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Candidate Debates
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St. Anselm NH debate
June 13, 2011 |
Faith & Freedom Conference
June 4, 2011 |
South Carolina debate
May 5, 2011 |
NRA Conference
May 1, 2011 |
CPAC Conference
Feb. 11, 2011 |
Candidate Books
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Mitt Romney: The Man, His Values and His Vision, by Lisa Ray Turner and Kimberly Field
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Real Change, by Speaker Newt Gingrich
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The Revolution: A Manifesto, by Ron Paul, published April 2008
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Tim Pawlenty: The Sam's Club Republican, by J. A. McClure
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The Audacity of Hope,
by Sen. Barack Obama (D, IL)
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Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics, by Joe Biden
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Withdrawn Candidates
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The America We Deserve, by Donald Trump
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Do the Right Thing, by Mike Huckabee
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Leadership, autobiography by Rudolph Giuliani
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America by Heart, by Sarah Palin
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Book Reviews |
(from Amazon.com) |
(click a book cover for a review or other books by or about the presidency from Amazon.com)
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A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush, by Ronald Kessler
(Click for Amazon book review)
BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:
Ron Kessler was "granted extraordinary access" to Bush and his administration for this book, to present "the George W. Bush the public never sees." It's obvious why Bush did so: Kessler is a True Believer. This book is as much an anti-Clinton screed -- opening and closing with Bill-bashing & Hillary-bashing & taking asides in every chapter to point out their immoral ways -- as it is a pro-Bush campaign book.
The "historian" in Kessler slips to describing Lyndon Johnson as a megalomaniac; Jimmy Carter as a compulsive -- all Democrats are fair game -- while Reagan, Bush Senior, and George W. are the counterpoints of good character. (Nixon does get dissed too; and Ford is ignored).
This book is ostensibly an impartial description by a well-known investigative reporter. In fact, it more reads like personal advocacy of Kessler's pet issues, most notably education. Kessler spends dozens of pages hyping "phonics", including a personal anecdote of how the phonics program in the Cambridge Massachusetts schools saved his career as a young student.
It's difficult to tell where journalism ends and where advocacy begins in this book -- but isn't that the core issue of the 2004 campaign?
-- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, OnTheIssues.org, August 2004
P.S. Kessler wrote a much more historical book about the Secret Service, in 2011. Our much more positive review there was because we didn't read this review first! (and because Kessler found our website and sent us an advance copy of the new book!)
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Corporations
Dick Cheney: Donates $100,000s from Halliburton, so not compensation.
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Drugs
George W. Bush: Arrested for drunk driving, plead guilty, paid fine.
George W. Bush: A "carefree lad" who drank but never did drugs.
George W. Bush: Spiritual reawakening ended beer and bourbon consumption.
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Education
George W. Bush: Required Texas schools to teach phonics over whole language.
George W. Bush: Pushed standardized testing as a top legislative priority.
George W. Bush: No Child Left Behind Act implements phonics nationally.
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Energy & Oil
George W. Bush: Kyoto Treaty is the "emperor with no clothes".
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Foreign Policy
Colin Powell: Powell's job: diplomatic solutions & disagree with Rumsfeld.
Donald Rumsfeld: Rumsfeld's job: military solutions & disagree with Powell.
George W. Bush: Foreign affairs is interpersonal leadership, not knowledge.
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Health Care
George W. Bush: Medicare bill uses market-based solutions to reduce costs.
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Homeland Security
Dick Cheney: Urged shooting down hijacked planes on 9/11.
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Principles & Values
George W. Bush: Comforted mother Barbara at age 7 when his sister died.
George W. Bush: Cheerleader at Andover & Yale; as full of energy now.
George W. Bush: IQ of 120 puts him above 90% of the population.
George W. Bush: Member of secret society Skull and Bones & a fraternity guy.
George W. Bush: Bush's smirk shows he's perturbed, not that he's arrogant.
George W. Bush: Character determines your path; we are not the author.
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War & Peace
Colin Powell: Arafat must end terrorism to get to two-state solution.
Colin Powell: Bush & whole Cabinet agreed on multilateral approach on Iraq.
Dick Cheney: US beat communism because of leadership & military force.
George W. Bush: During Vietnam, did not protest, & counseled supporting war.
George W. Bush: Bush Doctrine: harboring terrorists treated as terrorism.
George W. Bush: First president to use the term "Palestine".
George W. Bush: CIA argued against "16 words" but took responsibility.
George W. Bush: Majority misunderstood that Bush connected Saddam with 9/11.
Paul O'Neill: Contrary to O'Neill's claim, planning for Iraq began in 2002.
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Welfare & Poverty
George W. Bush: Compassionate conservatism means self-help over gov't help.
George W. Bush: Faith-based charity doesn't violate church-state separation.
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The above quotations are from A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush, by Ronald Kessler.
Related books, debates, and candidates:
- Decision Points, by George W. Bush
- Shrub, by Molly Ivins
- Fortunate Son, by J. H. Hatfield
- Worse Than Watergate, by John Dean
- The Right Man: An Inside Account of the Bush White House, by David Frum
- The Price of Loyalty: The Education of Paul O'Neill, by Ron Suskind
- Bush At War, Part I, by Bob Woodward (2002)
- Plan of Attack, Part II, by Bob Woodward (2004)
- State of Denial, Part III, by Bob Woodward (2006)
- A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush, by Ronald Kessler
- Lessons From a Father to His Son, by John Ashcroft
- Winning Modern Wars
- Hegemony or Survival, by Noam Chomsky
- 2006 State of the Union speech, plus response by Gov. Tim Kaine (D, VA)
- A Charge To Keep, by George W. Bush
- The Assault on Reason, by Al Gore
- Against All Enemies:Inside America's War on Terror, by Richard A. Clarke
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