October Surprise: America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan

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October Surprise: America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan

A Well-Documented Must READ!!!

A mishmash of proven lies and half truths

Completely Discredited - Fast And Loose With Facts

Totally Discredited Book

October Surprise: America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan
Gary Sick
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0812919890
Release Date: 1991-11-19

Customer Reviews:

October Surprise: America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan.......2007-05-21

An intriguing look at teachery and treason by the Republican Party. I have never understood the interest that Republicans have in running for elected office; they have little or no knowledge or understanding about how a modern government should work and less interest in the subject. Their dependence upon misogyny, free ranging corporations, inflated dollars, social slavery, outright corruption and pagan material idolatry stymies me. They would regulate the poor and warehouse the rich in gated communities and are loathe to remember that both heaven and hell are gated communities. Never has there been a political party with such base intentions and such great appeal among the nouveau riche.

This story is probably true but now unindictable like the crimes of 9-11; it typifies the arrogance and modus operandi of the GOP. To have negotiated and extended the hostages' captivity in Tehran for any reason whatsoever is the height of immorality and inhumanity but standard political expedience for jumpy political losers like the GOP. They are cut from the same cloth as the kidnappers themselves and thus their nascent ability to negotiate with them. But this is the same party that two decades later suspended our civil liberties, tortured prisoners and took us to war for no credible reason. At this point (2007) if you are catching up on your political research, this book is a great sequel to anything written about Watergate or Richard NIxon's plumbers and an ominous prophecy to the political horrors that follow.

A Well-Documented Must READ!!!.......2005-11-27

If this work were fiction it would be an exceptional read, unfortunately, it is just HORRIFYING!!!

Casey is the ominous voice & Bush is the corrupt clown behind the curtain strategizing & manipulating his way to the White House.

Liberals will love it, Conversatives will repel its Republican blasphemy, and everyone else will appreciate the sliver of light exposing this political cancer.

Gary Sick writes a fabulous tale of factual American political corruption, deceipt & manipuation...painfully it carries the burden of being a history book...and for its contents, I am ashamed.

A mishmash of proven lies and half truths.......2005-10-08

I read this book years ago when it was first published. Mr. Sick allowed himself to be taken in by a collection of Iranian liars as well as some phonies claiming to have experience in intelligence. Some of the people Sick listened to were shown in the Iran-Contra hearings to be con artists who also took in Ollie North and Bill Casey. These con artists are experts at saying what the listener wants to hear. One guy claimed to have been in Special Forces and was an eyewitness to one of VP-candidate Bush's flights to meet with Iranians. It turns out that he was not in Special Forces at all and he had been dishonorably discharged from the US Army. In addition, he could not have been an eyewitness to the event he claims to have seen because he was in jail at the time. The phony intelligence specialists have also been proven to be liars with no experience in intelligence or anything resembling national security work. By the time I finished this book, I actually felt sorry for Sick because he had allowed himself to be taken in by these jokers. He clearly wanted to believe that what he was being told was true.

This book does not prove anything except that even an experienced researcher can be fooled if he really wants to believe. Subsequent investigations by a Democratically dominated Congress proved that there was no October surprise.

Completely Discredited - Fast And Loose With Facts.......2004-04-23

The irony of this book is that it changes the meaning of what "October Surprise" actually meant. The phrase was actually invented by the Republicans (Bill Casey, Stu Spencer, and VP candidate Bush) as a warning as to what Carter would try to do with the hostages. Yet now a former Carter administration member writes a book and hangs the term around the necks of his opponents.

The thesis simply doesn't work. A Congressional investigation spent over a million dollars and released a 968-page report that refutes the claims in this book. (I would add to those who see everything through partisan eyes that the Democrats controlled Congress and all the committees at that time).

The most obvious question is this: how did Ronald Reagan and his team get ahold of the equipment necessary to pull this off? Supposedly, an SR-71 Blackbird flew Bush to Madrid to negotiate for the hostages to be kept until after the election. But SR-71s don't just fly themselves, so who flew it? And what commander signed off for the plane to be missing from his fleet for a couple of days? Did Bush really have time to do that since the polls were showing a close election?

Sick has a well footnoted book, but it fails all across the line. Just because there's a footnote doesn't mean we know who actually said what. We don't know if the antagonists had been in contact with each other (the Congressional investigation showed they were - which ruins their credibility).

The book appears to be a retroactive attempt to say the reason Carter lost was because of the hostages. While there is no doubt that is one of the reasons, it is simplistic to say that such is the ONLY reason. How, after all, can you blame Reagan for the helicopters that didn't work in the bungled rescue attempt in April 1980? And let's not forget that half of the Democratic voters in the primary didn't want Carter to run again anyway.

This book is an attempt to besmirch a Presidency solely because the author disagrees with that man's ideology. It is a shame and a disgrace that this can be done. Reagan won, Carter lost. And it wasn't even close. Please get over it, Mr. Sick.

Totally Discredited Book.......2002-07-18

Gary Sicks' bizarro theory that George Bush flew to Paris in an SR-71 to meet with the Iranians to convince them to keep the hostages until after the election in 1990 is just plain crazy. Congress investigated this and found no basis for Sicks account. This is better fiction though than most spy stories but no one should take this silliness seriously.

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

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Powerful critique of GWB not written by whiney liberal
Well written critical summary of the G.W. Bush Years
Good, but...
An attack more in sorrow than in anger
Critique of the President from the Right

Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy
Bruce Bartlett
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury
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The Assassins' Gate : America in Iraq
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq

ASIN: 0385518277
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Book Description

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 predecessor, expanding the size and scope of government, letting immigration go unchecked, and allowing the federal budget to mushroom out of control.

Despite their strong misgivings, most conservatives remained silent during Bush’s first term. But a series of missteps and scandals, culminating in the ill-conceived nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, has brought this hidden rift within the conservative movement crashing to the surface.

Now, in what is sure to be the political book of the season, Bruce Bartlett lays bare the incompetence and profligacy of Bush’s economic policies. A highly respected Washington economist—and true-believing Reaganite—Bartlett started out as a supporter of Bush and helped him craft his tax cuts. But he was dismayed by the way they were executed. Reagan combined his tax cuts with fiscal restraint, but Bush has done the opposite. Bartlett thus reluctantly concluded that Bush is not a Reaganite at all, but an unprincipled opportunist who will do whatever he or his advisers think is expedient to buy votes.

