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Summary: Its amazing how much ass this book kicks
Review: There are a ton of legit footnotes in the back, the writing is excellent and of course people need to be aware of whats going on between the Bush's and Saudi Arabia
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Summary: Read the book, then take a long hot shower!
Review: As I waded through the muck described so well by Craig Unger in "House of Bush, House of Saud," I kept thinking, "must take hot shower, must take it now!" Sadly, though, after 281 pages of slimy "good ol' boys" and corruption run amok; of crony capitalism gone hog wild; of stupidity and short-sightedness (failing to foresee the "blowback" from creating an army of Muslim fanatics in Afghanistan); of immorality (providing Saddam Hussein with biological agents, including "tissue that was infested with bubonic plague"), incompetence (letting relatives of Osama bin Laden leave the country after 9/11 without even interviewing them), and mendacity (linking Saddam Hussein to 9/11, while pretending that Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with it); I concluded that a hot shower would not be nearly sufficient to cleanse the moral and political stench from my nostrils. Just the cover photo alone (not to mention the one of Don Rumsfeld shaking Saddam Hussein's hand) smells bad enough to knock a buzzard off the proverbial pile of you-know-what. Sound like a fun book? Well, no, it's not. But it IS an important and well-written book, as well as an entertaining one, in a twisted sort of way. Is "House of Bush, House of Saud" perfect? Far from it. For one thing, it's not that original -- lots of this material is already known (although Unger skillfully pulls it all together). More importantly, it's too focused on links between the Bush and Saud families for my tastes. The problem with personalizing things is that it runs the risk of missing broader issues and forces at work; in this case, America's addiction to oil and the country's long-standing relationship (starting with Franklin Roosevelt) to the corrupt, violent, oil-rich, fundamentalist, theocratic monarchy known as Saudi Arabia. I'm certainly no fan of the Bush family, but in my opinion Unger overreaches when he implies that President Bush essentially has divided loyalties -- between Saudi Arabia and America. If that's the case, then so did Jimmy Carter ("the Carter doctrine" springs to mind), Ronald Reagan (the sale of AWACS planes to Saudi Arabia in 1981), Bush #41 (his "buddy" relationship with Saudi Prince Bandar), and Bill Clinton (failing to punish the Saudis for their failure to cooperate in the Khobar Towers bombing investigation). The bottom line is that our problem is not with any particular individual or family, it's with America's insatiable appetite for Saudi oil, and our unwillingness to cut that dependency even after 9/11. Let's face it, the Saudis are not our friends, and they do not share our values. Among other problems, the Saudis have used some of the billions in oil money we've sent them over the years in order to fund Islamic fundamentalist schools ("madrasas") across the world, not to mention fundamentalist Islamic groups (including terrorists). So what the heck are we doing dealing with these people? Three words: oil, oil, oil. Given that fact, it's not exactly a big surprise that a Texas oil family like the Bushes would have close ties with the Saudi (r)oil family. The problem is not the Bush-Saudi friendship per se, but the overall thrust of U.S. foreign policy, driven by the desire for cheap oil (and other resources), regardless of the nasty regimes we have to do business with in order to get it. The answer, then, is to get off of imported oil once and for all. When that happens, the Bush-Saudi relationship will be irrelevant, while the Saudi royal family, along with its oil and influence on U.S. foreign policy, will fade like a mirage into the country's desert sands...
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Summary: Powerful, well written,amazing,scary.
Review: This is by far the best summary of the corrupt public policies of George W. Bush. The only improvement I can possibly think of would be to provide a list of all the companies doing business in Iraq under government contract and then follow the money. I agree with many of the previous reviewers, this will be the biggest scandal in American history. Excellent book !
