Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency

Rating:
Summary: Byrd's White Sheet Got In The Way While I Was Reading!!!!!!!
Review:
Klansman Robert "KKK" Byrd--hereon in branded KKK--marauds in this smear campaign of a book that immoderately oversteps all American virtues and terribly endorses only reductions in defense spending, rerouting of military spending for socialist degeneracy like UN funding and intensified budgets for states, surrender to world opinion, isolationism and other liberal "goodies!!!!" Another fretful disease of KKK's is his imposingly arrogant prose; one can readily imagine the elitist/racist scorn with which he spits his bigotedly assuming misdirection!!!! Taking for granted his audience is all brainwashed liberal surrenderers, KKK callously proceeds with the most sneeringly self-involved, coldly deep-rooted idiosyncrasy of recounting his boring tales about the immaterialities of his personal life, anarchically ranging variedly from his childhood to derisive bragging about his Capitol Hill office--the "Elba." KKK's discriminatory enmity at Bush is glaring, which massacres his credibility. KKK's rebukable for shifting the blame for most of his libels on Bush because he repeatedly confesses that Congress has shirked its duties in oversight!!!!

KKK begins unoriginally, predictively enough like all the hordes of mistaught, opportunistic, liberal-hawking books that blue-state-publishers misjudged would affect the election by savaging Bush regarding his groundbreaking tax cuts which granted all classes an across-the-board reduction at different rates. Lowly, KKK, like all liberals brainwashed by their conspiracy of denigrations, stigmatizes and cries why the rich got the biggest cut although anyone but undereducated, subhuman liberals realizes cuts were allocated according to proportion of tax payments!!!! KKK continues to shamelessly criticize Bush's tax cuts when the economic adversity from 911, corporate scandals and the CLINTON/GORE RECESSION warranted them; also, KKK's now mortified because Bush's first term ends with breakeven of "job losses" and more than two million jobs created since August 2003!!!!

Worsening the liberal commonality of varying Bush defamations, KKK assaults the Patriot Act!!!! Implicating himself treasonous as well as racist, KKK overridingly prefers lessening the Act's provisions to fanatically, ideologically "obey" a severe conception of "Constitutional rights." Besides this, KKK gratingly consistently disrupts his complaining to reminisce over the past like the 1995 Line Item Veto. Convicting him of two-faced treachery in scribbling a book which allegedly scorns mainly Bush, KKK's preeminence is actually whining about congressional cowardice in absconding accountability to other government branches as 1995's Line Item Veto did. More disconcertingly, KKK's happy about the liberal judicial branches' usurpation of law-interpretation that Congress is answerable for, as the Supreme Court embargoed the Line Item Veto. KKK misuses his example of congressional sloth to sigh that Congress lapsed in ensuring the Patriot Act was checked before approval. KKK's obstinacy to delayingly ensure all prerogatives of Congress/Senate were granted when America required criminal investigation and intelligence sharing coordination and the enfranchisement to grill terrorists for intelligence degrade him as a traitor, not a "traditionalist!!!!" KKK's such a liberal traitor he plans to reduce freedoms of surveillance to prevent terrorism so liberal fanatics can be afforded their zealously purist interpretation of "rights."

Ch.3 begins with tireless history "lessons" to bloat KKK's egotism over "knowledge." KKK meanderingly charts this to his grieving about Bush's supposed encroachment on appropriations although--AGAIN--ONLY CONGRESS IS BLAMEWORTHY FOR YIELDING!!!! Crookedly, KKK plots to recycle accusations that liberals are gluttonously crazy about: "secrecy" in Bush's Administration. KKK moans about the constrictive briefing for Iraq war intelligence Congress received, alleging insufficient questioning time, but this is all KKK's jealously in Congressional/Senate committees being bypassed an actual hearings. Then, KKK blisters Bush for ensuring continuity of government because it's "secretive" despite its Cold-War-roots and need for secrecy to PROTECT its survival!!!!

KKK's the impertinence to defame Bush's policy of hunting terrorists even in countries harboring them, shielding terrorists by accursedly doubting their identity. Such is KKK's empathy for terrorism, he enviously curses the Administration for seeking broad-based powers to wage war out of resentment that the legislative branch didn't "assert" itself--KKK irremediably slights Bush for seeming "angry" and defining villains from the upright by stating, "...with us or against us." KKK oversteps worse by mortifying Bush's moral certainty in distinguishing between good and evil regarding terrorists; KKK audaciously chides Bush for not choosing more careful language... while referring to TERRORISTS!!!!