In this sober, thorough, and utterly devastating book, Bartlett attacks the Bush Administration's economic performance root and branch, from the "stovepiping" of its policy process to the coercive tactics used to ram its policies through Congress, to the effects of the policies themselves. He is especially hard on Bush’s enormous new Medicare entitlement…and predicts that within a few years, Bush's tax cuts and unrestricted spending will produce an economic crisis that will require a major tax increase, probably in the form of a European-style VAT.

Bartlett has surprisingly kind words for Bill Clinton, whose record on the budget was far better than Bush’s. Whatever else one may think of him, Bartlett argues, Clinton cut spending, abolished a federal entitlement program, and left a budget surplus. By contrast, Bush has increased spending, created a massive entitlement program, and produced the biggest deficits in American history.

In fact, Bartlett concludes, Bush is less like Reagan than like Nixon: an arch-conservative Republican, bitterly hated by liberals, who vainly tried to woo moderates by enacting big parts of the liberal program. It didn't work then, and it won't work now—and may have similar harmful effects for the GOP.

Customer Reviews:

Powerful critique of GWB not written by whiney liberal.......2007-06-02

Well written entertaining hard hitting book on the various failures of the Bush presidency.

This book is packed with facts and logic supporting the author's thesis that George W. Bush is not a conservative president and has done a bad job from a conservative perspective. Rather GWB has been a highly partisan Republican president in the genre of Richard Nixon in that he has pushed liberal policies like expansion of medicare benefits, pouring billions into educations, committing the troops to nation-building of a democracy (which no doubt will end up like Vietnam) in a place where US troops don't belong.

If you are a die-hard Bush fan or a liberal Bush-hater don't bother buying this book as it probably won't provide any enjoyment. But if you are an intelligent open-minded individual who appreciates a frank discussion of policy from the conservative viewpoint you should not be disappointed.

Well written critical summary of the G.W. Bush Years.......2007-05-20

This book by a Reagan insider reveals in stark detail Bush's hipocracy in using the conservative title. Bartlett shows him as an grandiose opportunist who believes he is guided by God, and making all the errors of judgement that stem from such absurd overconfidence.

Good, but..........2007-04-18

I hate Dubya as much has the next good liberal, but I found this book to be a bit tough to get through due to its focus on economic issues. Cleary, he can be similarly criticized for straying from conservative positions on a whole host of other issues, but the author never strays from economics (but to be fair, that is his area of expertise). At the end, he even veers off on some VAT tax tangent that has nothing to do with Bush.

It's not a bad book, but buyer beware.

An attack more in sorrow than in anger.......2007-02-23

This is a good book. As a political book it is well above average.
As an attack book it is one of the best because it deals with facts,
mostly, and usually identifies opinions as opinions.

We have 210 pages of text, divided into 11 chapters, mostly complaining about
what Bush did, but a lot of complaints about how he did it, and why.
There 35 pages of appendices and notes, documenting the "what" quite well,
and the "how" fairly well. The "why" seems not as well done, but better than
the average political attack book.

A common attack book strategy is to make a statement as a fact, and provide
a note reference. The reference turns out to be an opinion offered elsewhere,
sometimes by the same author. Another is broad labelling. A request for a
hardship deferral makes one a draft dodger. Not accepting a particular
theory espoused by a professor makes one anti-intellectual. These are
rare in Bartlett's book.

There are also 31 pages of end notes, 49 pages of references and a 14 page
index. You can check his claims. In most cases there are references to
both sides of an issue.

I also appreciated that Bartlett identified the political biases of think
tanks and publications.

There are some weaknesses in the book. Much of the subject matter involves
economics, a topic most readers find boring, intimidating, or both.
To aid the attack, Bush is compared against Clinton in some ways and
against Reagan in others. Bartlett gives Clinton credit for welfare reform.
He properly identifies the tax increases that partly offset the Reagan
tax cuts, but ignores the slowness of spending reductions. Bartlett
argues there will be a major tax increase, probably after Bush is gone,
then spends many pages supporting a value added tax (VAT) as the least
bad way to do it.

Some Republicans will hate the book because it attacks one of their own.
Bartlett got fired for writing it. Some Democrats will hate the book
because it does not accuse Bush of treason, rape, armed robbery, and
wearing ugly ties. This is clearly an attack book, but it seems to have
been written more in sorrow than in anger. The book is far more rational
and far less emotional than some of the reviews here.

Critique of the President from the Right.......2006-09-24

This is an interesting work. Many of the critical analyses of the Bush II Administration (George W. Bush as opposed to George H. W. Bush, referred to as Bush I below) have come from journalists or those on the left or from Democrats. This book is fascinating precisely because it is authored by a conservative, one who served in the Reagan White House and in the Bush I Treasury Department. In that, it is akin to Francis Fukuyama's critical analyses of neocons and the Administration's Nation-Building efforts. And, indeed, Bartlett paid a personal price for his criticisms--he lost his job.

He suggests that the Bush II Administration is simply not conservative. In fact, the first chapter's title exemplifies that theme: "I Know Conservatives and George W. Bush Is No Conservative." Among his contentions: the Bush II administration simply does not care about serious policy analysis; it is more concerned with attaining its goals. The chapter, entitled "The End of Serious Policy Analysis," quotes part of Ron Suskind's interview with a top Bush official (some opine that this quotation may come from Karl Rove himself): "You guys, the aide said, are 'in what we call the reality-based community.' Such people are defined, the aide went on, as those who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernable reality.'" The aide went on, quoting Bartlett: "That's not the way the world works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. Any while you're studying that reality--judiciously as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities. . . ."

Other chapters question the Bush II Administration for its tax cuts, its trade policy, why Enron serves as metaphor for Bush's economic policy, the budget (mirabile dictu, Bartlett suggests that Bill Clinton's policy is preferable to Bush II), and so on.

Precisely because this is a critique from the right, this becomes a very interesting volume to reflect upon. While sometimes the critique becomes a bit shrill, this is still worth looking at and thinking about.

