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Description
Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American DemocracyIn 1789, the Founding Fathers came up with a system of checks and balances to keep kingly powers out of the hands of American presidents. But in the 1970s and '80s, a faction of Republican loyalists, outraged by the fall of the imperial presidency after Watergate and the Vietnam War, abandoned conservatives' traditional suspicion of concentrated government power. These men hatched a plot that would allow the White House to return to, or even surpass,
In 1789, the Founding Fathers came up with a system of checks and balances to keep kingly powers out of the hands of American presidents. But in the 1970s and '80s, a faction of Republican loyalists, outraged by the fall of the imperial presidency after Watergate and the Vietnam War, abandoned conservatives' traditional suspicion of concentrated government power. These men hatched a plot that would allow the White House to return to, or even surpass, the virtually unchecked powers that Richard Nixon had briefly tried to wield. Congress would be defanged, and the commander-in-chief would be able to assert a unilateral dominance both at home and abroad. Today, this plot is coming to fruition. As Takeover reveals, the Bush-Cheney administration has succeeded in seizing vast powers for the presidency by throwing off many of the restraints placed upon it by Congress, the courts, and the Constitution. This timely book unveils the secret machinations behind the headlines, explaining the links between warrantless wiretapping and the President Bush's Supreme Court nominees, between the torture debate and the secrecy surrounding Vice President Cheney's energy task force, and between the "faith-based initiative" and the holding of US citizens without trial as "enemy combatants." It tells, for the first time, the full story of a hidden agenda three decades in the making, laying out how a group of true believers set out to establish monarchical executive powers that, in the words of one conservative critic, "will lie around like a loaded weapon" ready to be picked up by any future president. Brilliantly reported and deftly told, Takeover is a searing investigation into how the constitutional balance of our democracy is in danger of being permanently altered. For anyone who cares about America's past, present, and future, it is essential reading.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Published: 04/01/2008
ISBN: 9780316118057
Pages: 422
Weight: 0.86lbs
Size: 8.27h x 5.61w x 1.19d
Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 06/08/2008 pg. 28
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2008 pg. 66
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4.0 ★★★★★
Based on 14 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
History of Egypt
Format: Kindle
Egypt has played a vital role throughout history. This book traces and evaluates the history of Egypt from ancient times until the modern period. During ancient times, the Pharaohs created a strong Egypt. During the Ottoman times, Egypt played a significant role as a regional power. Both French and British played a vital role in Egyptian politics. The Suez canal put Egypt, an important player in world commerce. The Nasser regime entered Egypt into cold world politics. The USA managed under Sadat to place Egypt at the American camp. Eventually, Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel after various brutal wars. Egyptian culture dominated western civilization throughout the centuries. The reader will enjoy this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2022
★★★★★ 4
Great summary of Egyptian history
Format: Kindle
The book is—as the subtitle states—an “Overview of Egyptian History.” The book is a brief summary of Egypt’s long and interesting history. It starts with historical events: who were the rulers? What territories did Egypt conquer? Who conquered Egypt. The second part of the book discusses social, economic, and religious history.
This primer lays out all of the above topics but with little detail so the reader may wish to select topics of interest to study in further depth elsewhere. Because Egypt’s history includes millennia, I find it hard to understand, so reading this book was valuable to me.
The book is written in a style that makes it easy to read. It is not at all dry as some textbooks can be.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants an overview of Egyptian history and look forward to reading other books in the series.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022
★★★★★ 5
It’s excellent
Format: Paperback
My dad loves this book. I’m glad I got it for him
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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2026
★★★★★ 3
Far from enthralling, but I did learn
Format: Paperback
This book was a disappointment. It looked like exactly what I was looking for: an overview of the history, society, and culture of Egypt from ancient to modern times that wasn't 500+ pages long. I did learn a fair bit of information, but unfortunately, the book is far from "enthralling." It reads like a high school student's book report. In addition, it sometimes just throws terms out there with no explanation, and I found myself having to consult Google. For example, it says "Since hieroglyphs were difficult to create, the Egyptians developed hieretic writing, which was a type of cursive script. Later, demotic writing was developed for ordinary documents." What is demotic writing? How is it different from hieretic? The book doesn't even provide a picture. I had to go to Wikipedia to find out what these things are. This book needs slightly more detail and an author with better writing style / storytelling abilities. That said, it still may be the best short introduction available.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2024
★★★★★ 5
Recommended read by tour guide to Egypt
Format: Paperback
Very good history book of Egypt in non-complicated terms. I wish there were more pictures and maps to add to the descriptions in the book. Read this as it was recommended by our tour guide to Egypt in April
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Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2025