Scheming to fret untaught liberals, KKK jealously proceeds to cry about Bush's purported bypassing of congressional oversight in refusing Tom Ridge's congressional testimony, yet there's NO precedent for cabinet-level members or advisors to sit before committees. Insanely, self-destructively, KKK admits to revenging himself by OPPOSING Bush's initial Homeland Security proposal, OBSTRUCTING as ruinously as former Senator Daschle!!!!

Distressingly, KKK squanders the final chapters on the liberal jihad against Iraq's war. KKK degrades Bush for his "Axis of Evil" citation although NK, Iran and Iraq are PROVEN to support the same network of illegal and lethal weapons shipments. Abusing this to derogate Bush crueler for his "unilateralism," KKK defames Bush for not joining Kyoto or the ICC without divulging either's adversities to American jobs and peacekeepers!!!! KKK stoops to chicaning incompetent liberals with their preconceived hysteria by slurring Bush's "invalidity" of authorization to liberate Iraq; actually, after Gulf War I, there was only a cease-fire and not the end of hostilities, Hussein relentlessly aggressed American/British jets patrolling the no-fly zone and breached dozens of UN resolutions in a decade, and finally, 1441 authorized Bush very intelligibly due to its "consequences" clause. As a final affront, KKK rottenly complains about the costs of funding, which, even if you'd opposed the war, would be essentially necessary in rebuilding Iraq after years of sanctions, war and dictatorship. KKK selfishly mutters about his willful diversion of pertinent Iraqi money for all fronts of their society--first responders, schools, hospitals, water, sanitation, etc.--to America's systems despite the ruinous condition of Iraqi infrastructure and the non-comparable advantage of America's systems.

KKK's pamphlet suffers from the same, unatonable evildoing most liberal denigrations against Bush share: ZERO SOURCES!!!! Besides assumingly "recollecting" private meetings only he himself can certify, KKK's scribble appears to be nothing more than the hallucinatory, half-crazy bellyaching of a Klansman whose coherent days are behind him!!!!



Rating:
Summary: Speaking up for the role of the U. S. Senate in government
Review: As a long-term member of the United States Senate, Robert Byrd has represented the people of West Virginia since the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. Over the past few years, he has been a prominent voice speaking about the role of the Senate as a deliberative body and as the strongest section of the legislative branch of government. He is also a Democrat, so he is naturally in opposition to the Republican administration of George W. Bush.
However, while he is critical of Bush in this book, he harshest criticism is for his Senate colleagues in how they have acquiesced in allowing the Bush administration to transfer power from the legislative branch to the executive. The legislation passed in the aftermath of the attacks on 9-11 rolls back many civil liberties, with the power to violate them in the hands of the executive branch. The resolutions that allowed the use of force in Iraq are even weaker than the Tonkin Gulf resolution, which allowed Lyndon Johnson to expand American involvement in Vietnam.
Byrd argues from history, citing incidents all the way back to the Roman Empire. He also describes how the power of the English monarchs was gradually reduced over time as Parliament gained control of the public purse. While he sometimes approaches a spiteful tone, he never quite gets there, staying within the bounds that one would hear in a classic Senate debate. His is the most reasonable voice I have heard raised in opposition to the policies of George W. Bush, Byrd's arguments should be heard by anyone who has any doubts about the path his administration has taken.
It is the consensus among historians that Warren Harding is the worst president that the United States has ever had. Byrd gives his insider arguments that after years have passed and we know the consequences of the massive budget deficits and the results of the invasion of Iraq, George W. Bush may be the occupier of that niche.


Rating:
Summary: Awakening call from a hyper-vigilant watchdog
Review: Armed with over half-century of legislative stewardship, heightened vigilance, and global stature, Robert Byrd squeezes a fascinating synopsis of modern American history in formidable mere 200 pages of lucid and fluid narration.

The INTRODUCTION describes how 9/11 has transformed a visionless president into a global leader, unquestioned by the media and by members of either party, whose false bravado ill serves our country. It also describes how the Congress's ambivalence is endangering our constitutionally enshrined freedom from tyranny, which could only be preserved by the aggressive and vigilant maintenance of checks and balances and separation of powers of the three branches of the government. The pandering media drummed the patriotic tone to hike its profit, sanitized the news, opponents disappear, glossed over the harsh realities of war.

Chapter 1, "CHANGING THE TONE", discusses the poisonous atmosphere of strained relationships, loss or respect and trust among the people's representatives and how Bush II is amassing power, rewarding friends with extreme cynicism and appeal to greed. Bush's alliance with the neo-conservatives' agenda of "New Beginning" claiming to "give the people back their money" had siphoned $2 trillion dollars to the deep pockets of the well-to-do, without Budget Committee report on the budget. The author draws parallels between Bush II in 2000 and Hoover in 1928 and the Great Depression when thousands of people become destitute by the government policies, tax cuts, and increased deficits caused by the detached ideologue Hoover.

