Reddit reviews The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism (American Empire Project)

Also read http://www.amazon.com/Limits-Power-End-American-Exceptionalism/dp/0805088156

Rondroids ought to read Andrew Bacevich's Limits of American Power, paying special attention to his view of the presidency.

The summary is this: being president is a job. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: waging war abroad to maintain American hegemony and acquire resources to preserve our consumer culture, centralize authority in the presidency to facilitate conflict and resource acquisition, ensuring the election of your party through these ends, pushing neoliberalism at home and abroad, among others. The president, and all the people serving under him, risk losing their 'jobs' (through elections) if they stray from the post-war pattern of concentrating power in the executive to maintain our empire. R, D, Paul, Bachmann, Obama, it doesn't matter- even if those at the very top stray from that pattern, everyone else below strive to maintain the structure that keeps them in power and us fat and happy.

FWIW my post was mostly a synopsis of this book:

The Limits of Power

I read it in 2008 before the "Financial Crisis". It probably had a lot more impact back then because it predicted the mess we're in now before it was common knowledge - I'm always impressed by books that predict the immediate future.

It's still worth reading IMO.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that the author is a self-proclaimed conservative who vilifies Reagan as a "Fraud Conservative".

He makes a very convincing case that so many of the problems we have today are due to the fact that Republicans talk like fiscal conservatives but spend like drunken sailors.

In other words, fiscal conservatism is scientifically and historically the most defensible aspect of conservative ideology.

And it is precisely this aspect of conservatism that modern "conservatives" militantly ignore.

Andrew Bacevich The Limits of Power. A blunt, concise, and brilliant look at American imperialism from the mid-20th century until now. I would vote for this guy as a presidential candidate regardless of party.