Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy

by Bruce Bartlett

George W. Bush came to the presidency in 2000 claiming to be the heir of Ronald Reagan. But while he did cut taxes, in most other respects he has governed in a way utterly unlike his revered... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385518277
• ISBN13: 9780385518277
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Corroboration

Much of what Bartlett says will already be familiar to people who follow politics to some degree. To me an important purpose this book serves is that it represents a well-respected conservative confirming what anyone who follows politics honestly will have concluded on their own by now about the Bush administration: that it is not conservative, that it fails to represent Republican principles, that it engages in grandiose and reckless initiatives that are not grounded in reality, and that a good case can be made that essentially everything it has undertaken has been a failure. One particularly good point made by Bartlett is that many of Bush's initiatives have been geared toward winning popular support for the Administration and the Republican Party, rather than serving the public interest (e.g. Medicare drug program), yet they have turned out not only (as expected) to be policy failures, but political failures as well. It is heartening that the public is finally becoming more fully aware of just how complete a failure the Bush administration has been, as can be seen in the public opinion polls. A couple of the most devastating indictments in Bartlett's book are those relating to the Medicare drug benefit and the drive to reform Social Security. As Bartlett points out, the Social Security reform effort became divorced from the original supposed purpose of shoring up the long-term fiscal soundness of the system by the fact that it wound up simply being about private accounts, which, under the most charitable assessment, would not do a great deal to shore up the system. However, Bush continued to pitch his reforms as being geared toward that goal. And not only did Bush's proposals not address the problem, they ignored the far bigger long-term problem of the fiscal soundness of Medicare. Bush instead put through a hugely expensive Medicare drug benefit that greatly exacerbated the Medicare insolvency problem. Thus, Bush's handling of Medicare and Social Security has been absolutely incoherent. During all this time, however, Republican loyalists were standing with Bush, extolling the virtues of these proposals, which to any moderately intelligent layman were clearly absurd. It was frustrating that for so long a time Bush loyalists were able to maintain an intellectual climate in which any attempt to interject reason into these policy matters was simply dismissed out of hand, lest a broader awareness develop that "the emperor has no clothes". But by now, the smoke and mirrors aren't working much any more, and the public is becoming increasingly aware that the emperor is naked. Bartlett does not cover the immigration issue a great deal in his book but that is another issue upon which Bush has proposed policies that fly in the face of reason. On that issue, however, Bush at least has company- the far left advocate "open borders" policies that share much in common with those proposed by the far right. For more discussion of that issue

Conservatives take note!

Whether one is a solid conservative, or raging liberal, we should all agree that, except under VERY extreme circumstances (like war), the government should never spend more of our money than it takes in ... we should never have a deficit, and we should get rid of our national debt, which is slowly choking American competitiveness. Former Reagan official Bartlett shows in this smart new book, that Bush II is not fiscally responsible by any standard. Rather, he is destroying this country, not because he doesn't follow the liberal diatribe, but because he is bankrupting our government. Bush offered us the Faustian bargain of a tiny tax break now, when he could have used the then surplus to eliminate the national debt, and given us all a HUGE tax cut down the road instead. Bush betrayed conservatives, but fooled them all into voting for him anyway. How? Over gay marriage! It was a con game ... one that hardly any fiscally responsible thinker believes is worth bankrupting the country. Heck, hardly anyone even believes it important anymore. Yet Bush disciples -- Frist, et. al. -- will try to raise that bogeyman again. Like all politicians, they try to get you to look at their right hand on the Bible, so you don't see their left hand picking your pocket. Best yet, now Republicans in Congress (Frist included!!) are mad at Bush because HE hasn't stopped THEM from spending like drunken sailors in a whore house. Bravo for Bartlett for having the courage to show how Conservatives are being hoodwinked by insignificant "social" issues, only to sell their soul on every last economic and fiscal issue that is supposed to be the key defining characteristic of any true conservative: small, limited and fiscally responsible government that keeps us safe, but otherwise stays out of our lives.