In the Words of Ronald Reagan: The Wit, Wisdom, and Eternal Optimism of America's 40th President

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W A R Y......A D M I R A T I O N.....O F.....A....M O D E R A T E
Great little book
My shop's best seller
Simple but worthwhile...
Great words from a great leader.

In the Words of Ronald Reagan: The Wit, Wisdom, and Eternal Optimism of America's 40th President

Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 078527023X

Book Description

As one of the greatest presidents of the twentieth century, Ronald Wilson Reagan succeeded in renewing pride in America, strengthening the principles of family, faith, and freedom on which this nation was founded, and restoring our hope for the future. President Reagan endeared himself even to his political opponents with his self-effacing wit and irrepressible optimism. Inspiring, thoughtful, and at times downright funny, he had an amazing gift for stirring emotion, sparking debate, and calling a nation to action.

In In The Words of Ronald Reagan, his oldest son Michael Reagan has gathered a wonderful collection of his father's public and private words, providing a close-up portrait of our fortieth president. From hilarious one-liners to eloquent letters to intimate family moments, these selections depict Ronald Reagan in all his many roles-as world leader, conservative icon, orator, actor, and father. Complemented by Michael Reagan's personal and insightful commentary on his father's life, In The Words of Ronald Reagan will delight you, inspire you, and motivate you to finish the job Ronald Reagan began-the job of rebuilding the American dream.

Customer Reviews:

W A R Y......A D M I R A T I O N.....O F.....A....M O D E R A T E.......2007-06-07

Broadly speaking, many Democrats seem to think that most Republicans don't care about people who aren't rich, and haven't financially succeeded. And, also broadly speaking, many Republicans seem to think that most Democrats are spendthrifts, who like to use public tax money on programs which destroy families, and take away individual choice and initiative. While I am sure there ARE people in both philsophies that hold these extreme views, it is my own contention that most people, of whatever political stipe and ideals, mainly just want to live as happy long, and productive a life as possible, and make sure that their loved ones are able to do so as well.

I suppose the main thing, as a moderate, that I personally have against Republicans, is that, though I throroughy DO agree with the philosophy of being able, proudly and individually, (and WITHOUT any meddling of government telling one what to do), to "pull oneself up by one's bootstraps", it seems that many Republicans tend to forget that there are MANY people who CAN'T pull themselves up by their theoretical bootstraps....simply because they have no shoes! Democrats take a different tack on this -- one I also enormously dislike. Yes -- they will give "shoes to the shoeless".....but they will NOT allow the people they are "helping" to CHOOSE their own shoes. If you are "helped" by a social-service agency, it seems, THEY tell you what to study, and/or what type of job you "should" be doing.

So -- I guess, though I can see good things in both the Democratic and Republican philosophies, I also can see definite negatives in each. Being neither a complete Democrat, nor a complete Republican, I feel I am free to admire the best people of each party.... I admire Jimmy Carter, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Regan.........just to name a few.

This small volume, IN THE WORDS OF RONAOLD REAGAN, by his son (with first wife Jane Wyman), is a fascinating little book! You can tell it was put together with love and devotion....and the reader, perusing its riches, can only wish it were longer.

The picture of Ronald Reagan on the front cover, and the smaller one of Micahel Reagan, on the back inside bookjacket flap, are in "shiny" print....in a very good facimilie of an actual photograph. Within this book, interspersed between Ronald Reagan's words of wisdom and wit, are 28 additional photographs, portraying everything from a photo of the Regan family in 1915, (Ronald with his parents and brother Neil), to Mr. Reagan, as President of the US, inspecting sailors at the recomissioning of the USS New Jersey in 1982. Pictures are also present of the 1982 Inauguation, Mr. Regan's acting and football-playing days, meetings with world leaders, Mr. Regan on horseback and two very different pictures, taken seconds apart, on the day of the assassination attempt on Mr. Reagan.

After a heart-felt and proud introduction by the compiler, Michael Regan, 62 categories of Ronald Reagan's words are given.....from "Acting", "Age",
"Alzheimer's" and "America".....to "Education", "Faith, "Family" and "Football",.....through "Marriage", "Memorials", "Morality" and "Nancy",....to "Truth", "Values", "Veterans", and "Welfare State", to name just a few. Each category has at least one, and often
more, memorable quotes.

Mr. Regan's pithy, folksy, common-sense words cannot help but make one think....and even, however grudgingly, admire him. I doubt that any American, of any political stripe, can argue with these quotes....although one does tend to add one's own interpretion to them:

.........." In America, our origins matter less than our destination,
.......... and that is what democracy is all about." (America)

.........." History teaches that wars begin when governments believe
.......... the price of agression is cheap." (Defensse)

.........." They say the world has become too complex for simple answers.
.......... They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are
.......... simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know
.......... is morally right." (Morality) (( Of course, everyone has
a different idea of what "morality" really is, from, say, pro-choice people, to anti-abortion people, to people who, like myself, feel it's up to each individual to choose their own way, and respect other's rights to do things with their own lives, their own way. And therein, of course, lies the conflict. But at least knowing that one should have SOME moral compass is a good idea, I think. -- comment of this reviewer. ))

But here is a statement sure to elicit sympathy from ANYONE of any politcal stripe.

.........." It's so...frustrating! I'll make a statement, and an hour
.......... later, the press or the legislators will say, 'Sure, that's
.......... what he says, but what does he mean?' I don't get it. If
.......... they could only accept that I say what I mean, it would save
.......... so much time!" (The Press)

.......... " Nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program."
.......... (Government)

.......... " You know, Senator Kennedy was at a dinner just recently,
.......... for the ninetiethy birthday party for former governor and
.......... ambassador Averell Harriman. Teddy Kennedy said that
.......... Averell's age was only half as old as Ronald Regan's ideas.
.......... And you know, he was absolutely right. The Constitution is
.......... almost two hundred years old, and that's where I get my
.......... ideas." ( The Constitution ) (( Mr. Reagan would have
.......... been a powerful lawyer, with his turn of the phrase!......
.......... ....comment by this reviewer ))