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Summary: PEELING BACK THE VENEER
Review: I can only surmise that the copy of this book read by one of the reviewers below ('NO FACTS') must have had most of its pages missing - or that the reader is coming from a place where the definition of 'facts' is radically different from the accepted one. Craig Unger's book is chock full of facts - he has done exhaustive research, which is meticulously annotated (there are nearly a thousand notes, some of them quite lengthy). Additionally, unlike many of his Right-leaning counterparts, he actually uses information from both sides of the 'aisle' - what a concept! - which in turn leads to a straightforward look at the subject at hand. That subject is the incredibly intense and labyrinthine commingling of business, political and personal interests that tie the Bush family (and their friends and supporters) to the Saudi royal family. The ties that Unger documents so clearly go back over 30 years - and the ensuing time has done nothing to weaken them, at least up until the present. The tragic attacks of 9/11, the subsequent events and their fallout may have a different tale to tell when all is said and done. The crony capitalism and government-by-secrecy practiced by the Bush administration are laid bare here - the inside deals, the lucrative favors given and received, the about-faces in policy which have occurred when convenient, the end-justifying-the-means mentality that seems to govern everything they do. The facts laid out by Unger cannot be simply explained away as 'coincidence' - and the actions of the administration to cover up their actions and their relationship with the Saudis merely demonstrate that they have something to hide. This book does a great service to America by exposing what has gone on 'under the radar' - hopefully it will cause a lot of people to ask some vital questions. Who knows, maybe if enough people ask firmly enough, the questions will actually get answered - wouldn't that be refreshing? Why were dozens of Saudi citizens - including members of the bin Laden family - allowed to fly out of the US soon after the attacks on 9/11, when US air traffic was pretty much completely shut down? Why were the people on board these planes not at least interviewed by the FBI or other federal agencies who made such a show about protecting the 'homeland'? Why did Bush suddenly change his position on the Middle East peace process - from a stated policy of non-involvement to one espousing a 'road map for peace'? Why were so many of the high-rolling, high-contributing supporters of the Bush family given such powerful positions in his administration? Why is his administration being run with the highest level of secrecy in the modern era? Why has the administration actually WEAKENED the fights against terror by switching their focus from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda - the actual perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks - to Saddam Hussein and Iraq, whom no less of a key player than George W. Bush now admits had 'no ties with Al-Qaeda'? While Unger's opinion on these and other matters isn't hard to discern, his journalistic ethics and methods cannot be seriously questioned. He has garnered information from a variety of sources: Democrats, Republicans and Independents, dozens of present and past government officials both in the US and Saudi Arabia, friends and business associates of the Bush and Saud families, and others who are knowledgeable and expert in these matters. The result is eye-opening, and pretty scary - decisions that have affected the lives of thousands of people, military and civilian, in the US, Iraq and other countries, have been made as if they were business decisions, all the while being touted as acting the interests of 'national security'. It's outrageous - and this well-written account is essential to understanding how this house of cards was built. The book deals with many serious, complex issues, and the result is surprisingly readable - it's also a vital tool that every American who plans to vote in November should read.
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Summary: Bush policy in Iraq is a neo wave Trojan Horse.....
Review: first bush sold america on the idea,WMDs were on the brink of falling into enemy(terrorist hands)...when they failed to materialize,policy shifted to creating a benign democracy in Iraq..the neoconservative hawks cooed like doves...forget the WMDs,they said,"is the world a better place without Saddam"..?? and of course the obvious answer...the dumbdown answer is a resounding yes...however,not at the expense of forsaking an all out hunt for bin laden,and al queda,the real enemy...a better question, is the world now safer without saddam at the helm in Iraq...a resounding no....Iraq is a worsening mess...and bush and his administration have no clue as to any face-saving exit ....because bush is "reborn"....you have the CEO of the free world behaving more like a pope than a president...offering up only hope and prayers instead of solutions to this perilous situation...everything that could go wrong in iraq has gone wrong..not because of bad luck but because of "faith based" policy....thank god,JFK was president during the cuban missle crisis...though kennedy was flawed he was astute,and understood how to wield power and diplomacy,simultaneously...bush charged into iraq because this offered up an opportunity for W.to define himself...he admits himself,"before i was just a big name without substance..."big hat no cattle".....Iraq gave bush a more grandiose stage to act out his biblical delusions than either afghanistan or catching bin laden...his original mantra...bin laden... wanted dead or alive...very catchy...but in light of his foray into iraq,most disingenuous.....unger does a remarkable job illuminating reasons the bush team always plays ball with the house of saud.....just follow the money....look into the Carlyle Group....understand the Bush attachment to Big Oil....Big Chemical....Big Business....the House of Bush is about big oil equally as much as the House of Saud...not strange bedfellows afterall....read House of Saud,before you vote....and youll further understand the Bush policy is just your garden variety trojan horse.....a slick means to get in Iraq..just camouflage..for deeper,darker motives......create democracy in Iraq,since WMDs werent found...and substitute do-gooderism for self -interestism.....
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Summary: What else do we need to know?