A CONSERVATIVE'S SCATHING INDICTMENT-WHICH COST HIS JOB

Five Stars!! At a time in history when George W. Bush is caught in the middle of Republicans who question his conservatism and Democrats who question his veracity and his intentions, this book arrives with the effect of throwing napalm on a White House kitchen fire. Our 43rd President of the United States takes a lot of heat from Mr Bartlett, who reportedly lost his job in writing this book. That fact alone demands attention from an informed electorate of both parties. Not written from a neutral position but by a card-carrying conservative Republican member of the Reagan administration, this is a scathing indictment of the 'man who is president'. The cover alone announces two major Bush problems: the BANKRUPTCY of America, drowning in huge deficits, and the BETRAYAL of Reagan Conservatism, making this Bush government the biggest and most expensive (and expansive) in US History. Bruce Bartlett looks at both Bush policy and it's detrimental effects on America. He uses Ronald Reagan's legacy as the 'crucible of judgement', not the musings of arch-Liberals like Michael Moore, Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, or even the ultra-conservative musings of Rush Limbaugh or Ronnie's own son, talk show host Michael Reagan. It's Ronald Reagan who is the mirror that is held to reflect Bush's true identity. Reagan who turned the tide away from Carter liberalism back to true conservatism. I don't think anyone can argue the fact of Reagan's classic approach to politics OR it's ultimate success. As an independent, myself, I read books like this with a keen eye for the details, knowing that it's uninvited and unwelcome by many Republicans. I think Democrats will view it with wonder, but not glee. It's listed as 310 pages, but over 100 pages are tables, notes, appendices, references, and a 13 page index, so one third of the book is empirical and supporting data. This takes the book beyond mere opinion. Bartlett, using the economy as a gauge, gets down to brass tacks pretty fast pointing out economic failures and problems: tax policies, trade policies, scapegoating, nepotism, bad planning, etc. The Medicare prescription drug bill gets special attention as a bill that is a major failure, produced at a time that Bush allegedly said he'd sign any drug plan. Dick Cheney in the Vice Presidency is a huge problem because he's not electable as President, and no clear successor exists to spend what little political capital Bush has built up. If nothing else is accomplished by Mr Bartlett's detailed tome, the conservatives are serving notice to history that George Bush's administration does not adher to traditional conservative tenants. In other words, (my words) "Don't Blame His Actions on Us". The fact that he uses the term "Impostor" speaks volumes all by itself: Impostor President, Impostor Administration, Impostor Foreign Policy. And it also serves as an impassioned plea to future Republicans: (my words)~ "COME HOME to conservatism!" Five Scathing Stars!!

An Honest Conservative

Very rare, to find someone on the right who speaks the truth about this administration. He brings an insider's view, from the right, and documents his claims. I've waited several years for a conservative "small government" supporter to explain to me how Bush inherited a $5.1 trillion deficit and is currently (per his own White House) expected to leave office with an $11.5 trillion deficit, a better than 100% growth in our national debt in eight years! War without an exit strategy, based on lies; largest expansion of the "welfare" system since Medicare was founded; spying on Americans in violation of Federal law...Yet so many who claim they are conservative just look the other way or make excuses. Bartlett does a great job, and I recommend this to anyone (especially someone who considers him/herself a conservative)! Read it, then see if you still think George W. Bush is a "conservative"!

Powerful indictment from a voice we cannot ignore

When pundits for years complained about the excess of ideology in politics, they did not consider what might replace it once gone. Bruce Bartlett, a conservative economist with impeccable credentials dating back to President Reagan's White House, answers that question in this important book with disturbing results. Analyzing the administration of the current President Bush he concludes that lacking a coherent ideology, what comes to reign in its place is a crass political opportunism. While coming from a liberal writer such attacks might seem old hat, Bartlett moves from his home on the right, arguing not only that the current White House shows signs of frequent incompetence, but in fact has betrayed the principles that the conservative movement embraced for the last forty years. Taking the competence question first, Bartlett examines how little appetite the current administration has for serious analysis and research. Citing sources on issues ranging from national security, to economics, to healthcare, the author offers examples to prove a pattern of stifling debate, cajoling, sidelining, and even threatening those who would question the policy conclusions determined mostly by political handlers instead of policy experts. Surrounding himself with "political hacks" whose main ability rests in the ability to "say yes and ignore the obvious," the administration often begins with policy and then searches out justifications. Thrashing dissent and ignoring the traditional policy experts who work from positions of expertise, Bartlett sees the President's failure on important issues as Social Security, healthcare, and perhaps even Iraq arising from this dysfunctional process. Thus the author looks to the rough treatment of both the Treasury Secretaries and the Council of Economic advisors, used not to formulate thoughtful policy, but instead to sell an often incoherent program to the public. Troubled by the current White House's obsession with secrecy, the author further wonders how the notion of an imperial presidency overthrew a conservative commitment to openness and reliance on legislative authority. Sadly, the timing of this work's publication does not allow us to hear Mr. Bartlett's musing on the current question of domestic surveillance without judicial approval and what that means for the libertarian ideas Conservatives for so long cherished. On the issue of breaking with conservative ideals, Bartlett proves even more adroit in his criticism. Time and again, Bartlett points out how President Bush ignores fundamental issues such as a fiscal discipline and the desire for smaller government in order to avoid tough decisions and opportunistically score political points. Thus the author wonders about the greatest expansion of the social welfare state since the new deal with the Medicare Drug Benefit under a supposedly Conservative President. Again, the competence issue comes into play, as the White House suppresses the analysis of dis