The House or Wilsons Ghost

The House: The History of the House of Representatives

Author: Robert V Remini

Throughout America's history, the House has played a central role in shaping the nation's destiny. In this incomparable single-volume history, distinguished historian Robert V. Remini traces the institution from a struggling, nascent body to the venerable powerhouse it has become since America's rise on the world stage. The essential drama of democracy—the struggle between principle and pragmatism—is showcased throughout the book, and through it the history of America's successful experiment with democracy unfurls.

Publishers Weekly

National Book Award winner Remini (Andrew Jackson) offers the definitive history of "the People's House." Envisioned as the more democratic half of America's bicameral legislature, the House first convened on April 1, 1789. As Remini shows, in the early decades, Henry Clay's leadership was crucial-his willingness to go head-to-head with the Monroe administration helped establish the House's power and autonomy. During the Civil War, the House provided crucial support for the Union by passing legislation to print greenbacks and create a military draft. Remini treats the 16 black congressmen who served during Reconstruction in t a few, general paragraphs; this particular era in the institution's history deserves more attention. Turning to the 20th century, Remini examines the House's response to the Great Depression, the Cold War, civil rights, Vietnam and Watergate. His concluding chapter addresses the "Conservative Revolution" of the 1980s and `90s. Here Newt Gingrich gets the spotlight: he was determined to give the House a more prominent position in the legislative process, but also helped usher in "an era of incivility and personal attack and partisanship" that, says Remini, continues today. Written at the instruction of Congress,, this tome is highly readable though encyclopedic. B&w photos. (May 1) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The U.S. House of Representatives, with two centuries of history and 11,750 cumulative members, conceivably could be chronicled in one volume, but this official history-the straitjacket of one volume and one author was imposed-does not do the job. Remini, a distinguished historian of antebellum America, with more than ten books on Andrew Jackson to his name, is not an obvious choice for the project. Often he can only push the narrative along by reciting election returns and sprinkling irrelevancies such as information on flappers into the text as if he forgot his intended subject. It is a book a mile wide and an inch deep presenting little the well-read student of American history won't already know. Remini wanted to appeal to scholars, but the lack of a bibliography or suggestions for further inquiry is notable, while his footnotes never give citations to the many laws and court cases described. In spite of these flaws, the book does fill a need and is an optional purchase for public libraries.-Michael O. Eshleman, Kings Mills, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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Wilson's Ghost: Reducing the Risk of Conflict, Killing, and Catastrophe in the 21st Century

Author: Robert S McNamara

With Wilson's Ghost, Robert S. McNamara and James G. Blight deliver an impassioned plea and a decisive and multi-faceted program for making the 21st century a more peaceful century than the last. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the war that has followed, have made their argument even more imperative. In a provocative synthesis of the pragmatic, historical, and philosophical arguments for avoiding war and achieving a sustainable peace, McNamara and Blight put forth a plan for realizing Woodrow Wilson's dream. The plan begins with a moral imperative that establishes the reduction of human carnage as a major goal of foreign policy across the globe, and details the necessity of adopting new policies to support that goal.

McNamara and Blight argue that now is the time for a radical approach to reducing the risk of human carnage, and they demonstrate why we cannot afford to fail in this effort.

Library Journal

Former Secretary of Defense McNamara is 85 and still atoning for his role in the Vietnam conflict (see In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, LJ 4/15/95). His new book, written with international relations expert Blight, takes the ideas and idealism of Woodrow Wilson and sets forth a moral and multilateral formula for achieving peace in the world. The authors advocate the importance of "democratic decision-making" in U.S. foreign policy and increased empathy toward Russia and China. They also warn that the plague of communal violence within nations poses a dilemma for the United States and international organizations, as intervention might not lead to a satisfactory solution of the conflict. McNamara and Blight are especially eloquent in their pleas to end the threat of nuclear catastrophe, and McNamara inserts his personal reflections on the Cuban missile crisis (as well as on the lost opportunities for an early resolution in Vietnam). The authors critique major foreign policy theories and develop a convincing "Wilsonian" framework for U.S. policy. This stimulating and challenging work will do much to redeem McNamara's legacy; recommended for academic and large public libraries. Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

President Kennedy's former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and coauthor Blight (international studies, Brown U.) offer suggestions as to how the United States could and should change its foreign policy and defense policy to incorporate the core objectives of post-WWI Wilsonian ideals. They suggest that the United States make the end of war a major goal of foreign policy and argue that while the U.S. will have to provide leadership, it must not apply its economic, political, or military policy unilaterally. In order to successfully maintain a peaceful world, they believe that a complete rapprochement with China and Russia is necessary in order to prevent the real dangers of Great Power conflict. In addition they offer suggestions towards strengthening the U.N. in a move towards true multilateralism in the reduction of communal violence and the threat from nuclear weapons. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Table of Contents:

	Preface to the Paperback Edition
	A Note from Robert McNamara
	A 21st-Century Manifesto: Choose Life over Death
	Prologue: Wilson's Tragedy, and Ours	3
1	A Radical Agenda: The U.S. Role in Global Security in the 21st Century	17
2	Preventing Great Power Conflict: Bringing Russia and China in from the Cold	59
3	Reducing Communal Killing: Intervention in "Dangerous, Troubled, Failed, Murderous States"	113
4	Avoiding Nuclear Catastrophe: Moving Steadily and Safely to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World	169
5	Reducing Human Carnage: An Agenda for the 21st Century	217
	Epilogue: Listening to Wilson's Ghost	227
	Afterword to the Paperback Edition: Wilson's Ghost in the Post-9/11 World	231
	Notes	277
	Acknowledgments	303
	About the Authors	307
	Index	309