In His Father's Shadow: The Transformations of George W. Bush - Hardcover

Renshon, Stanley A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1403965463 ISBN 13: 9781403965462

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2004

Synopsis

From a pampered son who showed little promise, to his rise to the presidency, George W. Bush has transformed himself through acts of will and faith. Stanley Renshon examines the psychological transformation of Bush and identifies those pivotal changes that allowed him to achieve success in his personal life and in the political arena, and shows how Bush's personal transformation has come to shape his political policies. The man who battled--and defeated--his own inner demons has become a president determined to battle the demons of terrorism and extremism that prevent democracy from flourishing around the world. This psychological portrait provides a much-needed antidote to prevailing critiques that ridicule Bush's values and policies, as it celebrates his resolve and strong leadership.

About this title

About the Author

Stanley A. Renshon is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Psychology Program, City University of New York Graduate Center, a certified psychoanalyst, and an award-winning author.

From the Inside Flap

"Mr. Renshon has developed a reputation for delving behind the headlines
and hysteria of presidential politics to offer insights into the psyche of our
leaders. His provocative analysis of George W. Bush and his controversial style
of governing reveals a president shaped not only by wealth and privilege but
also by his complicated relationship with his father."
--Mike Stanton, Pulitzer Prize - winning journalist, and best-selling author of The Prince of Providence: The Rise and Fall of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor

Reviews

How did a "mischievous imp" whose early life was characterized by academic mediocrity, professional failure and after-hours carousing ultimately become a confident politician and an era-defining President? In this book, a muddled combination of psychoanalysis and political punditry, Renshon (High Hopes: The Clinton Presidency and the Politics of Ambition) seeks to answer that question, and to prove that Bush’s presidency is driven by a desire to dramatically change the country in ways that directly mirror his own personal transformations. The book is at its best in its early sections, in which Renshon traces Bush’s difficulties in becoming a mature and successful person within the context of his powerful family. According to Renshon, decades spent as a "black sheep" allowed Bush to develop the ability to "stand apart from others" and the capacity to embrace conflict rather than avoid it. In this segment, the book offers a balanced and nuanced portrait of a late bloomer, a very capable man who nonetheless has been unable to transcend some of the "quirky elements of his psychology." However, the sections of the book that deal with Bush’s political agenda are much more partisan. Renshon spends a great deal of the volume trying to refute criticisms of the President and, at one point, groups all the many policies opposed to Bush’s domestic agenda under the single label "interest-group liberalism." There’s even a section of "National Security Questions for Critics." Renshon himself appears to find no fault with Bush’s leadership, and he looks forward to a hypothetical future in which Bush will be seen "historically, and appropriately, as a president of the first rank." Readers who agree with him will no doubt give this book five stars, but those who don’t may wish that he’d stuck to questions of the couch.
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Edition details

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1403965463
• ISBN 13: 9781403965462
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304