.......... Two Soviets....talking to each other. And one of them says,
.......... "What's the difference between the Soviet Constitution and
.......... the American Constitution?" And the other one said, "That's
.......... easy. The Soviet Constitution guarantees freedom of speech
.......... and freedom of gathering. The American Constitution guaran-
.......... tees freedom after speech, and freedom after gathering."
.......... (( A good thing to remember, in these days of Vladimir
.......... (( Putin's regime.....comment by this reviewer ))

.......... " Secretary William Bennett makes, I think, an interesting
.......... analogy. He says that if you serve a child a rotten
.......... hamburgerin Americal, federal, state and local agencies
.......... will investigate you, summon you, close you down, or what-
.......... ever. But if you provide a child with a rotten education,
.......... nothing happens, except that you are liable to be given
.......... more money to do it with. Well, we've discovered that
.......... money alone isn't the answer. ( Education. )
.......... (( Of course, many people have differing opin......ions on what constitutes a "good" education...........comment by this reviewer. ))

Witty, thoughtful, thought-provoking.......all of the many quotes in this
small book merit reading and thought. Some are as short as a few lines. Others go on for a page and more. All are interesting....most are brilliant. One quote -- believe it or not -- seems to me it could
easily be given at some future commencement, say, from a "StarFleet" Academy graduation! (Yes....a quote from Ronald Regan, of all people!)

It is:

.........." For two hundred years, we've lived in the future, believing
.......... that tomorrow would be be better than today, and today
.......... would be better than yesterday. I still believe that."
( The Future )

As with any person, any group or ideal, sweeping generalities make for
stereotypes and narrow-minded ideas. Ronald Reagan was far more broad-minded and future-oriented than many give him credit for. His mind was
optimistic, realistic, and full of wit. Personally, I have great admiration for the man....wishing only that he had realized that ALL people want dignity and success.....but that, again, some people cannot pull themselves up by their bootstraps because, they have no shoes. Yet,
one must admit that government programs CAN cost over-much....because greedy politicians and lobbyists -- of whatever party -- get their hands in the till....and like the extra money they take out! I'm sure Mr. Reagan realized this.

Reading this book, it's obvious Mr. Reagan wanted the best for
Americans, and the best for every citizen of the world. His optimism and wit are timeless.....as demonstrated by every word of his in this book!

Great little book.......2006-09-13

This is a great book to have if you appreciate all that President Reagan represented and accomplished, or if you were not around to understand the massive impact he had on our nation, then this is a greeat introduction to our 40th president.

It is all the more valuable because it his insight from his son Michael, insight that can only be offered by a family member. For all the great publlic stuff I already knew about President Reagan, the advice he offers Michael for his marriage helped further my belief in what a great man he was.

This is a quick read, but it is also one you will refer back to for quotes and enjoyment!

My shop's best seller.......2006-08-04

Visitors to the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home buy more copies of this book than any other that we sell. Filled with positive little tidbits from a family perspective! It's great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simple but worthwhile..........2006-07-25

I was born just two years before Ronald Reagan was elected president, so I have virtually no memories of his work as a politician. However, my limited study of recent history left me with the impression that Reagan's life warranted further investigation.

So, I turned to this simple little book of the quotable Reagan, with commentary interjected periodically by his son, Michael. The contents of the book are far from earthshattering, and it wouldn't be too hard to find much more substantive information about Reagan elsewhere. Nonetheless, this book fulfills its promise as a compilation of some of Reagan's many soundbites that provide a window into his character and heart.

The quotes are organized into categories like "Alzheimer's," "Gorbachev," "Values," etc. Within each category are a few pages of short quotes that Reagan provided in very public settings (inauguration speeches, Republican convention acceptance speeches) and more private ones (like personal notes or anecdotes that he told to his family, to which Michael would have unique access).

Ultimately, the book provides only snippets, and after seeing the frequency with which some speeches appeared (like "The Speech" in 1964 on behalf of Goldwater), I was left pining for the entire transcripts of those famous addresses. The other primary fault of the book is that it paints a rather idealistic image of Reagan's life. I understand Michael's interest in promoting the greatness of his father, but the presentation was so overly flattering as to appear a bit artificial.

Nonetheless, there are a number of quotes worth reading in this collection. I laughed out loud a number of times, and I was moved at other times. For a quick snapshot of the wit and wisdom of Ronald Reagon, this book is a good place to start.

Great words from a great leader........2006-07-09

Ronald Reagan will be long remembered as someone who could give a great speech. Critics, however, wrongly labeled him a dim-witted actor, propped up by good speechwriters. Their hatred for all things `Reagan' make it impossible for them to attribute even the slightest bit of intelligence to the 40th President. As their goal to alter the Reagan legacy, they completely omit the hundreds of radio addresses he personally wrote during the years prior to becoming President, which aptly chronicle the true brilliance that truly was Ronald Reagan. IN THE WORDS OF RONALD REAGAN, by his son Michael Reagan, continues in that arena by sharing with us, many of the personal letters this prolific letter writer penned.

This compact, 200-page treatise, lends the reader yet a deeper look into the essence of thought that was Ronald Reagan. Here you will find a small portion of Reagan's discourse on subjects ranging from acting to welfare.

If you admired Ronald Reagan, then you will admire this book. If you are too young to remember Ronald Reagan, this book will lend critical insight into his character and ideas. If you hate all things Reagan, then there is nothing for you to see here. Just shut up and move on.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

Average customer rating:

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?
Why Are So Many Black Men In Prison? A Comprehensive Account Of How And Why The Prison Industry Has Become A Predatory Entity In
A Must Read
Why are so many Black Men in Prison?
Why are so many blacks in prison?

Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison?
Demico Boothe
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1425713971

Customer Reviews:

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?.......2007-08-04

Demico Boothe has explored the reasons so many black men are indeed in prison in, WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON? He begins with his own story of a shaky upbringing and his subsequent dabbling in drug dealing. He was caught with a few grams of crack cocaine but because it was the dreaded crack, he was given 10 years in prison. When he left prison after serving his time, he was actually railroaded back into prison by a crooked justice system. He delves deeply into our justice system and the motives behind all the new prisons that are being built. He gives succinct and reasonable views of exactly what is happening now in the United States and how the past has played a role in the present. He uses persuasive statistics regarding the number of black men in prison as compared to the number of white men who are incarcerated.

