A Book A Week

With the United States Election day only days away, I went into reading Bob Woodward's latest book Rage with a pretty clear idea of what to expect. I read Woodward's 2018 book Fear in which he documented President Trump's tumultuous election and first year in the White House. To say the things uncovered in that book were disturbing would be an understatement. Woodward gained prominence as one of the two journalists who broke Nixon's Watergate scandal. His previous work covering Donald Trump was meticulously reported and backed by verified sources, public interviews, and cross-referenced records. Still, Trump reverted to his usual tactic of calling any unfavorable reporting on him "fake news". To be fair, Woodward was never granted an interview with President Trump, but all of that has changed in this latest book. Donald Trump granted Woodward 18 recorded interviews over the course of several months. Buckle up, folks. This is a wild ride. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been at the forefront of most American's lives since we were first told to quarantine in mid-March. Despite various attempts to re-open states and get back to a sense of normalcy, our country hasn't been able to effectively lower the number of positive cases. In fact, this week saw us hit a record number of reported positive cases for a single day. Naturally, much of the political debate surrounding this year's presidential election has focused on the government response to the health pandemic. The bombshell of Woodward's reporting in Rage centers upon what Donald Trump knew about the virus, when did he know it, and what was his response. Woodward reveals that the President was warned about the severity of the virus in January. His strategy has been recorded and quoted word for word by Woodward. "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create panic."

Beyond the obvious mishandlings of the health pandemic, Rage provides some exclusive insights into the President's strange approach to foreign affairs. Despite warnings from both his Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, Donald Trump began a bizarre relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Woodward obtained letter correspondence between the two leaders. In the letters, both men gush about the brilliance of the other and their combined competence in forging an unprecedented relationship between their respective governments. It was widely reported that General Mattis resigned from his position after Trump took military action that was counter to Mattis's recommendations. While it ultimately seems like the worst ramifications of some of these actions have been avoided, it is the President's continued disregard for the informed advice of his advisers that continues to be one of the most disturbing parts of his presidency. 

If Fear was a stunning portrait of dysfunction within America's highest governing office, then Bob Woodward's Rage is the first-hand confirmation of those assertions. As Donald Trump's first tumultuous term as President of the United States comes to a close, it is one that will be more remembered for scandal than any legislative achievement. What I always find striking about books like this is that there really aren't any new revelations. Anyone paying attention is already aware of everything that this book confirms. As always, it is the direct quotes from the mouth of the President that are the most striking. Through the wide-ranging interviews that Woodward conducted, we see a man who is completely over his head in leading the country. Woodward says it best, "Trump is the wrong man for the job." It has been said time and again, but I'll say it one more time. Vote!

For more information visit the author's website and Goodreads. 

(2020, 45)

"He's an idiot. It's pointless to try to convince him of anything. He's gone off the rails. We're in crazytown."

Much has been written about the 2016 presidential election. Scholars and political commentators have devoted many pages to their take on how Donald Trump was elected to the highest political office in the country. It seems like each week brings a new insight into the dysfunctional goings on in the White House. As members of Trump's administration either step down or are fired, they each are ready to publish their "tell-all" book with firsthand accounts of just how defective the American political system has become. With each new revelation that would be considered shocking in any other administration, the President simply brushes them off as "fake news."

Enter two time Pulitzer winning journalist Bob Woodward. Woodward is like the antithesis of fake news. He was one of the key journalists involved in exposing the Watergate scandal during Nixon's presidency and has provided authoritative reporting about every president since. In his newest book Fear: Trump in the White House, Woodward presents a startling portrait of the way Trump leads the country.

I'll start by saying that Fear presents little in the way of new revelations. Rather, Woodward provides a meticulously documented portrait that confirms the things we already know and fear about our President. Woodward confirms that Trump has a short attention span, is prone to knee-jerk/uninformed decisions, and simply denies any claims of facts that are counter to what he is trying to do. "You've got to be strong. You've got to be aggressive. You've got to push back hard. You've got to deny anything that's said about you. Never admit it."

The true marvel of Woodward's Fear is not in the contents of its pages (although much of what is reported is pretty terrifying for anyone who believes in the order of the US government) but in the way in which it is documented. Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury presented many of the same topics and retellings that Woodward's book does. Wolff's fatal flaw was that he did not document his sources. That simply doesn't work in Trump's era of fake news. Woodward remedies this by providing comprehensive footnotes and sources. Each quote or claim is backed by documented interviews, recordings, or press footage. Simply put, there is no denying that what Woodward has written is true. Fear, like the countless other books about Trump's White House, will likely do little to change the opinions of the President's supporters or detractors. It will, however, serve as verifiable historical documentation of the bizarre and downright insane reign of our current President.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2018, 37)

I recently read a news article about the top bestselling books of this year. It turns out that the majority of these books have one thing in common, Donald Trump. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that the American President dominates the news like none before him. We can't seem to get enough of him. In A Higher Loyalty, one of the most anticipated books of the year, fired FBI Director James Comey reflects upon his years of public service and his encounters with President Trump that would ultimately end his career.

