Best New Anti-Bush/Anti-War Books?

[Hamlette]

I get to review new books for a local publication. Topic: new anti-bush books.

What are the best ones out there? What should I not miss? Have to be new since Christmas.

[One Taste]

1. I'm interested..

I need a new book.:)

[wryter2000]

2. Haven't read it yet

Eric Alterman's book on how Bush misleads us sounds promising. It's on my TBR pile. Ambassador Wilson has a book coming out soon, too.

[jamesinca]

3. The price of loyalty, the education of Paul O'Neil

Good book, Suskind came under such scrutiny for the book he released all 19,000 documents that were used to write the book. They are posted on the web.

[Wwagsthedog]

4. Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson

While not specifically anti war/*, this book is instructive about why our government policies are as militaristic as they are. He explains how our military appetite grew beginning with the Spanish American war up until today. It is a somewhat heavy and pessimistic read but well worth it if you need an explanation of US behavior in today's world.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

5. House of Bush/House of Saud by Craig Unger

was out this week -- check www.salon.com for extracts.

"Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke (NSC guy) is out next week

& I think the Paul O'Neil book ("Price of Loyalty" by Ron Suskind) is post-Xmas

[RobertSeattle]

8. Here more on Clarke from William Pitt

http://truthout.org/docs_04/010504A.shtml

Throughout the spring and early summer of 2001, intelligence agencies flooded the government with warnings of possible terrorist attacks against American targets, including commercial aircraft, by al Qaeda and other groups. A July 5, 2001 White House gathering of the FAA, the Coast Guard, the FBI, Secret Service and INS had a top counter-terrorism official, Richard Clarke, state that "Something really spectacular is going to happen here, and it's going to happen soon." Donald Kerrick, who is a three-star general, was a deputy National Security Advisor in the late Clinton administration. He stayed on into the Bush administration. When the Bush administration came in, he wrote a memo about terrorism, al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. The memo said, "We will be struck again." As a result of writing that memo, he was not invited to any more meetings.

In a late November truthout interview, former Clinton advisor Sidney Blumenthal said, "Richard Clarke was Director of Counter-Terrorism in the National Security Council. He has since left. Clark urgently tried to draw the attention of the Bush administration to the threat of al Qaeda. Right at the present, the Bush administration is trying to withhold documents from the 9/11 bipartisan commission. I believe one of the things that they do not want to be known is what happened on August 6, 2001. It was on that day that George W. Bush received his last, and one of the few, briefings on terrorism. I believe he told Richard Clarke that he didn't want to be briefed on this again, even though Clarke was panicked about the alarms he was hearing regarding potential attacks. Bush was blithe, indifferent, ultimately irresponsible."

"The public has a right to know what happened on August 6," continued Blumenthal, "what Bush did, what Condi Rice did, what all the rest of them did, and what Richard Clarke's memos and statements were. Then the public will be able to judge exactly what this presidency has done."

...

Never mind the final insult: They received all these warnings and went on vacation for a month down in Texas. The August 6 briefing might as well have happened in a vacuum. September 11 could have and should have been prevented. Why? Because Bush knew.

[NJCher]

6. what a cool job; I'm jealous!

Here's a suggestion. I heard an interview with this author today on www.wnyc.org (noon) on the Leonard Lopate Show:

"Fraud, by Paul Waldman, a political and media analyst. Mr. Waldman explains why he thinks the Bush administration has been craftily manipulating the American press since day one." (from the wnyc Web site)



This book sounds like a well-researched expose on how bush has manipulated the media with his phony baloney Texas persona. It was a highly entertaining interview and if anyone wants to listen, go to the wnyc link (above) tomorrow after 12N and you can listen to the audio.

At one point, the interviewer asked what the need was for bush to lie so much. Paul Waldman responded with a common sense observation that they lie whenever they know the truth is not acceptable and that it won't get them what they want. Now that may seem obvious and it is, but it was insightful: they lie lie lie because they are always grabbing, grabbing, grabbing.


Cher

[RobertSeattle]

9. Fraud is Excellent

I haven't caught Paul Waldman on any interviews though. This book should have been pushed more. The back summary is awesome:

FRAUD: The Strategy Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn't Tell You by Paul Waldman

How to Build a Fraud:
Portray son of one of America’s most influential families as down-home Texan
Berate media as "liberal" until they stop asking tough questions
Take advantage of reporters’ tendency to not check the facts
Mask reactionary policies in compassionate words and pictures
Push false stories from right-wing media into mainstream media
Extol the virtues of workers while systematically pushing an anti-labor agenda
Propose a series of tax cuts aimed at the wealthy, but sell them as a boon to ordinary Americans
Disguise destructive initiatives with friendly sounding names
Befriend media with "genuine guy" routine
Keep the public from accessing information
Maintain message discipline at all times
Question patriotism of anyone who disagrees
Repeat above until it all seems true

[neverborn]

7. Take Them At Their Words

Good Bush quotes and the like in there.

[1morelib]

10. Not Anti-bush But

I am currently reading "Tour Of Duty" by Douglas Brinkley. Not Anti-Bush, but somewhat Pro-Kerry. Very fascinating look at Swift Boat duty during Vietnam War and a bit of a Kerry bio.

[Kira]

11. The Price of Loyalty

is really great. I now have great respect for Paul O'Neil. The book gives you a really good insight into what really went on in the Bush Administration during the first two years of his term. It reads well too.

[kayell]

12. Bump, 'cause I'd like to see more recommendations

[Dulcinea]

13. Another vote for "The Price of Loyalty."

An excellent read!