Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency 
asked by theriver on November 11, 2006 11:33 PM
While it would be easy to fill a sizable bookcase with books published in 2004 that were highly critical of George W. Bush, few of those authors carry the gravity of Senator Robert Byrd, who first came to congress when Truman was president. In Losing America, the veteran Democrat offers scathing criticism of Bush, whom he sees as undeserving of the office, unfit to lead, "callow and reckless," and "incredibly dangerous." Besides criticizing the much-discussed rise of the neoconservative philosophy, Byrd bemoans what he sees as the erosion of constitutionally mandated separation of powers. While many of his objections are colored with a high degree of personal dudgeon over perceived disrespect for him and his branch of government, he uses well-reasoned legal and historical arguments to illustrate his concerns. In Byrd's descriptions of encounters with Bush, the president is remarkably similar to the incurious, distracted cipher of contemporary books from Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill, and though a certain level of decorum is generally practiced among governmental figures, the level of vitriol in his criticisms indicates that Byrd must either be confident he'll never need to be on Bush's good side or is simply too furious to care. As one might expect from a man accustomed to having people listen closely to him, Byrd has an ego; he tells of advising freshman senator Hillary Clinton to become a "work horse" and not a "show horse" and he is pleased when she chooses the latter (thanks to him, he indicates). Byrd is also a bit long-winded in making his points, often launching into lengthy historical anecdotes as a means of comparing and contrasting Bush to his predecessors. But his thoughts are not snarky op-eds from a pundit; they are well earned, compellingly expressed, and come from a politician much more experienced than most. --John Moe
Reviews
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An enlightening book on the machinations of political power and its eventual abuse. Robert Byrd has given credence that politics is all about power and when it is seized all forms of deviousness will be carried out in order to preserve that power. The book also highlights that most politicians in a democratic nation do not have the wellbeing of their citizens as their primary concern - it was never the concern during the Roman Empire and it isn't during the current American Empire. Robert Byrd also calls attention to the apathy of the US citizen as a main cause in the election of the inept and inarticulate warmongering George W Bush. But this apathy is a pitiful worldwide problem, which politicians exploit to the utmost.
reviewed by reviewer on November 29, 2006 4:37 AM
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After reading a book like this you realize what an arrogant jerk the author is. Sen. Byrd must have forgotten the Clinton Presidency and clearly has lost touch with the "Real America". His open hatred for the President is plainly exposed and the book seems to simply be a means for him to have a podium where he can offer his blatant hatred and make it seem "true" simply because it was printed.
A total waste of time to read....
A total waste of paper...
A total lie...
Go read Bathroom walls in a high school to get better reading material.
Doesn't the senator have something better to do?
I sure do and I regret having wasted the money on this book and even more, reading it, to try to understand how people who are so wrong about our President feel.
Why does Hatred get published so easily in our country? What this man says about our President would have been unheard of even 50 years ago about a President.
A total waste of time to read....
A total waste of paper...
A total lie...
Go read Bathroom walls in a high school to get better reading material.
Doesn't the senator have something better to do?
I sure do and I regret having wasted the money on this book and even more, reading it, to try to understand how people who are so wrong about our President feel.
Why does Hatred get published so easily in our country? What this man says about our President would have been unheard of even 50 years ago about a President.
reviewed by willie on November 29, 2006 10:22 AM
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Make no mistake, Senator Robert Byrd does not present an unbiased view of the Bush Administration in "Losing America," but he doesn't claim to...and doesn't need to. By presenting a detailed, point-by-point assessment of how Bush and his Republican minions have systematically (and self-centeredly) worked to undermine the principles upon which America was founded, Byrd does make a very honest, verifiable presentation.
Two key differences between this book and most political books these days are that (1) Robert Byrd still knows how to be a statesman, even in print, and (2) he is one of the few who is still focused on trying to do what's best for the United States and ALL Americans, not just special interest groups and lobbyists who give him money. Read the book -- it shows.
"Losing America" is both a bit frightening, in how clearly it spells out the actions and results of what the Bushies have been doing, and inspirational, in how it calls upon Americans as a group to work together to prevent the loss of many freedoms and practices that made this country great in the first place.
For example, Byrd points out the many limitations on executive branch power...AND the many ways Bush has worked to evade those limits. The top way Bush & Co. has done this, of course, has been through the declaration of a constant state of war, abusing Americans' own patriotism to create a police state in which he can declare that anything he wants to do is for our protection and, ipso facto, legal. Even when it doesn't really protect us at all.
This has been augmented, of course, by having the right wing media call anyone who questions the wisdom, competence, or legality of Bush policies unAmerican, traitors, and "cut-and-runners." And, yes, that includes other media outlets, which are now owned by large corporations that bury stories because they don't want to be called those names.
The good news is that people are finally waking up to the fact that these abuses and manipulations of our government and our constitution aren't just hurting "someone else," they are hurting all Americans. If you can stomach the details, this is a great book to learn them...and a great education in what can be done to set things right again.
Two key differences between this book and most political books these days are that (1) Robert Byrd still knows how to be a statesman, even in print, and (2) he is one of the few who is still focused on trying to do what's best for the United States and ALL Americans, not just special interest groups and lobbyists who give him money. Read the book -- it shows.
"Losing America" is both a bit frightening, in how clearly it spells out the actions and results of what the Bushies have been doing, and inspirational, in how it calls upon Americans as a group to work together to prevent the loss of many freedoms and practices that made this country great in the first place.
For example, Byrd points out the many limitations on executive branch power...AND the many ways Bush has worked to evade those limits. The top way Bush & Co. has done this, of course, has been through the declaration of a constant state of war, abusing Americans' own patriotism to create a police state in which he can declare that anything he wants to do is for our protection and, ipso facto, legal. Even when it doesn't really protect us at all.
This has been augmented, of course, by having the right wing media call anyone who questions the wisdom, competence, or legality of Bush policies unAmerican, traitors, and "cut-and-runners." And, yes, that includes other media outlets, which are now owned by large corporations that bury stories because they don't want to be called those names.
The good news is that people are finally waking up to the fact that these abuses and manipulations of our government and our constitution aren't just hurting "someone else," they are hurting all Americans. If you can stomach the details, this is a great book to learn them...and a great education in what can be done to set things right again.
reviewed by astrofizzy on November 29, 2006 5:09 PM