In these essays James K. Galbraith wrote the history of George Bush's presidency while it happened. From the judicial fiat of December 2000, through 9-11 and on to the Iraq war, Galbraith foresaw the decline of American democracy, the rise of a 'corporate republic', and the consolidation of an insidious economics of empire. This work contains Galbraith's most influential recent writings on current affairs along with new commentary, and explores both the descent to disaster in Iraq and the ongoing transformation of the American economy under the steerage of Alan Greenspan. Important contributions examine the new U.S. strategic doctrine, the adverse economics of wars of occupation, the collapse of the technology bubble and its aftermath, the campaign against Social Security, the political economy of the 2004 election, the subversion of American voting as witnessed in Ohio, Hurricane Katrina and the fate of the dollar.