Chapter 2, "AN UNPATRIOT ACT", describes how the Congress was hurried to pass a resolution that gives the executive branch of government unfettered access to intelligence and law enforcement and could allow military tribunals instead of due process and court laws. He cites James Madison's reasoning that aggressive congressional oversight ensured government controls itself and functions in democracy because of the continual grasping and groping for more power by presidents of both parties.

Chapter 3, "WORMS IN THE WOOD", discusses the dangerous changes that are honeycombing the towers of our Constitution in the form of corruption, dishonesty, greed, exit of discipline achievement from schoolroom, apathy of the governed towards the selection of those governing. The usurpation of purse control by the Republican Congress's is evident in rubber-stamping any proposal for defense through perfunctory consultation process. Restricting intelligence briefings to few members of the Congress, stonewalling, and limiting presidential information to the public are signs of clandestine abuses of power.


Chapter 4, "TOUGH TALK AND AFGHANISTAN", discusses the consequences of the Senate Joint Resolution 23 that gives the president the right to declare war to defend national security and foreign policy, against nations and organizations. It contends that the global war on terror so glibly declared is a "slippery slope", "mission impossible", "swampy soil", and "deadly miscalculation", because of lack of intelligence capability to wage global war. It contends that Bush's revenge ran counter to a steady and sober evaluation of just what happened on 9/11 and why, beyond raw simplicities. The author draws parallels with the soviet invasion to Afghanistan in 1978, which had downed the soviet empire and uplifted Al-Qaeda. He fairly and fearlessly discusses Carter's usurpation of power to short-circuiting the Congress during that ordeal with a distrusted superpower.


Chapter 5, "HOMELAND INSECURITY", contends that the White House had embraced the idea of Homeland Security to grab more control over the purse by ensconcing the new department within the authority of the office of the president in order to bypass congressional oversight or accountability. He discusses how the clandestine huge merger plan of homeland security was hastily improvised of 20 agencies, 170000 federal employees for the sake of justifying spending that creates chaos and less security. He likens these clandestine abuses to Nixon's behavior of abuse of power, and Johnson's and Regan's fabrication of information to mislead the Congress, in different situations.

Chapter 6, "CONFRONTING THE "AXIS OF EVIL", argues that the administration had capitalized on the war for political purposes. He narrates CIA blunder in installing the Shah of Iran in 1953 in order to avoid nationalizing Iran's oil resources, which would have served for prosperity for the Iranian people. That resulted in 25 years of turmoil and the emergence of a rogue state seeking nuclear weapons to deter western interference. He then narrates nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956, which led to the rise on nationalism in Egypt and the overthrow of the monarchy in Iraq. The West had played the role of "Great Satan" propping tyrants against national interests of their people and the War on Iraq is another blatant repeat of historic plunders.

Chapter 7, "OUT OF BUSINESS", explains why passing the authority of war to the President amounts to eviscerating the Congress prerogative to declare war for the foreseeable future, puts unfettered discretion in the hands of callow and reckless president, and proves that the US Senate unworthy of its great name. The illusion that the freedom loving people of the region will erupt in joy on the streets of Iraq had dismissed the facts of the rise of Arab nationalism, Muslim fundamentalism, and tribal rivalries. The perils of spoiling Israel with favoritism and bias against the Arabs had been discounted. It contends that Bush's doctrine of spreading democracy at "gun point" is more dreadful than the 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution which led to 58,000 killed, 150000 wounded, with vote rested on false claims. He offers solutions such as adding sunset provision, fixing botched intelligence, pooling the world's resources, plugging the holes in homeland security.

Chapter 8, "SELLING THE WAR", citing Herman Goering's statement in the 1947 Nuremberg Diary that patriotism is the ultimate tool in the hands of a ruler to subdue people, the author describes going to Iraq was like following Bush driving lambs to the slaughter. He likens the romanticizing of "Shock and Awe" by the media, with America being seized by militant barbarians whose terrifying hype of mushroom cloud is unprecedented irresponsibility.




Rating:
Summary: Excellent information for all political viewpoints
Review: Being a Bush supporter, I read the good, the bad and the ugly. Unfortunately there has been so much ugly revealed as of late. This book is fair and from a long term representative who has seen it all and has nothing to gain.

