The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American icon by John Ferling 438 pgs.Loved this book that talked about politics...anyone who thinks political life has hit a new low lately might do well to reacquaint themselves with our history ;-). Somehow the mythology of Washington has become that he was not political and was pressed into service and patriotically agreed to serve. Well, that is a little bit naive and this book discusses the truth of how things ended up happening for Washington. He was a master manipulator and very much knew what he was doing politically and aligned himself with other very smart and political people. I've been reading about Washington for the last year or so and this is one of the best books at revealing some of his not-too-flattering weaknesses. He was slow to make decisions and also frequently looking for a scapegoat when things didn't go his way. Not a stranger to throwing his underlings under the bus, so to speak. Still, a very fascinating look at the father of our country who wouldn't have minded an American monarchy...maybe it is our good luck that he fathered no children.
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