Speechless:  Tales of a White House Survivor

Matthew Latimer

"Like an inside-the-Beltway Dante, Matt chronicles his descent into Washington, D.C., hell, as he snares a series of increasingly lofty-but unsatisfying-jobs with powerful figures on Capitol Hill. One boss can't remember basic facts. Another appears to hide from his own staff, barricading himself in his office. When Fate offers Matt a job as chief speechwriter for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Matt finds he actually admires the man (causing his liberal friends to shake their heads in dismay), his youthful passion is renewed. But Rummy soon becomes a piata for the press, and the Department of Defense is revealed as alarmingly dysfunctional.

 "Eventually, Matt lands at the White House, his heart aflutter with the hope that, here at last, he can fulfill his dream of penning words that will become part of history-and maybe pick up some cool souvenirs. But reality intrudes once again. More like The Office than The West Wing, the nation's most storied office building is a place where the staffers who run the country are in way over their heads, and almost everything the public has been told about the major players-Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Rove-is wrong.

 "Both a rare behind-the-scenes account that boldly names the fools and scoundrels, and a poignant lament for the principled conservatism that disappeared during the Bush presidency, Speech-less will forever change the public's view of our nation's capital and the people who joust daily for its power."  Amazon.com

Lies the Government told You:  Myth, Power and Deception in American History

Andrew P. Napolitano

"What new crisis will the federal government manufacture in order to acquire more power over individuals? What new lies will it tell?

"Throughout our history, the federal government has lied to send our children off to war, lied to take our money, lied to steal our property, lied to gain our trust, and lied to enhance its power over us. Not only does the government lie to us, we lie to ourselves. We won't admit that each time we let the government get away with misleading us, we are allowing it to increase in size and power and decrease our personal liberty.

"In acquiescing to the government's continuous fraudulent behavior, we bear partial responsibility for the erosion of our individual liberties and the ever-expanding federal regulation of private behavior. This book attacks the culture in government that facilitates lying, and it challenges readers to recognize that culture, to confront it, and to be rid of it."  Amazon.com

Superpower Illusions:  How Myths and False Ideologies Led America Astray-and How to Return to Reality

Jack Matlock, Jr.

"This persuasive, occasionally provocative book corrects a number of pervasive myths about the Cold War, including the beliefs that it ended with the fall of the Soviet Union and that the U.S. effectively won. The text, which is as much a work of historiography as history, re-examines Soviet-American diplomacy of the 1980s to reassess the key decisions made by Reagan and Gorbachev that led to a thawing of relations between the two countries. Matlock, American ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991, reassesses the transition to the post–Cold War era, critiquing analyses of Francis Fukuyama, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and Samuel P. Huntington that perniciously oversimplified the complexities of the changing geopolitical landscape. Surveying policy as well as theory, the author criticizes Clinton for unclear foreign policy goals, but reserves his harshest assessment for Bush, positing that the September 11 attacks could have been prevented if a competent, alert administration had been in office. Matlock is refreshingly free of partisanship and concludes on a hopeful note, suggesting that Obama possesses the same pragmatism that made Reagan an effective and successful leader of American foreign policy."  Publishers Weekly

The Age of the Unthinkable:  Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It

"Starred Review. Former foreign editor of Time, Ramo pushes the reader into uncomfortable yet exhilarating places with controversial ways of thinking about global challenges (e.g., studying why Hezbollah is the most efficiently run Islamic militant group). His book, which lays bare the flaws in current thinking on everything from American political influence to the economy, is designed to change the physics of the way we think. Analyzing the failure of the Bush administration's Democratic Peace Theory and the fruitless efforts at a Mideast peace process, Ramo suggests that people must change the role they imagine for themselves from architects of a system they can control to gardeners in a living ecosystem. Ramo's message-that the most dynamic forces emerge from outside elite circles: geeks, iconoclasts and maligned populations-is persuasively argued. And while the author doesn't explicitly offer up solutions, he goads readers to approach problems in unexpected ways. His revelatory work argues that there must be some audacity in thinking before there can be any audacity of hope."  Publishers Weekly

Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States
Trita Parsi
"In Treacherous Alliance, Trita Parsi makes a persuasive case that since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has consistently used ideology to achieve hardheaded national interest objectives, rather than sacrifice national interest on the altar of extremist ideological goals. This is an extremely important point to bear in mind as Iran's relations with US and Israel deteriorate and the prospect of yet another Persian Gulf conflict looms. This work, based on extensive interviews with decision makers in three countries, contributes both to our historical understanding and our current policy debate."-Francis Fukuyama, author of America at the Crossroads "A penetrating, provocative, and very timely study that deciphers how U.S. policy in the Middle East has been manipulated both by Iran and by Israel even as relations between these two oscillated between secret collusion and overt collision."- The Honorable Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter

A Nation of Sheep
Andrew Napolitano
In A NATION OF SHEEP, Judge Andrew P. Napolitano frankly discusses how the federal government has circumvented the Constitution and is systematically dismantling the rights and freedoms that are the foundation of American democracy. He challenges Americans to recognize that they are being led down a very dangerous path and that the cost of following without challenge is the loss of the basic freedoms that facilitate our pursuit of happiness and that define us as a nation. Judge Napolitano reminds readers what America is all about, that the purpose of government is to protect freedom, and freedom is the ability to follow your own free will and not the will of government bureaucrats. He asks the simple question, which are YOU, a sheep or a wolf? Do you blindly follow behind where you are led, or do you challenge the government at every pass, forcing it to make decisions that will protect our freedoms? " Book Description, Amazon.com