Demico Boothe has done an excellent job of researching his subject and it is a plus, if unfortunate for him, that he has actually experienced first hand what he's talking about. I knew I was hearing the real story rather than just statistics from an intellectual who had no real idea of what the prison system is really like. I would have liked for Boothe to search a little deeper into the Haiti, Aristide and USA question, maybe even reading Randall Robinson's take on the situation, and then he might see it a bit differently. Otherwise, it is a good book and one every one in America should read. We indeed, have a crisis going on.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Why Are So Many Black Men In Prison? A Comprehensive Account Of How And Why The Prison Industry Has Become A Predatory Entity In.......2007-06-09

The book was very interesting. I learned soooo much about the government and the prison industry. I did some searching independantly to check on the things reported in the book and they are very true. Great Read!! Buy the book.

A Must Read.......2007-05-25

Mr. Demico's book is a must-read for anyone concerned about young African American men. Although I did not agree with every conclusion he reached, Demico's main premises are convincing. As a white woman who teaches mainly students of color, I am always impressed, and often in awe, of those young men who reach college with so much going against them. Demico's books lays bare not only the horrible inequalities of our society, but also the racist attitudes of our political system - - Democrats, Republicans, and most everyone in between.

Why are so many Black Men in Prison?.......2007-05-13

I is a well put together book. He really goes into a lot of detail of how our society is really set up.

Why are so many blacks in prison?.......2007-05-12

I found this book very interesting. As a white devil myself, I had no idea that I was responsible for forcing blacks into committing crimes and then subsequently clogging up the whole "Prison Industrial Complex"(tm). I will try to stop causing this, as I am sure it is creating a LOT of trouble for everyone! Sorry!

It is probably also my fault that young black men dressed in XXXXL clothes overtly threaten me and my family members routinely. Can anyone tell me what I should do to make this not happen?

I imagine it's also my fault that black on white violent crime is WAY higher than white on black violent crime, even though blacks constitute about 12.5% of the population, and whites are about 70%. But since it is impossible for a black to commit a hate crime according to our criminal justice system (since blacks are not under any circumstances racist), statistically, there are more white on black hate crimes. Boothe notes a statistic regarding hate crimes, but he skips the one about interracial violence in general.

In sum, Boothe notes that just about everything blacks do is actually MY fault, because my skin is white. Boothe, I've got a word for you.

Introspection.

Transforming America: Politics and Culture During the Reagan Years

Average customer rating:

Neither Saint Nor Demon

Transforming America: Politics and Culture During the Reagan Years
Robert M. Collins
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0231124007

Book Description

By the end of the 1980s, the "malaise" that had once pervaded American society was replaced by a renewed sense of confidence and national purpose. However, beneath this veneer of optimism was a nation confronting the effects of massive federal deficits, a reckless foreign policy, AIDS, homelessness, and a growing "cultural war."

In Transforming America, renowned historian Robert Collins examines the decade's critical and controversial developments and the unmistakable influence of Ronald Reagan. Moving beyond conventional depictions that either demonize or sanctify Reagan, Collins offers fresh insights into his thought and influence. He portrays Reagan as a complex political figure who combined ideological conservatism with political pragmatism to achieve many of his policy aims. Collins demonstrates how Reagan's policies helped to limit the scope of government, control inflation, reduce the threat of nuclear war, and defeat communism. Collins also shows how the simultaneous ascendancy of the right in politics and the left in culture created a divisive legacy.

The 1980s witnessed other changes, including the advent of the personal computer, a revolution in information technology, a more globalized national economy, and a restructuring of the American corporation. In the realm of culture, the creation of MTV, the popularity of self-help gurus, and the rise of postmodernism in American universities were the realization of the cultural shifts of the postwar era. These developments, Collins suggests, created a conflict in American society that continues today, pitting cultural conservatism against a secular and multicultural view of the world.

Entertaining and erudite, Transforming America explores the events, movements, and ideas that defined a turbulent decade and profoundly changed the shape and direction of American culture and politics.

Customer Reviews:

Neither Saint Nor Demon.......2007-01-10

Depending upon to whom you are speaking Ronald Reagan was either the closest thing we've had to a saint, or perhaps the Devil incarnate. I have long held that you don't really begin to understand a time or a presidency until the history books get written. And this book is an excellent example.

As the author says in his introduction, he has sought to take seriously the historian's obligation to rise out of [his own views] to see what all sides thought they were up to. Those whose view matches that of Tom Clancy, who dedicated one of his books to Reagan as 'the man who won the war,' will find plenty to support his view. Those who prefer to look at Iran-Contra or the lack of funding for AIDS research will likewise find points to justify their view.

It seemed to me that Reagan was the first president to be considered inconsequential, a tool of the people around him. Instead Dr. Collins finds Reagan one of the most consequential and successful presidents of the modern era. I believe he is correct. For better or worse, the Reagan years accompanied masive changes in the political and cultural structure of our country. Dr. Collins has written an excellent chronicle of those years.

The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict: Making America's Middle East Policy, from Truman to Reagan

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The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict: Making America's Middle East Policy, from Truman to Reagan
Steven L. Spiegel
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Israel | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0226769623

Book Description

The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict illuminates the controversial course of America's Middle East relations from the birth of Israel to the Reagan administration. Skillfully separating actual policymaking from the myths that have come to surround it, Spiegel challenges the belief that American policy in the Middle East is primarily a relation to events in that region or is motivated by bureaucratic constraints or the pressures of domestic politics. On the contrary, he finds that the ideas and skills of the president and his advisors are critical to the determination of American policy. This volume received the 1986 National Jewish Book Award.

Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years

Average customer rating:

Asleep at the Wheel
Encyclopedic account of the 80's viewed through a political lens
Not a Reagan fan
CAREFUL, OBJECTIVE, THE FACTS WITHOUT COMMENT FROM A TRUE PROFESSIONAL GENTLEMAN JOURNALIST HISTORIAN/ THE TRUTH OF REAGAN/BUSH
An American Dreamer

Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years
Haynes Johnson
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385422598
Release Date: 1992-02-23

Book Description

This national best-seller brilliantly analyzes America in the 1980s from the election of Ronald Reagan through to the end of the decade. The author points a vivid portrait not only of Reagan's presidency, but also of the Iran-Contra affair, the boom times on Wall Street and the religious revival led by Swaggart, Bakker et al.

