The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
July 23, 2007
Savage, who won a Pulitzer for his Boston Globe
articles about the signing statements George W. Bush used to negate legislation limiting presidential authority, gives that issue a key part in this account of the Bush administration's efforts to increase executive power. Covering constitutional issues as well as the political backgrounds of former White House attorneys like Alberto Gonzales and John Yoo, this detailed report traces their concerted effort, from the moment Bush took office in 2001, to “ the presidency in better shape than he found it.” The authorization to use force against Iraq is only the tip of the iceberg. Bush has already gone so far as to declare himself able to negate treaties with other nations at will, Savage reports. He also demonstrates how many of the administration's most controversial acts have their roots in Dick Cheney's experiences in the Nixon and Ford administrations. This incisive analysis of congressional and judicial efforts to check the administration's power grabs adds up to a searing indictment.
September 1, 2007
Boston Globe reporter Savage begins by detailing Vice President Cheneys extraordinary actions on 9/11, ordering the military to shoot down a civilian aircraft that had apparently been hijacked, without consulting with President Bush. Although the order was never executed, it demonstrated Cheneys command of the administration, whichhas given him free rein toimplement a long-held ambition to shift power in favor of the presidency and to secure that shift for generations to come. Savage recounts the tumultuous history of the power struggle between the executive and legislative branches of government as well asCheneys own personal history. Cheney served his political apprenticeship in the Nixon administration, famousfor its tugs-of-war with Congress over executive privilege, as well as the administrations of Ford, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. In this troubling look at the abuse of power, Savage also details Cheneys involvement in seizing presidential power to authorize wiretapping, torture, and imprisonment of citizens without trial.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)