by Peter Baker
First published 2013
Peter Baker examines the complex political alliance between President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney during their eight-year administration. The New York Times Chief White House Correspondent traces their relationship from its early stages, when Bush heavily relied on Cheney's experience, through its eventual deterioration into West Wing conflicts. Baker draws on hundreds of interviews with key officials and thousands of pages of internal documents, notes, and memos never before made public. The narrative covers major crises that tested their partnership, including the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and the financial collapse. Baker argues that the conventional wisdom about Cheney controlling Bush oversimplifies a far more complex dynamic that shifted dramatically over time. The book reveals how Cheney became the most powerful vice president in American history before the two leaders grew apart. Baker offers readers an inside view of decision-making during one of the most turbulent presidencies in recent memory.
Genres: biography, political-science, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, power-dynamics
Setting: White House
Period: 2000s
816 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday