Book Review
Sinking the Ship of State--The Presidency of George W. Bush
Walter M. Brasch
Book Surge Publishing
$24.95 Trade Paperback--460 pp
This book chronicles the campaign and presidency of George W. Bush primarily through a series of columns first appearing in print in the year 2000 but descended from the “Wandering” columns beginning in 1976. The wanderings gradually ceased to wander and by the presidential year 2000 became very focused.
While other authors were hastening for cover, Mr. Brasch, hastened to find and report the truth. No matter what focus other writers take in discussing the presidency of George W. Bush, they will all have to deal with 9/11, the suppression of civil liberties, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that consumed the eight years of his presidency.
Only Molly Ivans came as close to discovering the true George W. Bush at as early a date as Walter Brasch. His columns of February and March 2000 were right on and should serve as examples to all members of the media of what good reporting is all about. Of coarse Ms. Ivans had several years of observing Dubya, as she called him, in action in Texas. However most members of the main stream media ignored those lessons and instead wrote about what they and their paymasters wanted the electorate to hear.
As the Bush presidency wore on Mr. Brasch continued his hard hitting columns exposing President Bush at every turn. By April, 2007 he had focused on and exposed the Bush-Cheney Administration in one hard hitting column after another from the Bush Political Philosophy to Operation Snitch to Reading , Writing, and Religion and to The [March] Madness of George III.
This is a book well written and well worth reading.
