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Book cover of Pretensions to Empire
Executive Branch, U.S. Politics in the Post Cold-War Era

Pretensions to Empire

by Lewis H. Lapham
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Overview

The distinguished essayist's incisive critique of the Bush regime—a must-have book for political junkies and Lewis Lapham fans.

Pretensions to Empire brings together Lewis Lapham's recent political commentaries from his National Magazine Award-winning Harper's "Notebook" column, beginning with the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and culminating in Lapham's eloquent (and widely cited) case for the impeachment of George W. Bush.

Written in the highly literate and "self-assured style" (Publishers Weekly) that has earned Lapham a large and devoted readership, the pieces in this collection provide not only a critical perspective on Bush's presidency—helping us understand what happened and how it happened—but also vital new information and research, including a brilliant dissection of the Republican propaganda mill's octopus-like network and its role in the neoconservative ascent to power. As Lapham writes in the book's preface, "these essays describe a march of folly, establish a record of moral incompetence and criminal intent, speak to the character of a government stupefied by its worship of money and blinded by its belief in miracles."

Elegant and erudite, Pretensions to Empire is a "rousing" indictment of a stumbling political regime from the "loquacious lion of the literary left" (Mother Jones).

Synopsis

The distinguished essayist's incisive critique of the Bush regime—a must-have book for political junkies and Lewis Lapham fans.

Pretensions to Empire brings together Lewis Lapham's recent political commentaries from his National Magazine Award-winning Harper's "Notebook" column, beginning with the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and culminating in Lapham's eloquent (and widely cited) case for the impeachment of George W. Bush.

Written in the highly literate and "self-assured style" (Publishers Weekly) that has earned Lapham a large and devoted readership, the pieces in this collection provide not only a critical perspective on Bush's presidency—helping us understand what happened and how it happened—but also vital new information and research, including a brilliant dissection of the Republican propaganda mill's octopus-like network and its role in the neoconservative ascent to power. As Lapham writes in the book's preface, "these essays describe a march of folly, establish a record of moral incompetence and criminal intent, speak to the character of a government stupefied by its worship of money and blinded by its belief in miracles."

Elegant and erudite, Pretensions to Empire is a "rousing" indictment of a stumbling political regime from the "loquacious lion of the literary left" (Mother Jones).

About the Author, Lewis H. Lapham

Lewis Lapham is editor of Lapham's Quarterly and also serves as editor emeritus and national correspondent for Harper's Magazine, which he edited for nearly thirty years. The author of numerous books, including Theater of War and 30 Satires (both published by The New Press), he lives in New York City.

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Book Details

Published
September 1, 2007
Publisher
New Press, The
Pages
288
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781595582294

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