Customer Reviews:

Asleep at the Wheel.......2007-09-27

I have often contended that Ronald Reagan was the most over rated president during the second half of the twentieth century, and Haynes Johnson makes this case in his book. The neocon debacle of the past few years had its roots during the Reagan years in the eighties. Reagan's naps were legendary (hence the title of the book), and his record for the most vacation time spent during a presidency stood firm for twenty years, until 2007, when you-know-who breezed past.

Encyclopedic account of the 80's viewed through a political lens.......2007-07-21

Most Neo-Cons, Republicans and conservatives will hate this book. However, the book is well researched, well-crafted politica history of America during the Reagan Administration. Reaganphiles will hate it because it details the many scandals, crimes and missteps of Reagan and his people. It's hard to put a positive spin on US support for Noriega, Iran-Contra, Central American covert wars, the nasty side-effects of deregulation, etc, and to some, that's Haynes Johnson's only real crime. The narrative tries to arrange itself chronologically and by topic, which works well. There's a couple of spots that are dull, but then it's not an Ian Fleming novel.

Not a Reagan fan.......2007-07-20

The book is highly documented and would be devasting to the Reagan worshipers if they read it with open minds. I am still not clear as to what degree the author is saying that Reagan was out of touch, incompetent, "out of the loop", and whether his handlers wanted to have it both ways: Reagan the wise sage when convenient, and asleep at the wheel when things went badly.

CAREFUL, OBJECTIVE, THE FACTS WITHOUT COMMENT FROM A TRUE PROFESSIONAL GENTLEMAN JOURNALIST HISTORIAN/ THE TRUTH OF REAGAN/BUSH.......2007-06-29

This good book provides a healthy and bracing antidote to the recently forged Reagan Diary hoax, although this book seems soft on REagan, Bush, Ollie North and the rest. But that is simply the author's professional and gentle style from an earlier age of journalism, long before the rage of Hannity, Coulter and O'Reilly, when Rush was still an oddity and an anomaly, when journalism was not yet mere slap down steel cage entertainment but the scholarly presentation of historical facts clearly and concisely, as in this book, as in Murrow, as in IF Stone.

This book contains the facts of that age, objectively written by a trained journalist and historian and a true professional and gentleman with full access to all parties, the objective truth and facts about the long national nightmare which was and still is the Reagan/Bush dynastic regime, from which we as a nation still struggle to awaken and may never succeed.

As you can see I would prefer a little more polemic on the part of the author, but he is a skilled professional correctly concerned with maintaining his access to all parties and yet presenting the truth. Thus, while restraining himself from commenting directly nor editorializgin at length regarding the phenomena of that time, he skillfully does so indirectly through quotes from the players and writers of that age. We therefore read the harshest words regarding Reagan coming from the mouth of none other than Dick Cheney, quoted at great length. Haynes can wear the velvet glove and fine demeanor, and let others speak the truth no matter whom it disturbs from their eager slumber.

THe most telling section comes near the end with a closing factual summation of the effects of the Reagan administration, moving us from our position as the world's greatest lender nation to its deepest debtor nation, a depth of debt ever spiralling downwards, the destruction of our industrial and our agricultrural base, the destruction of our technological research and development, the destruction of our moral base as a nation from the largesse and self sacrifice called for so effectively by President Kennedy to the lust and unregulated greed under Reagan. We see the facts, gently presented of all of the Reagan scandals, noted by Haynes Johnson calmly in passing without outrage we might expect now, like a bored tour guide might indicate the town square stone, but letting us read the horrors there written.

For this is the teflon journalist. He points out the truth of the horror and the mud and the corruption and the dirt, but none of it sticks to him. He is too clever for that. Yet we read between the lines and we read directly the lines and we see the truth of that horrendous administration.

We must read again this book and remember the truth, for we have fallen far more deeply and we cannot get up. Whereas Reagan cut taxes and went into debt to fund his military nmonstrosities and absurdities, we go far more deeply into dept to fund an unfounded yet endless war in Iraq, consuming officially $86 billion every six months, but actually much much more for no clear nor strategic reason. We have lost nearly four thousands officially counted servicemen and women, yet actually much much more, including in civilians, women and children murdered, for what purpose.

Thus this book with its modest figures of corruption, administrative negligence and wasteful military spending bankrupting us for generations to come as our infrastructure collapses and melts down, seems like small change compared to what is happening now. Read this book, read the facts, and you will see. Reagan played Nero to the current Caligula.

Excellent book requiring space in every school library and in every truly patriotic American home. Well written, judicious, careful and correct.

An American Dreamer.......2006-12-31

This book is quite revealing about the typical left-leaning worldview of its author : his interpretation of recent facts and its fundamental lack of any understanding of economics such as believing that the financial industry is not wealth creating. As such it is an interesting read.

Although I don't share many of Mr Johnson's views I did enjoy the book and of course it's not the facts that I would dispute (deficits, Iran Contra etc.), but their interpretation and their selection.

To be slightly more concrete about the leaving out of facts let me state one that I was amazed not to find any mention of: Reagan's role in accelerating the decline of the Soviet empire by confrontation rather than accommodation. He was thought of as a dreamer when he called to Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall - well the dreamers saw it come down.

Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America

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Great insight - beautiful writing
How could a man of supposedly limited knowledge and limited intelligence accomplish so much?"
A great compilation of the true Reagan
A Guidebook to Conservative Thought
An intellectual Reagan at his best

Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America

Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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In the Words of Ronald Reagan: The Wit, Wisdom, and Eternal Optimism of America's 40th President
When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan
An American Life: The Autobiography
Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader
I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan

ASIN: 0743219384

Amazon.com

A top advisor to Ronald Reagan once remarked of his boss: "He knows so little and accomplishes so much." Reagan, in His Own Hand will show that the 40th president knew far more than some people have given him credit for. It collects Reagan's recently discovered writings from the late 1970s, when he delivered more than a thousand radio addresses. He wrote about two-thirds of these himself, in longhand on yellow legal paper. "In writing these daily essays on almost every national policy issue during the 1970s, Reagan was acting as a one-man think tank," suggest the editors. This edition reproduces everything faithfully, right down to the spelling mistakes and crossed-out words. And it offers a compelling look at the ideas and principles that animated one of the most important Americans of the 20th century. In one address, Reagan describes his contribution to a time capsule:

I wrote of the problems we face here in 1976--The choice we face between continuing the policies of the last 40 yrs. that have led to bigger & bigger govt, less & less liberty, redistribution of earnings through confiscatory taxation or trying to get back on the original course set for us by the Founding Fathers.... On the international scene two great superpowers face each other with nuclear missiles at the ready--poised to bring Armageddon to the world.

