3 results for "Engineering"

Vice Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency

Lou DuBose,Jake Bernstein
Dick Cheney is the most powerful yet most unpopular vice president in American history. He has thrived alongside a president who, from day one, had little interest in policy and limited experience in the ways of Washington. Yet Cheney's relentless rise to prominence over three decades has happened almost by stealth. Now veteran reporters Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein reveal the disturbing truth about the man who has successfully co-opted executive control over the U.S. government, serving as the de facto 'shadow president' of the most dominant White House in a generation. Cheney has always been an astute politician. He survived the collapse of the Nixon presidency, finding a position of power in the administration of Gerald Ford. He was then elected to the House of Representatives and later served in the cabinet of the first Bush presidency. But when he became George W. Bush's running mate, Cheney reached a new level of influence. From the engineering of his own selection as vice president to his support of policies allowing torture as a permissible weapon in the 'war on terror', Cheney has consistently steered America to the right. With unique access to numerous first-hand sources, Vice provides an unprecedented expose of Cheney's career. Its startling revelations concern the war in Iraq, his relationship with the CIA and with big business, his involvement with Enron, his attitude towards Iran and his ruthless manoeuvering which today effectively puts him in charge of American policy at home and abroad. In the tradition of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's All the President's Men , this powerful work of investigative journalism takes us behind the scenes in Washington, into hitherto secret meetings and deep into the heart of political decision-making. Utterly gripping, Vice chronicles and exposes the hijacking of the American presidency and illustrates the arrogance of power as never before.
Penguin Random House 2006 261 pages

Abram The Life of an Israeli Patriot

Henry Orenstein
This is a biography of a young man who is not really sure what to do with his life, who gets thrown into the whirlwind of World War II and only then learns about life, about courage, and about honor. A boy, who grows up in poisonous, anti-Sematic surroundings in Poland, he travels to Palestine and unexpectedly finds a purpose in life. then everything changes for Abram with the outbreak of World War II. He joins the British Army as a private and a sequence of incredible events follow- he serves in the suicide comando and is court-martialed for hitting a British Sargeant Major. After the war ends, Abram, now a major in the British Army, organizes the transport of tens of thousands of concentration camp survivors to Palestine. he does this right under the noses of British intelligence, and is later detained for months while being investigated. Finally, the story moves on to the War of Independence in Palestine, where Abram plays a critical part in establishing a secret road to supply the surrounded Jerusalem Jews- saving them from the Arabs. Abram tells of his fight with Prime Minister Ben-Gurion and its consequences. The incredible saga of Abram plays out against the stark reality of World War II and its aftermath. It will no doubt leave an indelible impression on the reader.
Beaufort Books 1999 218 pages

Stanley K. Sheinbaum A 20th Century Knight's Quest for Peace, Civil Liberties and Economic Justice : a Memoir

Stanley K. Sheinbaum,William A. Meis
The memoir of an exceptional man who began life as an unexceptional young boy growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan when the Crash of 1929 brought disaster, but whose later life reads like a chronicle of major events of the late 20th century. Secret CIA involvement in Vietnam, running for Congress, organizing Daniel Ellsberg's defense for the Pentagon Papers trial, engineering freedom for Andreas Papandreou jailed by a Greek military junta about to execute him. He married Betty Warner, daughter of Harry Warner of Warner Bros., then he and Betty became the nexus of a powerful group of liberal Hollywood notablesessential to the campaigns of Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Bill Clinton and so many others. Stanley personally committed to seeking peace in the Middle East and was vilified for his contacts with Yassar Arafat which led to the Oslo Accords. He later became president of the Los Angeles Police Commission and was instrumental in removing the infamous L.A.police chief, Daryl Gates. Includes numerous photos of significant events and the people who made them so. "Stanley has devoted his life to the preservation of our most cherished personal freedoms. He has worked for civil liberties for Americans and advanced the cause of human rights abroad" - President Bill Clinton "Stanley Sheinbaum, a man beloved by all straight-thinking people who know him." - Jane Fonda "Stanley has witnessed history up close and personal, leaving an indelible mark on some of the most defining political moments of our time. He is fortunate to have lived a life filled with intellectual curiosity, generosity, and wit." - Barbra Streisand "He's addicted to fairness and justice. All of us start off as the proverbial grain of sand on the beach of life. In that context, Stanley Sheinbaum has moved mountains." - Norman Lear "Stanley is a fearless activist, a genuinely honest and humble student of what is going on and smart as hell." - Warren Beatty
Fairtree 2011 181 pages