The Collapse of Fortress Bush : The Crisis of Authority in American Government / Alasdair Roberts.
2008
E902
Linked e-resources
Linked Resource
Online Access
Details
Title
The Collapse of Fortress Bush : The Crisis of Authority in American Government / Alasdair Roberts.
Author
Roberts, Alasdair, author.
ISBN
9780814777336
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2008]
Copyright
©2008
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource
Item Number
10.18574/nyu/9780814777336.001.0001 doi
Call Number
E902
Dewey Decimal Classification
973.93
Summary
When the Bush presidency began to collapse, pundits were quick to tell a tale of the "imperial presidency" gone awry, a story of secretive, power-hungry ideologues who guided an arrogant president down the road to ruin. But the inside story of the failures of the Bush administration is both much more complex and alarming, says leading policy analyst Alasdair Roberts. In the most comprehensive, balanced view of the Bush presidency to date, Roberts portrays a surprisingly weak president, hamstrung by bureaucratic, constitutional, cultural and economic barriers and strikingly unable to wield authority even within his own executive branch.The Collapse of Fortress Bush shows how the president fought-and lost-key battles with the defense and intelligence communities. From Homeland Security to Katrina, Bush could not coordinate agencies to meet domestic threats or disasters. Either the Bush administration refused to exercise authority, was thwarted in the attempt to exercise authority, or wielded authority but could not meet the test of legitimacy needed to enact their goals. Ultimately, the vaunted White House discipline gave way to public recriminations among key advisers. Condemned for secretiveness, the Bush administration became one of the most closely scrutinized presidencies in the modern era.Roberts links the collapse of the Bush presidency to deeper currents in American politics and culture, especially a new militarism and the supremacy of the Reagan-era consensus on low taxes, limited government, and free markets. Only in this setting was it possible to have a "total war on terrorism" in which taxes were reduced, private consumption was encouraged, and businesses were lightly regulated.A balanced, incisive account by a skilled observer of U.S. government, The Collapse of Fortress Bush turns the spotlight from the powerful cabal that launched the war in Iraq to tell a much more disturbing story about American power and the failure of executive leadership.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814776063
Linked Resources
Online Access
Record Appears in
Online Resources > Ebooks
All Resources
All Resources
Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface
1 A Crisis of Authority
2 Citizens and Aliens
3 Home Alone
4 Soothing the Market
5 Cakewalk
6 The Collapse of Fortress Bush
7 Beyond the Imperial Presidency
Notes
Index
About the Author
Contents
Preface
1 A Crisis of Authority
2 Citizens and Aliens
3 Home Alone
4 Soothing the Market
5 Cakewalk
6 The Collapse of Fortress Bush
7 Beyond the Imperial Presidency
Notes
Index
About the Author