'Fiasco' by Thomas E. Ricks...

[Kenergy]

I thought this was a good read...It's a long read...about 439 pages, but I felt it was an
interesting perspective of this botched war in Iraq. I didn't agree with him on some things, but
an interesting read nonetheless.

[TomClash]

1. An excellent book nt

[illinoisprogressive]

2. I have a stack of about 5 books and fiasco is in the middle.

I have to first finish Greatest Story Ever Sold and Imperial Life in the Emerald City.
I have heard Fiasco is top notch.

[FastHorizon]

8. Almost done with...

Imperial Life in the Emerald City. Highly recommended.

[Skittles]

3. may I ask

a couple of things you did not agree with him on - please, thanks

[Kenergy]

4. It's no so much I disagree with him, but

I felt he should have mentioned the Downing Street memo, and also Chalabi's activities prior to
Bushco taking over. Other than those two things, the book imo was first rate.

[Skittles]

5. OK thanks

it's on my reading list

[LSK]

6. Im about 100 pages into it

Very good so far.

[BurtWorm]

7. It is for the most part an excellent summary of what has gone wrong in Iraq

and why. Very few in the administration come off well, and some come off as real villains. Not that Ricks is manipulating the facts to present a partisan picture--not at all. He just doesn't pull the punches American journalists are trained to pull to seem "fair" and "balanced."

The big creeps in the narrative: Cheney, of course, particularly for forcing the "dialogue" on Iraq to the far right before it was even out of the gate in August 2002; Wolfowitz, for having his head stuck way up his ass from day one; Bremer, for making two of the most disastrous decisions in almost immediate succession upon his arrival in Baghdad in late spring 2003, mistakes the "coalition" and the Iraqi people are still paying dearly for; Myers for being a stinking sycophant; Sanchez for being in above his head and responding to it by shutting down; Rumsfeld for caring more about his power than about doing his job well. And, of course, Bush, for being utterly and hopelessly without a clue--even to his utter, hopeless cluelessness.