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John Podhoretz

Bush Country: How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane Hardcover – February 23, 2004

by John Podhoretz (Author)

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In this rousing, persuasive, and hugely entertaining book, John Podhoretz says that George W. Bush has earned a place in the pantheon of great American chief executives---and shows in one amazing detail after another how Bush's success has driven some of his critics into a pathological frenzy.

Podhoretz is the first to acknowledge that the odds were stacked against Dubya, the inexperienced Texas governor who took up residence in the White House lacking an electoral majority, dogged by widely publicized verbal mishaps, and widely viewed by the American elite as a lightweight.

But to the delight of his friends and the teeth-gnashing frustration of liberals, George W. Bush has proven himself an immensely effective president. Throughout his three years in the White House, as Podhoretz explains, Dubya has outsmarted, out-maneuvered, out-articulated, and outshone adversaries and critics. Steeled by the tragedy of September 11, the new president took a nation more obsessed with reality television than with the reality of international terrorism and girded it for the long struggle that lay ahead. He has presided over two major military campaigns to stunning success, initiated tax cuts whose dimensions have awed critics and fans alike, and brought his party into the twenty-first century. He has been resourceful, disciplined, and independent-minded---so much so that he was able to reject his own father's governing style as president to find his own voice and his own place in history.

Bush hasn't hoarded his political capital, but has used it in bold and unexpected ways. Instead of bowing to conventional wisdom and carving out a centrist position, he has remained true to his ideological roots. Instead of deferring to established Beltway thinking, he has done what he thinks is best for America and the world. As Bush has grown more presidential, the criticisms of him have grown more intense---and, in Podhoretz's view, crazier and crazier. In a series of short chapters, Podhoretz takes a rhetorical scalpel to eight of the wildest caricatures of Bush and leaves them in hilarious shreds.

In a season of broadsides being fired from both sides of the aisle, here is a book that distinguishes itself by the force of its arguments and the ringing clarity of its thought. Impassioned, insightful, and convincing, Bush Country is an analysis of a presidency gone right and a celebration of a 0man who has already earned his place in history.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

St. Martin's Press
Publication date

February 23, 2004
Dimensions

6.34 x 1.08 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0312324723
ISBN-13

978-0312324728
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

New York Post columnist John Podhoretz has equal amounts of love for George W. Bush and scorn for Bush's prominent liberal critics. In this energetic defense of the president, he paints a picture of Bush as being much cagier and politically clever than some of the more well-known voices on the left give him credit for. As Podhoretz describes it, Bush's classic maneuver is to take up a position thought to be unpopular among Washington insiders, such as not one but two rounds of sizeable tax cuts. He then rallies public support behind the idea, thereby outflanking possible opposition, scoring political victories, and increasing his political capital. Bush Country presents chapters on what the author says are some of the most common "crazy liberal ideas" about the President and then sets out to disprove them. But by using the most incendiary descriptions possible ("Bush is a puppet," "Bush is a moron," and "Bush wants to bankrupt the government") to describe the ideas, Podhoretz makes the disproving that much easier. And one does get the sense that he's trying to eat his cake and have it too as he complains about liberals' hatred and viciousness even as he attacks them right back and calls them crazy. But Podhoretz does not necessarily march in lockstep with every Republican official. He has much scorn for the first President Bush and talks openly about his initial misgivings as "Dubya" rose to power and prominence. The book is at its best when describing the ways in which the son has made efforts to learn from the father's mistakes and distance himself from George H.W. Bush's legacy. Written with plenty of passion and humor, Bush Country will likely please Bush supporters who have watched the president take hits from the Al Franken, Michael Moore, and others on the left. --John Moe

