America Back on Track

Great book! Great read. It's unfortunate that I purchased the book prior to the pasting of greatest senator of our time.

In "America: Back On Track", the Honorable Senator of Massachusetts provides the nation his vision to "reawaken the belief in progress" this nation holds dear. Senator Kennedy display's to the world how America can recover the values it holds dear. He breaks down these values into seven challenges such as reaching a true state of equality, real national security, and reclaiming our constitutional democracy. He provides the reader with the problem, history, facts, and then issues us his thoughts on how to fix the problem. The words of Senator Kennedy should be burned into the minds of public policy and political science students - both Democrat and Republican. As a political icon, Senator Kennedy's publication offers us a rare glimpse of why this country has gone so far off track and how to bring it back. Senator Kennedy and leaders like him have offered us their thoughts, it is up to the citizens of this great nation to take it in action.

America Back on Track, by Senator Edward M. Kennedy provides a historical lens through which contemporary American politics can be evaluated. Through detailed discussion of both the social context and political landscape that prevailed during the turbulent 1960's and his own 40+ years of experience in the senate, Senator Kennedy is able to create a reliable blueprint (which he often does explicitly in bullet list form) for the values and character traits present in courageous leaders of the past and lacking in political leaders of the present. While the book provides a predictably harsh indictment of the current Bush administration, it does so more as a didactic means to help readers understand the future landscape of America rather than as an end in and of itself. In doing so, Senator Kennedy is able to elucidate a clear plan to address such issues as universal health care, increasing the minimum wage, and the navigating the effects of globalization. Upon completion, I was delightedly surprised at the substantive nature of the text. Senator Kennedy's historical analysis and guidelines for the future create the bookends for what is a serious look at contemporary politics and a hopeful cry for the return of principled leadership.

Senator Kennedy shares a plan, something you dont see much in Bush's White House on how to take us into the future. We can not keep living in the 'from', eventually we need to move to the 'to'. Senator Kennedy should be commended for his hard work and his strong presence. Kennedy points out some of the problems we are facing today and tackles the issues. Thats definately something you dont see in Washington DC. I couldnt imagine a world without the voice and strength of Senator Kennedy.

First of all, Thomas Smith of Phoenix is truly a real idiot who can't hold a candle (or anything else) to the accomplishments of Senator Edward Kennedy. Senator Kennedy is a statesman of international stature, having chosen to fight the good fight for civil liberties and sensible public policy for all Americans for over 40 years, while enduring the moronic comments and half-truths of people like Thomas Smith, (who can apparently barely count to 11). The Senator has dealt with enough tragedies in his lifetime, and after the personal tragedies he has faced, could have left public life, but chose to fight on. I for one am glad the Senator has given the nation an alternative and a workable vision of what America can be once again, in contrast to the continuous lies and deceptions of the Bush Administration. Sen. Kennedy has been in the front row of American policy creation and after 40+ years, has a truly unique vantage point in critically assessing what works and what has not for America. In short, this is a man who knows what he's talking about, and yes, Thomas Smith, it's nice to know that the accomplishments of Senator Kennedy will live on, while you will be forgotten in the sands of time. If you're really so concerned about lies and death Smith, ask your president about his bald-faced lying about WMDs when it's been confirmed that he knew there were none in Iraq, while over 2500 Americans have been killed for no good, VERIFIABLE reason!