Short Synopsis
Distinguished presidential biographer Jean Edward Smith offers a critical yet fair biography of George W. Bush, showing how he ignored his advisors to make key decisions himself—most disastrously in invading Iraq—and how these decisions were often driven by the President's deep religious faith.

Full Synopsis
George W. Bush, the forty-third president of the United States, almost single-handedly decided to invade Iraq. It was possibly the worst foreign-policy decision ever made by a president. The consequences dominated the Bush Administration and still haunt us today.

In Bush, Jean Edward Smith demonstrates that it was not Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or Condoleezza Rice, but President Bush himself who took personal control of foreign policy. Bush drew on his deep religious conviction that important foreign-policy decisions were simply a matter of good versus evil. Domestically, he overreacted to 9/11 and endangered Americans' civil liberties.

Smith explains that it wasn't until the financial crisis of 2008 that Bush finally accepted expert advice, something that the "Decider," as Bush called himself, had previously been unwilling to do. As a result, he authorized decisions that saved the economy from possible collapse, even though some of those decisions violated Bush's own political philosophy.

"a comprehensive and compelling narrative" ---New York Times

"Smith is particularly good on the nuances of Bush’s character." ---Boston Globe

"a compelling and coherent examination of how decisions were made in the Bush White House and how Bush's faith strongly influenced his world view — for better or worse — especially with regard to Iraq." ---Texas Reads

"relentlessly hard-hitting" ---Kirkus

“a lucid, highly readable narrative, balancing rich detail with clear delineation of the larger shape of policy through the chaos of politics. This is a superb recap and critical analysis of Bush’s controversial administration.” ---Publishers Weekly

"Smith’s portrait is fascinating" ---Booklist

New York Times Bestseller