American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury 
asked by miceandmen on November 5, 2006 4:03 AM
From America's premier political analyst, an explosive examination of the axis of religion, politics, and borrowed money that threatens to destroy the nation
In his two most recent New York Times bestselling books, American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips established himself as a powerful critic of the political and economic forces that are ruling—and imperiling—the United States. Now, Phillips takes an uncompromising view of the political coalition, led by radical religion, that is driving America to the brink of disaster.
In his two most recent New York Times bestselling books, American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips established himself as a powerful critic of the political and economic forces that are ruling—and imperiling—the United States. Now, Phillips takes an uncompromising view of the political coalition, led by radical religion, that is driving America to the brink of disaster.
From Ancient Rome to the British Empire, Phillips demonstrates that every world-dominating power has been brought down by a related set of causes: a lethal combination of global over- reach, militant religion, resource problems, and ballooning debt. It is this same axis of ills that has come to define America's political and economic identity in the past decade. Military miscalculations in the Middle East, the surge of fundamentalist religion, the staggering national debt, the costs of U.S. oil dependence—together these factors are undermining our nation's security, solvency, and standing in the world. If left unchecked, the same forces will bring a debt- bloated, preachy, energy-starved America to its knees. With an eye on the past and a searing vision of the future, Phillips has written a book that no American can afford to ignore.
Reviews
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Kevin Phillips helped start the era of Republican dominance in Presidential politics back with the Emerging Republican Majority back in the Nixon era, and has spent thirty years since then preaching against those he helped. This book is more of the same of his post Republican discontented phase. The sections on economic dominance based on resources are interesting, but the book suffers from excessive repetition as well as his obvious hatred of the Bush clan, which causes him to become a bit splenetic at times
reviewed by oden on November 26, 2006 10:42 AM
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This book will change what you thought you knew about gov't and special interests. Everyone thinks the gov't has always been controlled by special interests, but most don't understand how deep the connection is. And how long religion and oil(whale and from the ground)has controlled and steered this country from it's inception. This is not a politically motivated book, it's a "history tends to repeat itself" book. You will definitely learn a ton from this book. Top notch, but definitely not a optimistic view of the fate of the United States.
reviewed by runabout on November 28, 2006 6:45 AM
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Kevin Phillips has skewered the Bush administration by breaking down glaring faults into three main categories. The acronym GOD suffices to penetrate the dangers facing our country: G for God and the danger of so-called Christians wishing to blur or even eradicate separation of Church and State and set up their concept of religion; O for oil and how it has controlled our foreign policy, military adventures and economy for decades. My, oh my, sounds simplistic, but Phillips, a former Republican strategist and a TRUE conservative has no truck with conspiracy theories. He just presents the facts without hysteria. The D stands for our national Debt and the danger it holds for our and the world's economy when "the chickens come home to roost". As a conservative he deplores the financial profligacy that at this point is increasing our indebtedness daily to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars.
This book is not for the fainthearted and those zombies who would follow this administration into the abyss.
This book is not for the fainthearted and those zombies who would follow this administration into the abyss.
reviewed by webin on November 29, 2006 7:31 AM
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I've been reading a lot of political analyses lately (Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, T.R. Reid's The United States of Europe to highly recommend two) but for sheer, weighty scholarship this one takes the prize. Phillips' critique of an oil-based economy, religion in politics, and the American addiction to debt is meticulously cited, exhaustively examined and ultimately devastatingly conclusive, with a final paragraph that nearly moved me to tears. I wish I could say that I found it comforting to be told that this has all happened before, to the Romans, to the Spanish, to the Dutch and to the British. What really stings is that this guy is a Republican with serious street cred. He's not some wild-eyed way-to-the-left liberal, he's my dad.
reviewed by rob33 on November 29, 2006 10:28 AM