The Idea That Is America: Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous World
Drew Weston
"A leading voice in global affairs calls us back to America's founding principles--and shows how they can guide us forward into the twenty-first century. When Army Captain Ian Fishback decided to blow the whistle on prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, he posed the central question facing America in the new century: "Will we confront danger in order to preserve our ideals, or will courage and commitment to individual rights wither at the prospect of sacrifice?... I would rather die fighting than give up even the smallest part of the idea that is 'America.'" But what is this idea? George W. Bush waged war in Iraq in the name of American values--liberty and democracy. His critics in the United States and around the world also use the language of values, and attack him for deceiving a nation to wage an unjust war. What are the values that America truly stands for? In The Idea That Is America, a preeminent foreign policy scholar eloquently reminds us of the essential principles on which our nation was established: liberty, democracy, equality, tolerance, faith, justice, and humility. Our ongoing struggle to live up to America's great promise matters not only to us, but also to the billions of men and women everywhere who look to the United States to lead, protect, and inspire the world. In The Idea That Is America, Anne-Marie Slaughter shows us the way forward." Book Description, Amazon.com

The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation
Anne-Marie Slaughter
"This groundbreaking investigation by a renowned psychologist and neuroscientist proves it: We vote with our hearts, not our minds. Drew Westen, a Professor of Psychology at Emory University, is the lead investigator on a team of neuroscientists who have been studying how the brain processes political information. For two decades he has been advancing a theory of the mind that differs substantially from the more "dispassionate" visions held by most cognitive psychologists, political scientists, and economists. In this book he shows, through a bravura tour of American political leaders and how they have appealed to the electorate, that Americans don't vote with their heads but with their hearts, or guts, or neuroses. The Political Brain is a serious and groundbreaking investigation into the role of emotion in deciding the life of the nation. It looks at data across several Presidential elections from the 1950s through 2000, examines the evidence for the role of emotion in driving voting behavior, and provides a "clinical" view of a number of campaign ads, debate lines and personal profiles of the candidates who have sought to win our hearts. What's the matter with Kansas? Kansans are overemotional. And here's why... " Book Description, Amazon.com

A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency
Glenn Greenwald
"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 world view 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." Book Description, Amazon.com

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
Howard Zinn
"Prolific author, WWII veteran and outspoken history/political science professor Zinn collects here almost three dozen brief, passionate essays that follow in the tradition of his landmark work, A People's History of the United States, taking up the cause of ordinary Americans fighting for social justice. Shunning conventional notions of American history, Zinn instead strives to decouple the country's history from its "mythology," in part by examining familiar contemporary concerns like class, race, civil liberties, immigration and the Iraq War. Indeed, this veteran's profound disillusionment with war suffuses the work, but a polemic against the Bush administration this is not; while Zinn scarcely shies from critiquing the governing elite, he prefers to focus on little-known or underappreciated historical episodes such as Revolutionary War soldiers driven to mutiny or 1999 World Trade Organization protestors in Seattle. He also revisits and reframes well-known events, including the Boston Massacre and the Holocaust, and invokes figures like union organizer Eugene Debs and Vietnam War protestor Philip Berrigan to point the way forward. Though his observations can be bleak, Zinn's belief that "history is powerful" and will "break down the credibility of the war makers" gives his book a great sense of hope. Readers seeking to break out of their ideological comfort zones will find much to ponder here." Publishers Weekly

The Reagan Diaries
Ronald Reagan
"The diaries our 40th president kept while in office-edited and abridged by historian Brinkley (The Great Deluge)-are largely a straightforward political chronicle. Reagan describes meetings with heads of state and antiabortion leaders, reflects on legislative strategy and worries about leaks to the press. He often used his diary to vigorously defend his polices: for example, after a 1984 visit with South African archbishop Desmond Tutu (whom Reagan calls "nave"), the president explained why his approach to apartheid-"quiet diplomacy"-was preferable to sanctions. Reagan sometimes seems uncomfortable with dissent, as when he is irked by a high school student who presents a petition advocating a nuclear freeze. And he often sees the media as a "lynch mob," trying to drum up scandal where there is none. Reagan's geniality shines through in his more quotidian comments: he muses regularly about how much he appreciates Nancy, and his complaints about hating Monday mornings make him seem quite like everyone else. Brinkley doesn't weigh down the text with extensive annotation; this makes for smooth reading, but those who don't remember the major political events of the 1980s will want to refer to the glossary of names. Reagan's diaries are revealing, and Brinkley has done historians and the broad public a great service by editing them for publication." Publishers Weekly

The New American Story
Bill Bradley
"Taking advantage of his long and varied experience--and the credibility he earns because he's not running for office--Bradley appeals to Americans' better nature in a bid to recast politics. Lamenting the current cynicism that has divided the nation into red and blue states, Bradley aims to counter the conventional wisdom that the nation lacks the resources or the will to tackle problems. Recounting past national glories, Bradley proposes a new American story that focuses on the realities, not scare tactics or rosy political spin. He offers a specific agenda to help the U.S. find a place in the world that is not determined by military might but by a "civil religion" that works to improve common conditions for all nations. The current focus on the war in Iraq has distracted the U.S. from attending to growing tensions between Japan and China, the rise of anti-Americanism in South America, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, among a host of other crucial developments. On the domestic front, Bradley advocates health care for every American, higher teacher salaries, lower employment taxes, and publicly funded congressional and presidential elections, among other policies. Bradley appeals to both Democrats and Republicans--and individual citizens--to seize the current moment to reshape the nation's direction. Bradley, former professional basketball player, U.S. senator, and presidential candidate, offers a thoughtful look at American politics for citizens of whatever political persuasion." Vanessa Bush, Booklist