Posner debuts at #6, Miniter #12 on NYT bestseller list

[carolinayellowdog]

Hey--

Have seen some discussion today of Miniter's "Blame Clinton" tome, Losing Bin Laden, but not Gerald Posner's Why America Slept which seems to be more focused on the Bush failures. Both arrived on the NYT bestseller list this week, and fortunately Posner is far higher than Miniter. Here's some of the blurb from Posner:

After an eighteen-month investigation that uncovered explosive new evidence through interviews and in classified documents, Gerald Posner reveals much previously undisclosed information:
- the identity of two countries that might have had foreknowledge that a terrorist attack was scheduled for September 11 on U.S. soil
- a startling account of the interrogation of a leading al Qaeda captive
- facts about a series of deaths that point to an ongoing conspiracy by some governments to hide the extent of their earlier relationships with al Qaeda
- details about a secret deal between Saudi Arabia and Osama bin Laden
- how the U.S. government missed several chances to kill or capture bin Laden
- evidence that German intelligence may have protected an informant who was involved with many of the 9/11 plotters
- how the CIA tracked--and then lost--two of the hijackers when they entered the United States more than twenty months before the attacks
- the devastating consequences of the crippling rivalry between the CIA and FBI as the United States moved unwittingly toward 9/11
In a dramatic narrative, Why America Slept exposes the frequent mistakes made by law enforcement and government agencies, and demonstrates how the failures to prevent 9/11 were tragically not an exception but typical.

Has anyone read it or seen an author interview or book review?

CYD

[JHB]

1. There's the Amazon reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375508791/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/104-3426766-1959900?v=glance&s=books&vi=customer-reviews

They seem mixed: A few cheering RWers, others who think its more balanced and doesn't play the blame game, a few who complain it's too dry & technical...

[carolinayellowdog]

2. After reading them all, I won't read Posner

It's all about avoiding assigning any blame to the Bush administration and focusing it everywhere else-- including American society in general. Sounds like this author is bought and paid for. No better than Miniter-- and worse in that he pretends to evenhandedness.

[Minstrel Boy]

6. Good call. Since Posner wrote two books

defending the official "lone nut" stories on the JFK and MLK assassinations, I distrust his motivation.

[Capn Sunshine]

3. Sleeping With The Devil

seems like a much better tome than either of these:
It's all about Saudi Arabia, and its influence on American politics
both sides of the aisle are criticized

and the Bush-Daudi family conncetion is explored.

[donotpassgo]

4. Why the amnesia

when it comes to WHO CREATED BIN LADEN? He is the Regan/Bush CIA Frankenstein?

[AP]

5. Minter was on the losing end of spirited debate on Democracy Now today...

...here's the link

http://www.democracynow.org/streampage.pl

We speak with author Peter Lance, a five-time Emmy-award winning
investigative reporter and former ABC News correspondent. His latest
book is 1000 Years For Revenge: International Terrorism and the FBI
– The Untold Story which outlines how the FBI missed dozens of
chances to stop the Sept. 11 attacks going as far back as 1989.

And Richard Miniter, investigative reporter and author of Losing bin
Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror that
claims that President Bill Clinton had the opportunity to stop, catch, or
kill bin Laden more than twelve times during his presidency and
knowingly refused to wage a real war on "terror" which may have
prevented the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/23/1258253

[CatWoman]

7. Losing end? Hahahahahaha

he LOST it!!!!

Was very defensive, and played the victim with his incessant "You keep personally attacking me"!!! WAH!!! WAH!!!!

That was a very good show.

I'll have to listen to it again :hi: