Rating: 
Summary: Save Your Money he is nuts.
Review: This book of essays is as fictional as the funny pages. Gore Vidal talks of a giant conspiracy involving the oil corps, the govt, the media, and the supreme Court. The Junta as he calls it allowed the slaughter of all those people in the twin towers for economic gain.
I have read that he is a 76 year old historian and wanted to educate myself on how other sides of the subject feel. He quotes news in one sentence bits to prove his point and even quotes something called Janes Newsletter as a point maker.This man should is truly a piece of work, not his book, him.
Rating: 
Summary: everything you know is wrong
Review: Though Franken and Moore have pretty much captured the spotlight with their books on the sad state of this country, Vidal's Dreaming War (and his Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace), is equally as important, if not more so, as it provides a solid background for understanding how we got to be in the situation we're in. This book is a damning indictment of US foreign policy over the last sixty years or so, and how it may ultimately undermine this country if nothing is done to reverse the trend. This is the dark underbelly of US relations with the rest of the world, one that every America needs to know. Like his other book of essays, Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, I cannot recommend this highly enough.
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Summary: More Perpetual War . . .
Review: Well written collection of essays that extend Vidal's thesis about the National Security State (among other things, like 'Mickey Mouse: Historian'). A World War II veteran, he is opposed to the direction the Bush administration has chosen to travel post-911, and lays out his reasons in cogent, biting prose. A self-proclaimed defender of the old Republic which America used to be; his breadth of historical knowledge and at times antediluvian vocabulary keeps the constant reader entertained, and is definitely worthwhile reading for those seeking an alternative to the Corporate News of the day.
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Summary: An older gentleman trying to pry open eyes in a blindstorm..
Review: Yes, Vidal is getting a bit frustrated, and it shows; but can you blame him? The part about the NORAD response is nearly beyond reproach. Given even that the NORAD response MAY have been in vain...do you then ACCEPT NO RESPONSE AS A VIABLE OPTION?? and then give no explanation WHY you have done so? Or does nobody even dare question "so DEEP" a question? No, I think as Americans we are entitled to an EXPLANATION, at the very least...but the problem is...the very least is MORE than what we get, and sheer BULLS$!T is what we are expected to swallow. I am a-political, but even I DON'T BUY what passes for cause in this Administration for an effect SO DEVASTATING...and, unforunately, so profitable for the "right" Corporatons. This is wrong no matter how you slice itor dice it.
Rating:
Summary: Some good information, but some unnecessary additions
Review: This book is pretty shocking. Most of the information is well researched and very accurate, however there are a few misleading claims and some of the essays included seemed a bit pointless. The information on the Usocal pipeline is pretty accurate; it opened my eyes and I did some fact checking just to get more information and to see how valid Vidal's claims were. I've even refrenced those claims in international relations term papers I've written. The information about planes not being up in the air to shoot down the hijacked planes may not be entirely acurrate, however. I was on a special tour of the Pentagon and the military liason, a colonel in the Air Force, giving us the tour mentioned approximately what the proceedure is and why the planes weren't in the air on 9-11. I'm the first person who won't trust anyone in the administration and that was an issue you can't really check the facts on, but it seemed pretty accurate. They didn't lift the planes due to timing, the distance it would take to reach New York, and they don't have nearly as many regular runs as they should because every time we fly a plane it costs millions. It sounded more like incompetance than malicious intent. One essay appeared to be nothing more than Vidal defending himself against his critics. It read more like finger pointing and gossip and I really didn't see a need for it, nor was I interested. But, otherwise, it's something I would definitely recommend.
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Summary: Opps. . .what happened
Review: I've read most of Vidal's books and have been enlightened and educated. What happened with this one? The bias Gore chooses to poison this books pages with, make it only deserving of the garbage can. . .and there it went. Sorry Gore, but this one's not for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Another anger book
Review: The last few years has seen an increase in visibility of angry authors, angry talk show and radio hosts, angry syndicated columnists, and angry political pundits. Each are competing it seems to express the most anger, and independent of their political persuasions, they are doing a good job. The (angry) author of this book is one of these, and his personal dislike of the current president and vice president prevents him from writing an objective analysis of modern events. Even if you agree with his assertions, a lot more than anecdotal evidence is needed to establish them. Anger though is apparently a source of energy for all writers like this one. The facts though get diluted as their pens move quickly across the paper, or their fingers do a tippy tap on the keyboard. Unsubstantiated opinions proliferate profusely, all fueled by the ever-steady flow of anger. There are many accusations here directed against the president and vice president, some of which are public record, such as their avoidance of the fighting in Vietnam. Apparently though they have no qualms about sending others to do the fighting. Others though miss their mark, such as the author's assertion that the administration had designs on Afghanistan before 9/11. The author quotes "The Guardian" as evidence for this, but how does the Guardian know? Where do they get their information, and why are only they privy to it? The 2000 election of course was stolen, in the author's view, with the Supreme Court helping out with (guarded) enthusiasm. The Supreme Court rushed the decision though, not permitting the votes to be counted correctly, and this rush, says the author, was done deliberately, so as to give the current administration a victory that was clearly undeserved. Did the justices really intend this? What evidence could we cite to gain a justification for the author's assertion? Many other unfocused, angry tirades appear in this book. The lesson to take from it is the same as taken from all the other "anger books" currently in print: Opinions come easy; real knowledge takes a time consuming, disciplined effort.
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Summary: Vidal's always acerbic wit, and razor sharp mind, cuts to it
Review: First of all, this is a "pamphlet", in the classic sense, so its length and the fact that much of it was already published in his "Essays: 1992 - 2000" doesn't bother me one bit. If anybody deserves to be re-read, it is Vidal. However; a whole lot has transpired since the last essay in 2000, so Vidal chooses carefully the previously published ones in order to both prove the points which he made then were valid, and to dovetail with the newer scathing indictments (nobody does 'scathing' as well, or with as much wicked wit, as Vidal) of the transparant hypocricy that passes for American policy - both foreign and domestic. His logic is forceful and inescapable. He is passionate about what he sees (some would say about himself as well), and manages to take his beloved America to task (yes, he loves his country, still) without sounding 'righteous' (like the 'right'), or 'whiny' (like the 'left'). This he does by injecting his laser wit into everything he writes. Sure to cause a stir, as always...
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Summary: Is America sacrificing its kids for empire? Vidal says Yes.
Review: Gore Vidal's essays in "Dreaming War" bring us to the biggest post-9/11 question: is the Bush Administration really pursuing a civil and military defense against extremists, or is it using the attack to further a geopolitical strategy to secure an empire with bases in Central Asia? Is Justice the issue, or Oil? Is an endless "war on terror" what it's claimed to be, or something else?
Reading this book led me revisit Halford Mackinder's works, both pre- and post-WWI.
Rating:
Summary: For those not afraid to think
Review: Whether you love the master or hate him, he is always provocative and he can always make you think. For those who are suddenly realizing that they want more than what's being spoon-fed to them via cable news, these essays are an excellent way to start reading between the lines and hearing between the pundits. And one has to wonder, given how many times Mr. Vidal's historical perspective has gained respect after first being doubted (Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, the truth of Lincoln the man, etc.), if that holds true to just 40% of what is stated in this book... Well, then, this is a book people should definitely read and pass on to others.
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