Often his rhetoric is admirably forthright: "Calling a communist a liar when he is one is pretty frustrating. How do you insult a pig by calling it a pig?.... Fidel Castro is a liar." And there are frequent glimpses of his later achievements, such as the foreshadowing of his desire to build the Strategic Defense Initiative: "If the Soviets should push the button our magnificent warning system would immediately detect the launch of their missiles.... But there is no defense against them--no way to prevent nuclear devastation of their targets here in the U.S."

The bulk of the book comprises these radio addresses, but a concluding section includes everything from a short story Reagan wrote as a school assignment when he was 14 (it earned him a B+) to his memorable letter in 1994 revealing his Alzheimer's disease. This book will enthrall Reagan's devotees, and even his toughest critics will concede he had a way with words. No wonder they called him "The Great Communicator." --John J. Miller

Book Description

Hidden in the archives of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for more than a decade, the writings contained in Reagan, In His Own Hand redefine the way we think about American history of the past quarter century and about the fortieth American president. By revealing an active mind wrestling with the problems of a sluggish economy, social pathologies, welfare reform, and the Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union, these never-before-seen documents, many reproduced in his own handwriting, prove Reagan to be both the visionary and intellectual powerhouse behind his administration's landmark policies.

Download Description

During the eight years that Ronald Reagan served as president of the United States, a period of sustained economic prosperity and increased American power on the world stage, many of his advisers claimed authorship of the ideas that comprised "the Reagan revolution" The press, in turn, lent credence to the idea that President Reagan was merely a skilled communicator of those ideas -- the consummate actor, not the director or producer. Few people realized that Reagan had left a paper trail of original writings that make clear he was the intellectual powerhouse behind his administration's landmark policies. Hidden in archives for more than twenty years, Reagan's pre-presidential writings reveal an active mind wrestling with the problems of a sluggish economy, social pathologies, welfare reform, and the Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union. Selected and annotated by three leading scholars, two of whom were among Reagan's principal domestic-policy advisers, these writings unlock the puzzle of the man so many historians have tried to comprehend, with so little success. A publishing landmark, Reagan, In His Own Hand will redefine the way we think about American history of the past quarter-century, and about the fortieth American president.

Customer Reviews:

Great insight - beautiful writing.......2007-10-01

It doesn't matter what you think of Ronald Reagan - this book is uplifting and insightful.

I think what most people will find somewhat surprising is the intellectual depth that Reagan had. He fooled his opponents at every turn.

Especially touching in this book is how he writes about his love for Nancy. He speaks of feeling lonely everytime she left the room. It was just an amazing love the most powerful man on earth felt.

This is a great Sunday morning book when you are sitting by the fireplace on a cool autumn morning. Enjoy!

How could a man of supposedly limited knowledge and limited intelligence accomplish so much?" .......2006-12-30

The answer is: he didn't accomplish anything. This book is a desparate attempt to make Reagan look like an "intellectual". In one essay, Reagan bemoans the constraints on DDT and other pesticides, insisting there's "no threat to animal, bird or marine life". Really? Since when did Reagan have any scientific background to evaluate scientific studies about pesticides? Of course, Reagan had no scientific basis for this statement--it was just another thing he made up. Ronald Reagan often cited a Chicago "Welfare Queen" who had ripped off $150,000 from the government, using 80 aliases, 30 addresses, a dozen social security cards, and four fictional dead husbands. The only trouble is--this Welfare Queen never actually existed. Reagan made it up. The followers of Reagan turn him into a fetish. He was actually a stupid man who said many stupid things which are not true (commonly called "lies"). Conservatives apparently think that someone who lies is a "great" man--but only if the liar is a Republican. Reagan was a Republican Liar, who lied hundreds of times. This book does very little to establish Reagan as a "thinker", rather than a senile, stupid man with hate-based ideology.

A great compilation of the true Reagan.......2006-02-19

This is a compilation of transcripts of Ronald Reagan's radio talk-show from the late 1970's. Reagan always loved to use stories to communicate ideas and give advice, and this collection is replete with perfect examples of that. I believe that the four components of leadership are:

1) A clear vision of a better future; 2) The ability to communicate that vision; 3) The ability to get others to want to listen to your ideas and to believe you; 4) The ability to translate your vision into action

Whatever you might think of Reagan's vision for America or of the actions he took, this book shows us how he excelled at communicating his vision and pulling people into it. He was not called "The Great Communicator" without reason, and this book shows you that reason clearly. This is a treasure for Reagan fans, for anyone who wants to understand this intricately simple man, and for anyone who wants ideas on how to be more charismatic.

A Guidebook to Conservative Thought.......2006-02-13

Prior to his election as our 40th President, during his administration, and in the years since, the left and its cooperative media have downplayed Ronald Reagan's intellect. This book, REAGAN IN HIS OWN HAND, completely destroys those who would categorize him as little more than an uninformed actor who simply delivered his lines. Two of the editors of this book are former White House advisors who go to great lengths to establish that Reagan himself wrote these addresses. This work includes 670 radio addresses written by Reagan from 1975 to 1979.

There is much to be learned from this work. Most notably, this is a sourcebook on modern conservative thought. The section on foreign policy covers such topics as communism, national defense and human rights. In the section on domestic policy, the reader will find Reagan's ideas on such topics as education, the environment, health care, and social security. There are also numerous writings on miscellaneous subjects.

It's been well over two decades since the Carter administration and many today have forgotten the pathetic situation America found itself in when Reagan took the helm. Communism was winning over hearts and minds worldwide while America seem to sit idly by. Interest rates were through the roof. The American military was dangerously depleted. There was a nationally unreasonable faith that government was the cure for all ills. These and other situations served to form the vision of President Reagan as he met these obstacles with tenacity and undaunted courage.