From Publishers Weekly

Over the past three years, liberals have been far from shy in expressing their distaste for George W. Bush. Now conservative commentator Podhoretz (Hell of a Ride) offers up a thorough defense of the president as well as a scathing attack on his most vocal detractors. Podhoretz takes a series of the more popular attacks on the presidentâ"what he calls "crazy liberal ideas"â"and debunks them one by one. These include "Bush is a moron," "Bush is a fanatic," "Bush is Hitler" and "Bush is a liar," charges he cites as being made by some leading liberal writers: Paul Krugman, Michael Lind, Maureen Dowd and Todd Gitlin, among others. Podhoretz claims that the president is, in fact, an intelligent, savvy, principled and honest leader, who responded to the September 11 tragedy with inspiring courage and determination. Bush's presidency will be remembered as "one of the most consequential... in the nation's history." Podhoretz even claims that Bush is "the best presidential speaker" since Franklin Roosevelt. Moreover, he says, the intensity of the Bush-bashing cannot be attributed to "mere partisan rancor," but is the result of Bush's defiant and infuriating success as president. Podhoretz's book is polemical, written for a specific niche: conservative political junkies who relish cutthroat partisan politics. Considered in this light, the book is well done: provocative, witty, in-your-face and honest.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this riposte to Bush bashers, New York Post columnist Podhoretz takes two tacks: ridiculing the denigrators of Dubya and extolling him as a great president. Naturally, the author's red-meat sections will entertain aggrieved Bush supporters, as Podhoretz runs with journalists' or politicians' quotations to the effect that Bush is stupid, illiterate, a ventriloquist's dummy for the oil industry, too religious, out to destroy the welfare state, and a lying liar who tells lies, to paraphrase a certain apoplectic comedian. These and other accusations Podhoretz slams under chapter headings as "crazy liberal ideas" and, for good measure, questions Bush critics' logic or even mental condition. Interest in political pugilism lasts only so long, however, as every library that has weeded last month's it-book knows. Yet the spotlight on Podhoretz may linger because, when drawing breath between punches, he dwells on reasons Bush, from the technical viewpoint, has prevailed on most matters in which he has invested presidential prestige. That accent on the mechanics of Bush's strategy slightly widens Podhoretz's immediately obvious readership. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"If you want to understand America, read Alexis de Tocqueville---then read John Podhoretz, who not only is one of the most perceptive journalists in today's America, but who's very funny, too. In Bush Country, Podhoretz brilliantly harpoons those pompous twits---the 'enlightened' ones, many of them journalists---'who consider themselves the most intelligent people in America.' They may, but no one else will after reading this thoughtful and provocative book."
---Bernard Goldberg, author of Bias and Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite

"Warning: If you like your politics mealymouthed---stay away! John Podhoretz has written a tough, shrewd, don't-give-an-inch defense of George W. Bush that should give the president's critics heartburn, or maybe a heart attack."
---David Frum, author of The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush

"If you want to understand America, read Alexis de Tocqueville...then read John Podhoretz, one of the most perceptive journalists in today's America." (Bernard Goldberg, author of Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite)

"Podhoretz has written a tough, shrewd, don't-give-an-inch defense of George W. Bush that should give the president's critics heartburn." (David Frum, author of The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush)

About the Author

John Podhoretz is a columnist for the New York Post, where he has been both the editorial page editor and television critic. He is also a political commentator for the Fox News Channel, a media fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a consultant on NBC's The West Wing. A cofounder of the Weekly Standard, Podhoretz has worked at U.S. News & World Report, Time, and The Washington Times, and served as a speechwriter for President Reagan. His first book, Hell of a Ride, was a scathing portrait of the first Bush presidency. He lives with his wife, Ayala, in New York City.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (February 23, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312324723
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312324728
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 1.08 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,414,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Thomas Wayne

Great Book. Proud of President Bush

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2004

Verified Purchase

John Podhoretz makes a cogent, appealing argument in favor of and in defense of President George W. Bush and his administration. It is well-written and argued, as are Mr. Podhoretz's weekly columns, and an easy read -- it is not a book heavy with minute details, but gives a great summary of Mr. Bush's character and leadership style.
This book provides supporters of President Bush a needed diversion from four months of non-stop uncritical media coverage of the Democratic presidential race and their presumptive liberal nominee, John "French" Kerry. ...

5 people found this helpful

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Cooper

Nice Read for this Election Year!

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2004

Verified Purchase

George W. Bush is a man for his time, and will go down in all-time as a great President-regardless of the outcome of the 2004 election. John Podhoretz's account of Bush the Younger's presidency provides a compelling read for this election season. I recommend it.

For one thing, the organization of the book is great. Eight solid chapters are each accompanied by sub-chapters that address the most crazy and foolish left-wing ideas about our President, with a summary chapter closing it up. Podhoretz does a splendid job in dismantling the ridiculous (and conflicting) claims that our energetic executive is a mere moron, puppet, fanatic, etc., etc., etc. Over the last year I've also seen plenty of left-wingers in downtown Seattle waving signs comparing our President to Hitler. Not only is there a new generation of Lyndon LaRouche supporters to supplant the old guys with long beards outside post offices (the new guys go to the post offices, too), but the LaRouche message is all but identical to the many of our most whacked-out college professors and those Dean-dongs-turned-Kerry-supporters.

