The George W. Bush Legacy

". . . The George W. Bush Legacy is important, foundational reading for scholars who seek to understand how Bush will be understood in coming years and the lasting effects of his presidency on the office of the president."

--Excerpt from a review in Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 38, Issue 3, Pages 551-553, written by Caroline Heldman, Occidental College

The George W. Bush Legacy assesses the current president’s political strategy as well as his administration’s policies. With his two terms marked by global tension and intense partisanship, chapter authors look at the Bush administration’s efforts to influence the direction of the judiciary, expand executive power, institutionalize the 2001 tax cuts, deliver policies and appointments for favored "base" constituencies, and increase the size and reach of the national security state. Contributors also offer perspectives on the responses to the events of September 11, 2001―including the fateful decision to go to war in Iraq that has perhaps become the defining action of this presidency.

Making the volume easy to use throughout a presidency course, each chapter focuses on one aspect of the Bush administration, ranging from the president’s leadership style and the influence of interest groups, to the effects of public opinion and the role of the courts. This authoritative book provides measured and nuanced appraisals of the short- and long-term impact of Bush’s accomplishments and failures at a particularly pivotal time in American history.

Colin Campbell is Canada Research Chair in U.S. Government and Politics at the University of British Columbia. Previously, he was university professor of public policy at Georgetown University. He has published nine books, three of which have won awards.

Bert A. Rockman is currently professor of political science and department head at Purdue University. His books include The Leadership Question, which was awarded the Richard E. Neustadt Prize. He also has been a recipient Herbert A. Simon Award.

Andrew Rudalevige is the Thomas Brackett Reed professor of government at Bowdoin College and former chair of the American Political Science Association’s Presidents and Executive Politics section; in 2023-2024 he is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and won the Richard E. Neustadt Prize from the American Political Science Association for best book on the U.S. presidency in 2003 and 2022, as well as the 2022 Louis Brownlow Prize from the National Academy of Public Administration. His books include By Executive Order, Managing the President’s Program, The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power after Watergate, and, as coeditor, a volume on the Office of Management and Budget and a series assessing recent presidencies. Prior to his academic career, he worked in state and local politics in Massachusetts.