This is an awesome collection of writings. No, it will not change the minds of Reagan's detractors, but nothing ever will. The books editors label Reagan as a "one man think tank" and this book substantiates their claim as it provides a demonstration of the breadth and coherence of his thinking.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

An intellectual Reagan at his best.......2005-10-02

This book may seem daunting at first, but fear not. Although it is essentially a large collection of Ronald Reagan's hand written essays on a wide variety of unrelated topics, it still makes for easy, interesting, and enjoyable reading. It is the kind of book which you can read a bit, then put down and return to later with no loss of continuity. And best of all, since most of the essays included in the book were written for broadcast on the radio they reflect the soft easy-going literary style of America's "great communicator."

Taken together, these works finally put the lie to the left wing's long-standing contention that Ronald Reagan was a simple minded, thoughtless actor, who somehow managed to become president and who had to be told what to do and say. Instead, they reveal the true depth of Reagan's intellect; confirming once and for all that he was probably the most well prepared man ever to achieve the presidency of the United States. For what other man ever researched, thought about, analyzed, and wrote about almost every important issue of his day (and many of today's), either before or after assuming the presidency?

Those who seek to dishonor Reagan and to minimize his achievements probably won't make it past the dust cover of this book. But for those who cherish his memory, this book is a God send. For it will reinforce their belief that he was not only a great communicator, but also an intelligent, thoughtful human being and one of America's great presidents.

Reckoning with Reagan: America and Its President in the 1980s

Average customer rating:

A Very Informative Work on Reagan
Job well done.
Stop the madness
A Middling Assessment of a Middling President
Reckoning with Schaller

Reckoning with Reagan: America and Its President in the 1980s
Michael Schaller
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195090497

Book Description

At the height of Ronald Reagan's popularity in July 1986, Time magazine wrote glowingly of how he had "found America's sweet spot." Reagan seemed a "magician who carries a bright, ideal America like a holograph in his mind and projects its image in the air." Not since the rhapsody about "Camelot" that surrounded John F. Kennedy in the wake of his assassination had a president been spoken of so reverently. Reagan pledged to bring Americans a "little good news" and during the next eight years, through recession and recovery, cold war and detente, success and scandal Reagan forged a powerful bond with the public. His popularity appeared so unrelated to actual achievements and so undiminished by failure that Colorado Representative Pat Schroeder dubbed him the "Teflon president." Providing a brief but comprehensive and non-polemical overview of what exactly took place during the Reagan years, Michael Schaller presents a lively account of the Reagan presidency, weighing the president's great personal and political popularity against the effects of his economic, social, diplomatic, and strategic decisions. Much more than an account of Reagan the man, Schaller offers us a fascinating evaluation of the Reagan phenomenon, providing an accessible introduction for Americans struggling to understand the illusory and actual impact of the Reagan administration on the 1980s and on years to come.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Informative Work on Reagan.......2005-04-03

This book by Michael Schaller is an excellent work taking a look at Reagan the man and Reagan as President. I was assigned this book and used it in a major term paper for one of my classes in college. Schaller's book was instrumental in my paper and helped me argue the fact that Reagan was responsible for ending the Cold War. Aside from my paper, Schaller provides little known facts and an excellent background section on Reagan. Although hampered by the fact that many sources and documents were not public at the time this book was written, Schaller does a fine job looking at the Reagan Presidency. Definitely recommended for anyone researching about Reagan or just wanting to read about him.

Job well done........2003-10-29

I would say ignore the reviews that cast this book in a less than outstanding light. This book is not an abstract novel, but rather a historical account of Reagan's time in office. Michael Schaller is an award winning History Professor that does a wonderful job teaching the Mystique of what was Reagan's Presidency.

Stop the madness.......2003-01-10

It seems that there is no escape from these hazy sweet books of Ronal Reagan. Let's just hope that they do not turn into the cottage industry that books on the Kennedies morphed into.

A Middling Assessment of a Middling President.......2002-05-10

"Reckoning with Reagan" makes some nice attempts at getting a grip on Reagan's presidency. Taking into account the good as well as the bad, it provides a more balanced account that the fawning hero worship pieces written by Noonan and D'Souza. An easy read, though it leaves the reader wanting a little more detail in spots.

Reckoning with Schaller.......2000-04-27

I found this book to rather tiring. There was too much useless and unnecessary information. Schaller also tended to make former President Regan look like a bumbling idiot who let his Cabinet members run the Nation. I found that Schaller did not tend to highlight the positive impact that Reagan had on the Nation. Without having to know much about Reagan and the Nation during that time, it is clear that Schaller let his personal opinion interfere with his professinal one.

Selling AWACS to Saudi Arabia: The Reagan Administration and the Balancing of America's Competing Interests in the Middle East

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Selling AWACS to Saudi Arabia: The Reagan Administration and the Balancing of America's Competing Interests in the Middle East
Nicholas Laham
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Saudi Arabia | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0275975630

Book Description

The AWACS debate represents one of the most critical and controversial events in the history of American diplomacy and legislative politics. It locked the Reagan administration and opponents of the AWACS sale in a fierce and pitched battle over American policy in the most economically and strategically vital region in the world: the Middle East. Accordingly, Laham finds there are at least five political lessons to be drawn from the debate. First, contrary to the arguments of its critics in Congress, the pro-Israel lobby does not control American policy in the Middle East. Second, the Senate tends to defer to the authority of the president on matters of foreign policy and national security. Third, while remaining a passive president overall, Reagan was among the most active of chief executives on issues involving the economy and national security. Fourth, given the enormous contribution the AWACS sale made to the vital economic and national security interests of the United States, Reagan's masterful handling of this politically explosive issue provides evidence that he displayed attributes of presidential greatness, but much further study of the other major foreign and domestic policy issues Reagan confronted during his tenure in office will be required before any definitve judgment can be rendered concerning where he stands in the ranking of America's 42 presidents. Fifth, the AWACS debate shows that the United States need not sacrifice its special relationship with Israel in order to forge stronger ties with Saudi Arabia. This analysis will be of particular interest to scholars, students, and policy makers involved with national security issues, presidential politics, interest groups, and Middle East studies.

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