Rating: 
Summary: Comes up short, and topic misleads
Review: Vidal's title was so enticing, so promising: who better than Vidal to disect the pathetic myths of the "war on terrorism?" But Vidal digresses, and talks a good deal more about Tim McVeigh. It ends up being a short, and somewhat weak effort by Vidal, who was capable of something far greater. Parenti and Chomsky have done a better job of skewering American jingoism before and after 9/11.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial and self-promoting
Review: Gore Vidal's opus is subtitled "How We Got to be so Hated". The cover promises "penetrating and alarming essays." Would that he had make more than a token attempt to seriously discuss that much needed subject. Unfortunately, the bulk of the book is devoted to a wandering and repetitious discussion of Timothy McVeigh's motives for the Oklahoma City bombing.The book should have been written in 1998 or so; Vidal is out of touch with the new abridgements of American freedoms that have occurred since 9/11/01. In general this was an attempt to pack fifteen page magazine argticle into a 160 page book.
Rating:
Summary: food for thought.....But, faulty logic
Review: The short essay regarding September 11 and the further erosion of the Bill of Rights is an important viewpoint that desperately needs to be expressed. The U.S. needs to understand that it is vilified in much of the world and the imperialistic policies that the U.S. government has perpetrated and continues forth unabashed leads to hatred. U.S. citizens need to further understand that they are sacrifying basic rights to privacy and freedom from a police state in the current "war on terrorism". However, what Timothy McVeigh has to do with 9/11 is beyond me (please understand that the McVeigh story encompasses about two thirds of this book.) I understand that as a religous fundamentalist, Bin Laden et al have declared a holy war against the U.S. and that their logic is that American infidels occupy what they believe is sovereign and holy land. They have a different cultural, moral and religous background. It behooves American citizens to try to understand their viewpoint so that an intelligent policy can be formed to attempt to prevent future terrorist attacks. On the other hand, McVeigh is simply a murderer. There are countless U.S. citizens that are disgruntled or even furious with their govrnment. However, citizens have many means to challenge the government (lawsuits, grassroots political campaigns, advertising, lobbying etc.) Murder is never an option and must be condemned in the strongest terms. In the end, I felt Vidal did a disservice to his readers by lumping together essays on McVeigh and Sept. 11. They are unrelated except that buildings fell killing many innocent victims. I feel that it is not respectful of the victims to try to make a case that there are connections of thought by the perpetrators of each. Sensationalism comes to mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative, entertaining, and poorly edited
Review: Vidal is unwilling to reduce McVeigh and bin Laden to paper tiger status, to one-dimensional demons who have no motives for their actions. He is also unwilling to accept the view that America is always naturally good and benign any more than the view that its enemies are always naturally evil and malevolent. His heavily-documented views on McVeigh and the FBI are enough to make you question why the US government seems so much more interested in its own PR than in doing a job that would earn it respect. However, the book is very poorly edited. One article, "Shredding the Bill of Rights" - referred to later in the book as "the shredding of our Big of Rights" - is introduced as the one read by McVeigh before his execution, yet it refers to the airport scanners which have been discussed since September 11th, 2001. Perhaps the publisher will send the book to a copy editor before the next reprint.
Rating:
Summary: Please tell me you didn't fall for this...
Review: This short work is disturbing in implication, minimal in fact, elevated in rhetoric, and sinfully misguided in conclusion. The reason that Timothy McVeigh slaughtered 168 innocent people is the same as the motive for the terrorist acts of Sept. 11. The explanation is simple, charges Vidal; the United States asked for it. Gore Vidal brings some valid concerns into this book, and then promptly chases them off the page with shadow-chasing paranoia and turncoat patriotism. It is an obvious conclusion that United States foreign policy is flawed, perhaps permanently so. The idea that either of these cowardly acts was justified is evil, on the same scale. Before I commence a detailed look at a book that I believe borders on treason, let me say that when the pendulum has swung so far to the right, radical views are necessary. I defend Mr. Vidal's right to crank paper through his old typewriter and record any views he has, even when they are as irresponsible as these.
Rating: 
Summary: No suprises. No evidence.
Review: You know the drill. It's the "Down with the King" mythology. A pretentious gumbo of poor research and assumptions about American government and the military. If you really want to know why other countries hate America, it's because of books like this.
Go donate some blood instead.
