House-account

This novel thrilled me, at least the title did, that's all i was able to read through

Despite the fact that this book is slow at times, it, for the most part, is a riveting and candid account (reminiscent of Bob Woodward's "Bush at War") of what went on in the Bush white house, from its inauguration, to 9/11, to the present context of the November 2004 presidential election.

David Frum, a native of Toronto, Canada, was a former economic speechwriter for George W. Bush. He is the author of the famous "axis of evil" statement in the 2002 State of the Union Address. Well, in actual fact, he introducted the notion of an "axis of hatred", but, due to Bush's theological vernacular, Michael Gerson, the chief speechwriter, modified it to "axis of evil". In this exposé, Frum gives us many revelations about his emotions, and his personal life. He provides us with a chilling and suspenseful account of what it was like to be a White House staffer on 9/11.

David Frum's other main book, An End to Evil, co-authored by Richard Perle, in my view, is a far more relevant and riveting manifesto on the hard-line school of thought with respect to foreign policy.

Although he is of a favorable view of the president, the first several chapters of "The Right Man" convey the message that George W. Bush was destined to be a mediocre president.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, defined the Bush presidency. George W. Bush would prove to be a decisive leader - the Ronald Reagan of his time. He would respond with the declaration of war against the United States on 9/11 with the introduction and prosecution of a "war on terror" - an historic engagement between good and evil, whereby the United States leads an international coalition against terrorists and rogue states.

I love President Bush! This book explains why he is perceived as devisive. He views events, people and situations with moral clarity and sticks to his principals. This book is well-written, a quick read and insightful. The notes and references are second only to Ann Coulter.

This is the fascinating true story of how the Israeli security forces carefully plotted to track down, capture, and return Adolf Eichmann to Israel for trial. It reads like the very best spy fiction, but it's doubly engrossing because it all really happened. You come away with deep appreciation and admiration for the brilliant minds working in the Mossad, as well as with a sense of the banality of evil (Eichmann is a piteous figure). This isn't classic literature or anything, but it is extremely well done and utterly entertaining. Highly recommended!

Isser Harel (name incorrect above) was Mossad chief during the search for Eichmann. This is a fascinating, gripping, true story.

A very good book, for my money it is better then All The President's Men. I could not put it down, it really read fast. It really gives you a view into Nixon under pressure. It has all the detail that you would expect from a Woodward book and also brings out some of the personalities involved. It also gave me a much better understanding of what Nixon actually did in the way of crimes. This book should be on your list if you are a political junkie. To gain a good understanding of the Watergate affair read both All The President's Men and The Final Days together. I highly recommend this pair of books to anyone looking to understand this period of American history.

This is an amazing account of the last few months of the Nixon presidency leading up to his eventual resignation. The first half of the book deals in larger chunks of time, but by the time the second half begins, each chapter encompasses a single day. As in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN by the same authors, the reader may find the onslaught of different names to be intimidating; fortunately, the cast of characters list at the beginning of the book helps a lot. All the people involved are treated with a lot of respect, and their motivations are made very clear throughout with only a few exceptions.

Unlike ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, this is not told from the viewpoint of the two authors. Through interviews and other methods, the two journalists have reconstructed what they believe those last few months to have been like. The result is an amazing and richly detailed look at the aftermath of one of the most important scandals in recent US history.

One of the real strengths of this book is that it allows the reader to see how the scandal affected many of the different people that were close to the President -- his aides, his family, the lawyers defending him, congressmen, fellow Republican leaders, etc. We see how his team tried (and eventually failed) to fight the accusations made at President and how his staff continued to get the work done even as he retreated farther and farther into himself.

Before I read ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and THE FINAL DAYS, I really didn't know too many particulars about the whole Watergate scandal. I highly recommend this pair of books to anyone looking for detailed, yet highly readable sources of information.

"The Final Days" is a far different novel from the preceeding work by Woodward and Bernstein, "All the President's Men." The latter is more a work concerning the efforts of the journalists in gradually uncovering the secrets of the Watergate break-in up to when the Nixon tapes were revealed. The sequel picks up where the first book left off, as Nixon fights to keep his taped conversations hidden under the argument of executive priviledge. Eventually, however, the Supreme Court orders the president to hand over the tapes, and thus unfolds the final chapter of Nixon the politician.

Reading this book is essential to understand modern American politics for two main reasons. First of all, Richard Nixon was one of the most brilliant and important figures that has ever been involved in the American political system. "The Final Days" provides a unique insight into the dichotomy of Nixon's persona: to the US and the world, he was a bright, articulate figure who took big steps to achieve his accomplishments; on the tapes, however, he was a bitter, insecure and paranoid person. One can argue that Secretary Kissinger's and his foreign peace accomplishments were considerably massive, and yet it's hard to believe that the side of Nixon revealed on the tapes can be a part of the president behind so many meaningful endeavors.

Second, "The Final Days" displayed the proceedings of the American legal system in dealing with a presidential impeachment. Though Andrew Johnson had been impeached one hundred years earlier, the character of the office had changed considerably since then and therefore the procedure was very painful for the politicians involved in the process. By the end of the book, it is obvious that the vast majority of Congress decided that it was important to impeach and remove the president from office, demonstrating that every citizen in the country was on the same legal standing (though, as we all know, Nixon resigned before he was impeached).

In short, Woodward and Bernstein did good to shift the perspective of the Watergate story from their own journalistic hardships to that of Nixon and the government. In doing so, they contribute to the study of the personality of one of the most important members of American history and his fall from grace in the context of the progress of US democracy.

I think it is 5 stars for tomboy women, 0 stars for men, averaging out to 21/2 stars, which rounds off (like the Army does) to 2 stars.

I read this book in 1990 while a cadet at West Point. I found CPT Carol Barkalow's experience to be somewhat similar to my own. It was a fairly good representation of what a woman would experience at the United States Military Academy, at Airborne Training and in the United States Army upon commissioning as an officer. I would recommend this book to a young woman (high school--15-21 years old) who was considering attending any of the United States Service Academies and I would practically mandate it for a woman who desires to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. This book may also prove interesting for others who are interested in the military or in general leadership principles. Things have definitely changed at West Point these days but this book still portrays a very realistic view of what a female cadet would currently experience.

I REALLY enjoyed CPT Carol Barkalow's book "In The Men's House". As a former soldier I know of the hardships that our women in uniform go through and I respect them highly for it. CPT Barkalow explains in good and plain English how the military machine operates and how a soldier feels the pride in ones unit and men even though it may not be the most fair organization in the world. A great and even humerous book and a good read for even those not in or familiar with the military. I have tried to contact her actually to applaud her but have not been able to locate her. My email is available should anyone be able to assist.