This reviewer was once an ardent Democrat who voted for Democrats. I was fortunate to make the change in my early 20s and am now spending my mid-20s doing what I can to re-elect the man who will do the most for our nations' security. I am tired of the "blame America first" stuff and our country demands a strong leader who will protect us from terrorism. As Podhoretz shows, we have such a leader in George W. Bush.

Particularly important is Podhoretz's overview of President Bush's strategy against terrorism. He highlights our President's resolve to bring the battle to the terrorists-right to where they are. To make our last line of defense a more rigorous system of port scanning is not only logistically and economically impossible, but leaves us vulnerable and gives the terrorists valuable time to make their advances. Podhoretz discusses some of the major foreign policy speeches where our Commander-in-Chief lays out the case for aggressive action against terrorism and asserts the importance of American self-determination.

Very enjoyable is Podhoretz's account of the almost lighting-quick rise of George W. Bush, right up to the highest office of the land. His climb to the top was certainly remarkable. Podhoretz asserts that the man who ran for the White House in 2000 became a different kind of leader and rose to the challenges that the new, post 9/11 world presents.

Podhoretz also gives credit to President Bush for the strong leader and stellar politician that he is. One of the reasons the "loony left" dislikes the President is because he has been so effective at achieving results. While the President's foreign policy achievements are the most remarkable, he has also successfully landed a series of domestic policy victories-including some crucial tax cuts.

Another reason many on the left despise our President is because of his faith. Podhoretz does an excellent job in discussing this issue, demonstrating that while the President's faith is a source of strength, the President has always been guided in his policy decisions by the oath he swore to the Constitution and the best-interests of our nation.

Podhoretz is a former speech-writer and a reporter, so the writing is solid and the book has great flow. Keep in mind the timeliness of this book and our elections--if you're going get it, I suggest you do so now!

11 people found this helpful

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Tommy

Humorous Defense of 43

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2017

Obviously some will give this book 1 star for purely partisan reasons, but I would like to commend Mr. Podhoretz on a job well done. One does not have to believe George W. Bush was the greatest ever in order to appreciate this book. It is written in a humorous way, and includes several of the biggest insults used to undermine the 43rd President (he is illegitimate, he is a liar, he is a rogue cowboy, etc.); the book is filled with cited quotes from journalists and politicians that reflect the liberal hysteria of the Bush years. This work is admittedly written by a Conservative, so any reader and/or reviewer should keep that in mind going in. While the author is humorous, he is fair, not in the partisan vein of a Coulter or Hannity. I deducted a star because of some profanity usage.

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2004

Unlike almost every other reviewer here I actually have read the book.
George W. Bush inspires the same kind of frothing hatred from the left that the right had for Bill Clinton...except even more extreme. In an attempt to combat what he considers the major myths about Bush, John Podhoretz answers with Bush Country, part-polemic, part-riposte to the angry left.
Each chapter begins with a different aspect of the Bush administration, among them the Iraq War, the war against terrorism, domestic policies, economics, etc. and ends with Podhoretz's attempt to dismiss a major myth about the president (including but not limited to: Bush = Hitler, Bush lied about WMDs in Iraq and the standard litany of liberal accusations.
How successful is he? I'm a conservative myself so I'm obviously biased towards Podhoretz's way of looking at things. That said, there is a lot in this book that the left won't be able to casually wave away as mere right-wing propaganda. He does a good job exposing many of the major criticisms of Bush as merely the product of Bush hatred.
What did disapppoint me about Bush Country was *Podhoretz's* casual dismissal of Bush's spending record. Given that federal domestic spending has jumped over 20 per cent since Bush took office I had hoped that Podhoretz would call the president on it, rather than defend it.
That said, Bush Country is quite enjoyable.

17 people found this helpful

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TK

This book does nothing to help us better understand how it all fell apart (after starting so ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2016

Turned out it did not drive liberals crazy, but they did get a big laugh out of this book. Even conservatives are embarrassed by the lack of substance this books offers. Bush's presidency remains misunderstood. This book does nothing to help us better understand how it all fell apart (after starting so well). Boring book about an interesting man.

One person found this helpful

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