Beyond the scandal and outrage surrounding his role in the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails and his unexpected firing, I really wasn't familiar with James Comey. Throughout the book, Comey builds a portrait of his commitment to the higher institutions of government. His early days as a lawyer saw him soon working under the New York Department of Justice. His encounters during this time served as a foundation for his views that no one is above the law. When the New York DOJ learned of Martha Stewart's insider trading, Comey was quick to push for a criminal trial.

As the Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush, Comey continued to campaign for truth and justice. Specifically, when he learned of the questionable interrogation tactics that would later be classified as torture, Comey went against the wishes of the administration to fight for better practices under the law. He would ultimately be proved to have been on the right side of history in this instance.

The highest profile and most controversial era of Comey's public service came during his tenure as FBI Director. He was surprised that the Democratic President Obama would hire someone who served a Republican administration, but Comey was hired for his independence from politics, not his loyalty to a specific party. The unprecedented nature of the 2016 election saw Comey face the largest challenges of his professional life. The investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct official state business was one of the biggest talking points of that race. When Comey announced that the investigation was being reopened just a few days before the vote, he did so because he believed the American people needed to know. He describes institutions like the Justice Department and FBI as holding a "reservoir of trust". By being open about the ongoing investigation, he hoped to maintain that trust.

There's no doubt the main draw of this book is to read Comey's perspective on his interactions with the President and his firing. Most of what is written about these moments has already been made public through Comey's statements to congress. In comparison to his interactions with the previous two administrations, Trump's attempts to pull in the FBI Director to his inner circle at the White House are very alarming. If what Comey claims is true, it seems clear that the current administration did not see a need to separate the FBI from the politics of the presidency. History will ultimately judge this situation and show if Comey's firing was truly an obstruction of justice. Having read about his life in his own words, I'm still not entirely sure what that judgement will be. There is no denying that Comey is a fascinating, if a bit problematic, figure who deserves to be heard and recognized.

For more information, visit Amazon and Goodreads.

(2018, 19)

I went back and forth on reading and reviewing this book. I try to keep my reviews free of politics, and I typically like to think of my opinions as balanced. President Donald Trump usually incites the exact opposite. Most people are either staunchly supportive of him in everything he says and does or 100% against him. There's little middle ground. Still, there is no denying that Michael Wolff's account of the President's first 100 days in office has become part of the national conversation. As a person who writes a weekly review of books, how could I not read one of the most buzzed about books of the year?!

The President has brushed off Wolff's book as little more than tabloid gossip. To be fair to Mr. Trump, Wolff does little to protect himself from these accusations. Wolff starts the book by stating that the version of events he presents is his best representation of the truth based upon the varying versions he heard in interviewing White House staff. The varying renditions of events can only add to the confusion of where the truth lies. Further, Wolff never provides direct quotes or references as is the norm in other works of non-fiction.

Despite all of this, the most incriminating portions of the book are directly quoted from the President's campaign speeches, tweets, and press briefings. To the approval of his supporters and horror of his detractors, Donald Trump has never been one to mince words. He says exactly what is on his mind. That being said, reading the often incoherent ramblings of the President printed in black and white can be quite alarming. These irrefutable quotes seem to support Wolff's claims that Trump is ill informed about most of the big decisions he faces.

Wolff also touches upon the alleged disfunction among the White House staff. He maintains that the President's background in business makes him more focused on the "big picture". Because of this, the smaller staff positions that make the larger machine that is the US Government fucnction have not been filled. Beyond that, there is a war for the President's attention and policy that was between three sections of American Politics. Steve Bannon represents the interests of the alt-right of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus lobbies for the interest of the traditional/establishment Republicans, and Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner vie for the more liberal interests. This collision of ideologies coupled with the President's lack of governing experience, Wolff conjectures, caused Trump to not achieve any significant legislative victories during the first part of his presidency.

For as much media attention and hype that Fire and Fury has received, I was surprised at how little of the book was shocking or presented new information. Even the more inflammatory excerpts that made headlines are not so crazy. For example, one passage about Ivanka making fun of and describing the formation of her father's infamous hairstyle was actually a quote from years ago when she was a college student. History will ultimately be the judge of Donald Trump's time in office. Because much of Michael Wolff's more explosive claims are not verified by any specific source, I'm not sure that Fire and Fury will be remembered as part of that history. Rather, supporters of the President will likely not be swayed by Wolff's claims while detractors will use it to further fan the flames of their discontent.

For more information, visit Amazon and Goodreads.

(2018, 8)