TOP 100 NEWS SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld memoirs reveal administration's internal battles Upcoming accounts could offer new insights on issues ranging from Iraq and Guantánamo to hurricane KatrinaHe established a reputation as one of the most secretive vice-presidents in US history, largely shunning journalists and refusing to disclose the names of those visiting his West Wing office. But these days, the publicity-averse Dick Cheney is busily tapping away at a laptop in his home in McLean, Virginia, threatening to reveal all.Cheney is writing his autobiography, one of a glut of Bush era memoirs due out in the coming months. Others lining up to offer their account of the Bush years are the former president himself, his wife Laura, former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, former deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove and former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson.Many political memoirs, such as Bill Clinton's, have proven in the past to be a largely unrevealing, but the Bush White House was the most leak-free in recent US history and the upcoming accounts offer the intriguing prospect of new insights into the turf wars and internal battles over issues from Guantánamo, Iraq and Hurricane Katrina to the Wall Street bail-out.One of the first to appear is Paulson's account of the global economic meltdown, On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System. The book, due out this month, is expected to offer a glimpse at Bush's reaction to the collapse of the Lehman brothers in September 2008.In March comes Rove's Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight . Rove, the political strategist who helped get Bush elected, could answer questions ranging from the dirty tricks operations in the 2000 primary campaign, to the scandal over the leaking of the identity of a CIA operative.Rumsfeld, the defence secretary whose decision to invade Iraq with a relatively small force, was blamed for the anarchy and insurgency that followed, offers up his memoirs in the autumn, as does Bush himself.Bush's account, Decision Points covers about a dozen key moments in the former president's life, including giving up alcohol, nominating Cheney as his vice-president, invading Iraq and his slow response to Hurricane Katrina.Steve Clemons, director of the liberal think-tank the New America Foundation, said the prospect of so many insider accounts was significant. "At the start of the Bush presidency, the US was still powerful: militarily, economically and even in moral leadership. What we saw was the collapse of that, and I want to see if there is any accounting. I think these books are much more important than other memoirs."He added: "I think the big issue in these memoirs is the degree that people use them to fight the battles of the Bush administration. Will the Rumsfeld-Cheney wing use it to get back at Bush himself and Condi (Rice)? I suspect Bush will not say much. I think he will try to smooth over some of the rougher edges of the rows."The publishing companies are largely coy about how much each will be paid. Bush is reported to have been offered $7m (£4.3m), half of what Clinton received. Rove, now a commentator at Fox News, is reported to have a deal worth $2m.Rumsfeld's publisher, Adrian Zackheim, who runs Sentinel, a New York-based imprint of Penguin said Rumsfeld had not been given an advance. The former defence secretary would be given a share of the revenue and planned to donate all of it to charity.Earlier this year, Rumsfeld, who has kept a low profile since leaving office, told Associated Press: "This will be a story that will span my lifetime. It will be something that I will try hard to make very fair, honest and useful."Cheney's book is not due out until next Spring, but is potentially the most interesting. Not only was he at the centre of most events, he is one of the most ideological members of the administration, and is unrepentant over decisions from waterboarding to the Iraq invasion.Cashing in on political memoirsKarl RoveFormer deputy White House chief of staff's book Courage and Consequence will be published on 9 March by Simon and Schuster's Threshold Editions, a conservative imprint. Deal reported by US media at $2m.Donald RumsfeldTo be published in the autumn by Sentinel, an imprint of Penguin. No advance for the former defence secretary, share of proceeds to go to charity.George W BushAutobiography, tentatively titled Decision Points, to be published by Crown. Deal estimated at $7m.Laura BushMemoir due in the spring from Scribner. Deal may be worth more than her husband's. US media put it at $8m.Dick CheneyScheduled for spring 2011. The former vice-president shares publisher with Rove. Deal estimated at $2m.Bill Clinton$15m advance for My Life, which sold more than 2m copies.Hillary ClintonReceived $7m for her memoir.Barack ObamaHas earned millions for the two bestsellers he produced before becoming president, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope.George BushDick CheneyUS politicsUnited StatesEwen MacAskillguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Shanghai Hotel Project to Move Ahead More than a year after a twin tower hotel project here got snagged on a web of problems more complex than its iconic, honeycombed exterior, construction is finally about to restart. online.wsj.com |
Obama tells banks: `We want our money back' WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Thursday he wants to tax banks to recoup the public bailout of foundering firms at the height of the financial crisis. "We want our money back," he said.... hosted.ap.org |
Putin Stirs Russian Environmental Row Putin has given a well-connected tycoon's paper mill the go-ahead to resume dumping waste in Lake Baikal, reversing what had been a landmark victory for environmentalists. online.wsj.com |
Ooh ah! Cantona takes to Paris stage Eric Cantona has always known how to work a crowd. His theatrics on the pitch for Manchester United were greeted with roars of approval and his appearances before the press left journalists bemused but eager for more.Last night, however, a different kind of live audience awaited the striker from Marseille as he attempted to complete his transformation from temperamental sportsman to accomplished artiste. For the first time in a career full of drama, Cantona – or King Eric, as he is still known by many of his fans – was treading the boards.The maverick entertainer, who received critical acclaim last year for his role in Ken Loach's Looking for Eric, appeared before a packed-out audience at the Théâtre Marigny, just off the Champs Élysées, to costar in a new play, Face au Paradis (Faced With Paradise).When the curtain came down on the 43-year-old's latest 90-minute performance, warm applause broke out from the crowd, where members of the Cantona clan and the Parisian elite rubbed shoulders with soccer fans who sat in their seats reading fanzines. At least one came sporting a Manchester United shirt.Vincent Champenoes, a 28-year-old Parisian, said he had come to see the play purely to see his hero in action. "I am not an [Olympique] Marseille fan or a Manchester fan. But I am a fan of Eric Cantona. He is huge. He is a myth," he said.In his role as Max, an accountant trapped in the rubble of the supermarket where he works, Cantona is on stage for the duration of the play, written by little-known French writer Nathalie Saugeon. He stars opposite Lorà nt Deutsch, a popular young actor whose loquacious character Lubin contrasts with Max's dry reserve.Before the performance Cantona denied feeling any first night nerves and likened the experience of acting to playing football. "You're still in a game which requires a huge amount of uphill struggle and which leads to a real excitement the day of the performance or match," he told Le Parisien. "In terms of emotion, it's all very similar."Cantona looked visibly relieved as he stood on stage for repeated encores and shouts of "bravo".His second wife, Rachida Brakni, a Âclassically trained actor, joined him in soaking up the applause after making her directorial debut with a play she says she chose specifically to suit her husband's thespian talents.Among the audience, however, feelings were mixed as to the extent of those talents. "I thought it was very original and his performance was good, but there was a bit too much pathos at the end. I suppose we're used to seeing Cantona as virile and manly, not as weak," said Fabrice Coret, a Manchester United fan.Another fan, Antoine, was more frank. "I think he is charismatic and has presence, but I'm not sure he's a very good actor," he said.FranceTheatreManchester UnitedLizzy Daviesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |