Includes bibliographical references and index.

Former White House counsel John Dean has become one of the most trenchant and respected commentators on the current state of American politics. Here he takes the broadest and deepest view yet of the dysfunctional chaos and institutional damage that the Republican Party and its core conservatives have inflicted on the federal government. He assesses the state of all three branches of government, tracing their decline through the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II. Unlike most political commentary, which is concerned with policy, Dean looks instead at process--making the case that the 2008 presidential race must confront these fundamental problems as well.--From publisher description.

Introduction: Process matters -- First branch : broken but under repair -- Second branch : broken and in need of repair -- Third branch : toward the breaking point -- Repairing government : restoring proper processes.