Rating:
Summary: A Matter of Tone
Review: The most controversial thesis in Gore Vidal's writings about Timothy McVeigh is that McVeigh's motivations are worth understanding. The Oklahoma bomber is worth understanding on his own terms, and so are Randy Weaver, David Koresh, even Osama bin Laden (who most certainly had something to say to us). Instead, such people are killed (Koresh and Weaver were killed without due process) and misrepresented by the justice system and a press that is free, but effectively monopolized. What is the "national interest" that competes with understanding the motivation for militia groups, for "strikes" such as McVeigh's destruction of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City? The real topic of Vidal's book is the national security state established in 1947 when Dean Acheson advised President Truman to "scare the hell" out of Americans about the Russians in order to justify an ongoing wartime budget that far exceeds mere "preparedness" into a cold assurance - and sells out the electoral system to corporate interests. It is sad to finish this dissenting pamphlet, consisting of short writings on the military-industrial complex and our criminal justice system in light of the "war on terrorism" (along with several articles of our Bill of Rights). It is sad to finish it and feel so uninspired. Vidal, one of our finest writers and a credible voice from the left, should be able to build a compelling dissent based on fact, reason, and an appeal to our respect for the ideals expressed in our Constitution. If anyone could reach a skeptical audience, surely Vidal could. But this book is too easy. It is very light on data (there are few footnotes, mainly references to more heavily researched material), not particularly well organized, and its tone is smug and cynical rather than earnest. Instead of appealing to all thoughtful Americans, Vidal plays standup comic for the left with a relentless stream of wisecracks. For one sympathetic to his point of view, and desiring serious dialogue on the issue, it is discouraging. Furthermore, personal prejudices are betrayed. For instance, is there one reference to former FBI Director Louis Freeh that lacks an unflattering reference to his Catholicism (including jokes about hair shirts)? Vidal practically begs to be mariginalized as an "extremist," which only makes it easier to unplug our press feed. We dissidents cannot afford to be snide; we must work hard for the moral ground. We must compell and inspire. (Think MLK, not Al Sharpton.) It requires hope rather than cynicism and liberal despair. It requires loving our foes, and finding the fuel companies, the CEO's, and the generals "well worth understanding."
Rating: 
Summary: Well done
Review: Short and a easy read about 9-11 and the Oklahoma City bombing. Gore Vidal exposes the hypocrisy and the blatant amorality of the federal government and it's foreign and domestic policies. Unlike many rah rah conservative writers who don't question or look too deeply into government policies, Gore does. What he finds is not pretty nor does he let idealogy blind him to what has and is occuring in this country. This book should be required reading for anyone who feels something is wrong in the way the country is headed. Unlike some ultra-liberal gas bags whose writings are ponderous or certain conservative talking heads whose lack of intellect is shown in their writings, Gore is a delight to read, he has a terrific acerbic wit and is not afraid to use it. In short a modern day Twain. In my opinion the best part is his dialog with McVeigh. This is worth the price of the book alone. All I can say is read it! It will suprise, anger, and inform you. The only fault is the chronological layout of the book. The pub. should have corrected this. It jumps from 9-11 to OKC bombing and ending with a letter to Bush Jr. on his inaguration. It is sure to anger Conservatives and their ilk. Then again anything Gore writes does.
Rating:
Summary: Nationalistic War State Power
Review: Being Gore Vidal, and still not able to get to the press until a country outside the controlled media of the USA had the foresight to publish his amazing account of events. Why, do Americans ignore the propaganda that our own government uses to hide the truth. A stirring account of the Federal building when blown up in Oklahoma City where an investigation was halted and the reason is another bomb that was part of the explosion; the secrecy belittles the truth. Because of the Nation magazine's refussal to publish his book at the onset means they are not to be trusted to cover important topics. This book tells one why the USA is hated and righfully so!
Rating:
Summary: A Bit extreme
Review: To start off with, Gore Vidal is one angry man. This book is basically saying that it really isn't McVeigh's fault for the Oklahoma bombing but the governments for their involvement in Waco and other instances. He gives McVeigh's point of view on the entire events from Waco to his execution and then shows where the Government went wrong and could have prevented the whole thing. He does take it a bit far with the government bashing though (not that I'm saying our governemtn doesn't deserve a little bashing here and there!) The plus side to this book is it DOES give the other side of the story in Oklahoma which is a quality lacking in todays one sided, corporate media.
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