors to this volume emphasize the ultimate failures of the Bush presidency and the conservative movement's strategies of governance. -- Matthew D. Lassiter, University of Michigan Analytically shrewd and historically rich, this harvest of a book convenes a group of leading historians to assess the country's recent past. Ranging from tax cuts to terrorism, and encompassing questions of ideology, multiculturalism, and presidential capacity, the contributions to this volume establish the scope and agenda for future studies of George W. Bush's tumultuous presidency. -- Ira Katznelson, Columbia University This impressive collection features brilliant essays by some of America's best historians on the presidency of George W. Bush. It's all here--from the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision that sealed Bush's first-term victory to the stunning financial crisis that closed his tenure in office. This stimulating and highly accessible volume is must reading for scholars, journalists, and concerned citizens. -- Eric M. Patashnik, author of "Reforms at Risk" This is a superb collection of essays. I am impressed with the range of issues they cover and the lucidity with which each essay illuminates a particular topic. Their interleaved and overlapping evidence reminds a general reader of the layers of meaning embedded in every political decision taken by the Bush administration--and the sometimes unfortunate consequences. This is an important and timely book. -- Alice Kessler-Harris, author of "In Pursuit of Equity"
List of Contributors ix Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1: Establishment Conservative: The Presidency of George W. Bush by JULIAN E. ZELIZER 1 Chapter 2: How Conservatives Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Presidential Power by JULIAN E. ZELIZER 15 Chapter 3: A Sword and a Shield: The Uses of Law in the Bush Administration by MARY L. DUDZIAK 39 Chapter 4: George W. Bush and the "War on Terror" by TIMOTHY NAFTALI 59 Chapter 5: Anatomy of an Unnecessary War: The Iraq Invasion by FREDRIK LOGEVALL 88 Chapter 6: Transformative Economic Policies: Tax Cutting, Stimuli, and Bailouts by JAMES T. PATTERSON 114 Chapter 7: Wreaking Havoc from Within: George W. Bush's Energy Policy in Historical Perspective by MEG JACOBS 139 Chapter 8: Ideology and Interest on the Social Policy Home Front by NELSON LICHTENSTEIN 169 Chapter 9: Creating Their Own Reality: The Bush Administration and Expertise in a Polarized Age by DAVID GREENBERG 199 Chapter 10: Compassionate Conservatism: Religion in the Age of George W. Bush by KEVIN M. KRUSE 227 Chapter 11: Minorities, Multiculturalism, and the Presidency of George W. Bush by GARY GERSTLE 252 Chapter 12: From Hubris to Despair: George W. Bush and the Conservative Movement by MICHAEL KAZIN 282 Notes 303 Index 363
Julian E. Zelizer is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Arsenal of Democracy, On Capitol Hill", and "Taxing America". He is a frequent contributor to CNN.com, "Politico", and the "New York Times", among others.
An interesting collection of essays. -- Nicholas Lemann, New Republic Julian E. Zelizer, an academic from Princeton and political commentator for CNN and The New York Times, has endeavoured to telescope the assessment of George W. Bush's presidency. Indeed, Zelizer and his distinguished fellow contributors, all senior academics from prestigious institutions ranging from Georgetown's Michael Kazin to Brown's James T. Patterson, make a virtue of their early conclusions about the 43rd president by highlighting that this is a first historical assessment. By and large they have written a critical but penetrating analysis of the years 2001 to 2009. A strength of this book is that it seeks to place the Bush presidency in the context of earlier Republican administrations. -- Stephen Loosley, Australian Zelizer has gathered an A-list of American historians who present a detailed analysis of the presidency of George W. Bush. Each essay examines a particular facet of Bush's two terms, including such topics as terrorism, faith-based initiatives, energy policy, education, and the war in Iraq... Zelizer's work provides a valuable benchmark for historians to build upon. -- Library Journal A collaboration of distinguished scholars, this collection of a dozen essays evaluating the presidency of George W. Bush analyzes his performance in foreign and domestic policy. -- Choice
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