Review: This book tells us exactly why there is injustice in the world. These are the people who play with lives because nothing ever touches them directly. This subject is what Michael Moore is dealing with in Farenheit 911 and having a hard time getting that message out. The book is well written, well researched and absolutely vital reading for all of us. Think about it...the worst that will happen to Bush is that he won't get re-elected and he'll go on to be a billionare by working for his Dad who is already deeply a part of the Arms trade. So he'll have nothing to lose whether he gets 4 more years or not. WE are the losers and so are all the service people and Iraqis and Afghanis who have been pawns for the House of Bush and the House of Saud. Remember Bush's "The danger is clear" speech he gave trying to convince us that we were about to be annihilated by Saddam? (Watch the DVD " USA The Movie" for a real reminder of how we got into this mess--extremely eye-opening!) If you go back to those bad old days you'll see what propaganda and disinformation does to a blinded and "patriotic" nation.
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Summary: NO FACTS
Review: this book is a terrible piece of writing. There are plenty of unfactual claims or the author takes a fact and distorts it into being something it is not. The left will LOVE this book because it is what they want to hear. If you actually try to explore where the author claims to cite information from this book you will find it is not there. Ia m not even a Bush supporter but this book is a blatant attack on Bush - and that sends warning signs that this book was written under the blindfold of hate.
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Summary: insightful
Review: Let me set the record straight:
In our war on terrorism, Saudi Arabia is one of our closest allies. They have provided-and continue to provide- immense logistical support for coalition troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. A lot of this support is behind the scenes because the saudis secretly acknowledge that a large percentage of their population is bordering on religious extremity and sending troops and/or making support public will anger their own populace thereby causing immense and immediate civil unrest. The root of all the islamic terrorism that the world has encountered over the last decade can be traced back to the lack of true and unbiased education in middle eastern countries. This lack of education - especially during the 1950's-1970's- is due to the governments (such as the House of Saud) limiting and controoling it to suit their interpretation of their faith.
This has led to an uneduacated workforce in middle eastern countries (as most people who have been there can attest to). All "skilled" jobs(doctors, engineers,etc) are handled by highly paid foreigners in the mid-east seeking a huge tax-free salary. The house of saud, as well as most other governments in the middle east, do know that policies implemented by their fathers when they were in power decades back are now defunct and destructive to not only their own society and economy but the world's as it is an increasingly global economy. These middle eastern countries are sincerely trying to change their policies to a more westernized type society. However, change is slow. Be patient- the populace was never educated rightly to think critically and it takes time to change large societies. Saudi Arabia, like other countries in the mid-east, and with the help of foreign governments(especially the US), are slowly making that necessary change. This is why Bush and the Saudis have such a good relationship- not because of oil money, but the Bush Admin recognizes that a free and educated saudi populace can and will set the stage to denounce terrorism and act as a model for other hardline populations to change their ways.
It is in America's (and the world's) best interest to help the saudis and other devoutly islamic countries better educate their population so that they may be able to make better judgements and decisions for themselves.
This, in my opinion, is the best approach to fight terrorism.
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Summary: nessecary reading for all Americans
Review: It is about time that Americans open their eyes to the scary personal and financial relationship the Bush family has with these feudal Islamic fundamentalists.
How can you expect Bush to protect us from terrorism when he hangs out with the main financial backers of terrorism?
I hope that every American realizes what this buisness-personal relationship with the Saudis actually means.
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Summary: Why are Righties so up in arms over this book???
Review: Because it looks at a KNOWN FACT and breaks it down for the average American. For the record, I am a Republican. In the eyes of some who gave this book 1 star, I might be termed a RINO. I voted for Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. I did NOT, however, vote for George Dubya Bush. Why? I don't like idiots. I don't like people who pander. I didn't like Bill Clinton for the same reasons. Why is it when the facts, which are clearly laid out brilliantly in this book, are always assailed by the FAR RIGHT WACKOS in my party? They complain about the PUBLIC SCHOOLS turning out idiots, but I wonder if people in my own party can even criticize it anymore?!?!? My liberal friends can criticize their party and I respect that. I never hear the Rush's and Hannity's EVER say one damaging word about our president of some of the Congress' most destructive members (Tom DeLay anyone?!?!?). READ THIS BOOK. IT OPENS SOME EYES. I, FOR ONE, CAN LIVE WITH JOHN KERRY AS PRESIDENT. SINCE MCCAIN WON'T RUN, MAYBE WE CAN SEE IN 2008. Real Republicans, like John McCain, Ronald Reagan and myself do not like the TRUE RINOs the ones who ignorantly poo poo any ideas or theories just because they don't fit into their rigidly small vision of the world. This partisan bull needs to stop now or books like this won't matter, our republic will have fallen and who knows what will happen. Read this book!
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