The Bushes, Peter Schweizer
The Bushes, Peter Schweizer
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The Bushes
Portrait of a Dynasty

Author: Peter Schweizer, Rochelle Schweizer

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Unabridged: 23 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/08/2004


Synopsis

Get the inside story on America’s most powerful political dynasty.

President George W. Bush leads our nation in a time of unprecedented peril. But how well do we really know him or his remarkable family, whose history often mirrors the history of America? Now, in the first full-scale biography of the Bushes, Peter and Rochelle Schweizer trace the extraordinary trajectory of their rise to power.

Through a series of exclusive, surprisingly candid interviews with members of the family and close friends, the inner workings of this very private family are revealed: their marriages and friendships; the intense sibling rivalry between George W. and Jeb Bush; divisions between father and son over the Iraq war; even Jeb Bush’s plans to run for president in 2008. Never-before-seen private photos add even greater detail and depth to this fascinating family portrait.

And above all, we see George W. Bush the way his family does, as an intensely driven person who has a much more complex relationship with his father than has often been portrayed in the media. Family members talk about how he deals with the stresses of the war on terrorism, why he sees it as a “religious war,” and how his personal faith influences what he says and does.

The Schweizers also delve into the Bushes’ sensitive and secret business dealings, including their long history of involvement in the oil business. Their shrewd alliances with other American dynasties—including the Kennedys, Rockefellers, and Tafts—have all helped to quietly consolidate their power within the Republican Party.
Indeed, what makes the Bushes so successful is that they function less like the great political families before them and more like a high-tech startup: free-flowing, pragmatic, and opportunistic. It is this distinction that assures them an enduring presence on the nation’s political stage, making The Bushes essential reading for anyone who cares about America’s future.

About Peter Schweizer

Success is the key word for American born author, Peter Franz Schweizer. He was born in 1964, and became an investigative journalist, novelist, author, and political consultant. Peter received his M.Phil.from Oxford University, and his B.A. from George Washington University.

Schweizer's accomplishments are many. He is the president of the Government Accountability Institute, and senior-editor-at-large of Breitbart News, a staple in the right wing realm. He began his Conservative roots in high school and continued from there. He is also a partner in a speech writing company in Washington, DC called Oval Office Writers who write speeches for various executives and politicians.

Peter has written several books that have been translated into many languages. They have also been on the New York Times snd Washington Post bestseller lists. Some of his more successful efforts include: Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich; Extortion; Throw Them All Out; Reagan's War; The Bushes:Portrait of a Dynasty; Architects of Ruin; Victory; Do As I Say (Not As I Do); and Makers and Takers.

Schweizer lives in Florida with Rhonda, his wife, and children.


Reviews

Pretty much everyone is aware that George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush, were both former Presidents of the United States. This book goes into detail about their time in office, as well as how they got to be political powerhouses in the Republican Party. It discusses other members of the fa......more

Goodreads review by Todd

The family is treated with white gloves by the authors as there is very little negative about the family. However, the book does give the reader a well written history of the families ties to American politics and their relationships within the family and political powerhouses, like the Reagans. If y......more

Goodreads review by Lydia

Listened to this as a book on tape. Gives real insight into the whole "dynasty" idea. I hadn't, but probably should have, realized how very entwined so many of our US political players are.......more

Goodreads review by Jenn

It's an interesting read on the Bush family, however very much a history handled with kid gloves. Every Bush man is supremely upstanding. Every Bush woman is beautiful and unique. The authors just barely glaze over the Jennifer Fitzgerald affair and verbatim suggest the American people made the wron......more


Quotes

"Fascinating. . . . Provides illuminating insights into the internal dynamics of the Bush family dynasty." –The New York Times

“If you want to know as fully as can be told the story of how the Bushes rose from Midwestern obscurity to equal the records of families like the Roosevelts, the Kennedys and the Adamses–this is the book.” –New York Post

“Revealing about the internal dynamics of this interesting familyÉ. The Bushes opened up to the Schweizers and discussed intimate details of their history.” –The Washington Post Book World

“No one has gotten as close to penetrating the Bush family dynamics, and the complex relationship between father and son.” –The Providence Journal

"This is a dynasty indeed, no matter how the family demurs. . . . The Schweizers have succeeded in humanizing what can be a curiously detached family by ferreting out fascinating detail." –Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Offer[s] rare--and controversial--insight into the family some call the Republican Kennedys." –Boston Herald

"What the Schweizers do best is explore that dynamic over three generations of Bush males. . . . This book is the place to start if you want to understand how family has molded the Bush men." –Houston Chronicle

“Offers insights on the Bush relationships and rivalries, their ambitions and their impressions of each other’s successes and problems.” –Tallahassee Democrat

"Entertaining . . . full of charming anecdotes. . . . A delightful book." –National Review

"[A] detailed history of the Bush dynasty--sprinkled with anecdotal family gossip that provides fresh humanizing insights . . . along with an intriguing snapshot of the conflicted relationship, fuelled in equal parts by love and competition, between 'Big George,' and 'Little George.'" –The Independent on Sunday