A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency (Hardcover)

by Glenn Greenwald (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Bush's rise and fall are most evident in the 2002 election, which brought him control of both houses of Congress, and the 2006 election, which reversed that triumph. The president's chosen Manichean worldview and his rigid refusal to consider other viewpoints have resulted in a disastrous administration and damage the nation will be living with for generations, according to Greenwald (How Would a Patriot Act? 2006). Greenwald begins by documenting Bush's political collapse and then explores the core beliefs that have driven Bush's decision making, as well as the broader philosophical and political dangers of such strong convictions. He details how the president's absolutist moralistic worldview, the simple identification of good and evil, overshadowed decisions that required more nuanced views in the lead-up to the war in Iraq. Advisors with other points of view were ignored as Bush's strong ends-justify-the-means approach resulted in such decidedly un-American practices as indefinite detentions, use of torture, and preemptive war. This is a compelling examination of how moral beliefs can drive political decisions, with disastrous consequences. Bush, Vanessa

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

“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

“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 president’s embrace of extremism in the battle against extremism has put the country’s most sacred ideals, even the country itself, under the gravest threat.”
—Josh Marshall, editor of Talking Points Memo

“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

“A compelling examination of how moral beliefs can drive political decisions, with disastrous consequences.”
—Booklist

“In A Tragic Legacy, [Greenwald] wrestles with much more significant and amorphous material as he attempts to trace the dangerous, stark philosophy underlying the most pern... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307354199
• ISBN-13: 978-0307354198
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,415 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

374 of 396 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impecable research, June 26, 2007

By	Tom Markus "rural" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

As a diehard Republican, I read this book very skeptically. The only reason Greenwald was able to convince me was because of the exhaustive research and sourcing he did. The book drew me in immediately and I couldn't put it down for the whole day. I highly recommend it for anyone who has slight doubts about Bush but is afraid like I was to challenge our GOP leadership. Greenwald has real guts to come out with a politically incorrect reality that we all must deal with.

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sad Commentary, July 2, 2007

By	Jo Ana Starr "Mind-Body-Spirit" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

President Bush has been the recipient of innate American loyalty to the office he holds, for far too long. Many of us who saw the handwriting on the wall years ago, still found it hard to admit how badly our country was being served by this President. Now the blinders are off and thanks in part to Glenn Greenwald, we can see much more clearly now.

In an insightful and dispassionate portrayal of the Bush administration, Greenwald has identified what he sees as one of the core flaws of President Bush's approach to world diplomacy and the governing of our country- good vs. evil and an overly simplistic view of the world.

The author describes Mr. Bush's approach to the Presidency, as antiquated and out of touch with the world today. Mr. Bush has fallen back on fundamentalist thinking, and by that I mean, a bleary-eyed black and white view of things. The world isn't that simple, and simple approaches don't work on complex issues. Greenwald outlines some of the ways in which Mr. Bush with his limited thinking and "Quickdraw McGraw" tactics, has irrefutably damaged our country and the world's perception of the US.

This author has very fairly critiqued the President's performance, and shares the whys and wherefores that formed his view of "Bushworld" and some suggestions on how the US can regain world respect.

This is a must-read book, for those who want to make sure that the next President we elect, represents the US, its policies and its citizens fairly and intelligently. We need an effective intelligent President, to help us to dig out of the hole in which we now find ourselves. This is a great book, and written in such an unbiased way, than even Bush fans will have to acknowledge the truth revealed here.

232 of 251 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glenn's gifted style makes it more interesting., June 25, 2007

By	Sivakumar Nadarajah "Author of America Misund... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I pretty much start my day reading Glenn Greenwald on Salon, and I'm not surprised by the instant success of this awesome book. Glenn is one of the clear examples how "quality" blogging can change the complete landscape of Internet journalism ( which Salon pioneered), and bring back the respect the blogosphere deserves - from being gossip web pages.

Picking up from where he left off ( How Would a Patriot Act?) Glenn continues down the path of explaining the disastrously extremist mindset of President Bush that has not only destroyed his presidency, but also the whole world for the heaven's sake.

With excellent prose and gifted elegance Glenn explains how the Manichaean morality (derived from a third century B.C. popular religion founded by the Persian prophet Manes ), and President Bush's single-minded dependence on basic, binary, good vs. evil themes have rendered his presidency a failure.

What makes this book entertaining is Glenn's unique style.

If you never had a chance to read Glenn, here is a sample that would pretty much convince you to buy this book.

"The ultimate paradox of Manichean morality, of the Manichean warrior, is that the most amoral, even morally monstrous, behavior is justified in its name. Those who begin with the premise that they are acting on behalf of pure Good are incapable of recognizing limits of any kind. How can those who are waging a Battle in defense of Good against Evil possibly err? How could limits of any kind on triumph in that Battle be justified? And most of all, how could Warriors for Good possibly themselves ever engage in Evil acts?
The Bush legacy is defined by the Manichean paradox."


Glenn has definitely brought a new dimension and respect to the blogosphere and "A Tragic Legacy" will go down in history as one of the best written books on Bush Presidency.

Pity, Amazon gives only five stars to rate this book.

N.Sivakumar.
Author of:
America Misunderstood: What a Second Bush Victory Meant to the Rest of the World