Rating:
Summary: We can only hope to get the WHOLE truth
Review: Hopefully once Senator Byrd gets past his own hubris, he will enlighten us on why we should listen to advice from a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Senator Byrd may your pork barrell spending and arrogance perish sooner than later.All the best!

Rating:
Summary: The Speeches Are Worth the Cover Price
Review: I heard Byrd promoting his book on a radio show and was so struck by his quiet eloquence and passion that I decided to read it. I have to say that much of it is boring, rehashing what everybody who has been paying attention to the news already knows, and insider anecdotes don't interest me.

However there are two things that make the book worthwhile. One is Byrd's emphasis on the constitutional separation of powers between legislative and executive branches, and how that separation has been dangerously compromised. The White House runs the country, but the Congress pays the bills. The power of the purse is the main check on executive overreach, and what keeps the country from becoming a whimsical monarchy. That power is being given away by senators who don't understand its importance. Byrd does not talk much about the judicial branch and how it also is supposed to check executive power.

But the real gem of the book is the epilogue, in which eight of Byrd's speeches, delivered in the Senate since 9-11, are reprinted. They capture that same quiet voice but loud message that I heard on the radio.

"I will always remember the words of Senator Wayne Morse, one of the two senators who opposed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. During the debate on the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, he stated: 'The resolution will pass, and senators who vote for it will live to regret it.' Many senators did live to regret it. I am one of them. Now I am being asked to vote on another resolution authorizing the president to use force -- this time, not even having been attacked." (p. 232).

Rating:
Summary: One of the more important political books of the year
Review: Most of this short volume is devoted to George W. Bush's leadership, namely his handling of the run up to the war in Iraq. As the title would suggest, the senior member of the US Senate is less than complimentary of the President's performance.

Byrd seems most concerned with the institutional role of Congress. He has long been one of the more vocal legislators on the matter of congressional oversight, or lack of it, especially since Bush took office. He assails what he sees to be secrecy in the extreme on the part of the administration. The author also criticizes his senate colleagues for relinquishing their role in authorizing the use of force, and he draws a parallel between the resolution that Bush used to wage war with that of Vietnam. Byrd voted for the Tonkin Resolution and states that he, among others, lived to regret it.

The senator doesn't skip many opportunities to criticize the current President, who is the eleventh he has met and worked with. He refers to him as inexperienced, callow, arrogant, and handled. While the words aren't overly harsh, the fact that they are repeated with such frequency will put off more conservative readers.

Even so, it's hard to completely dismiss the words of a man who has dedicated most of his life to public service. Byrd is an authority, after all, on the Constitution. In addition to having written a four-volume history on the Senate, he has served there for 45 years. He is also fair enough to criticize members of his own party when he doesn't agree with them, so one can hardly make the case that he is being needlessly partisan.

Byrd devotes some print to the creation of the mammoth Department of Homeland Security and the clash of the two parties over the civil service status of the hundreds of thousands of workers involved. He also includes the text of eight of his speeches from the Senate floor.

Because of the immediacy of the topic - - the debates over the role of Congress in controlling the government purse and in authorizing the use of our armed forces - - and the authority of the writer, this is one of the more important political books of 2004.

Rating:
Summary: A closet Klanner speaks out again.
Review: Now that Strom is dead, the only remaining KKK member in the US Senate is Robert Byrd. A racist for all of his life, who occasionally slips up and uses his favorite terms for African Americans, as he did last year, he now shares with us his observations about George Bush. If you have ever talked to this man, or even worse, seen him in action on the Senate floor, you can only pray that Afghans or Iraqis don't watch him since they'd welcome dictatorship back in a second.
This book is so silly that it should come with crayons to keep his admirers occupied. But as the saying goes, there is no fool like an old fool, and Grand Kleagle Bobby fits the bill with this book. I don't think there is a single chapter in this book that rises above the level of a 6th grader, but i'm sure he made a bundle in writing this nonesense, as he has done his entire career.

Rating:
Summary: Bush's attack dogs are even here!
Review: Robert Byrd has been in politics since well before I was born. Therefore those who do not heed the wisdom of his observations are either clones of George W. Bush or some of his pit bulls out there to obfuscate the facts of his deplorable administration even going so far as to write up bad reviews of anything criticizing Bush, etal. in venues such as Amazon.

I am stunned that such a book as this receives only one customer review star.

Buyer BEWARE. Don't believe this one star label.

This book is a great book. Robert Byrd is a wise and experienced statesman. Would there were more like him right now in Washington D.C., I believe there would be as of today October 31, 2004 1,100 American military men and women still alive, over 100,000 Iraqi civilians still alive, and 29,000 American military men and women free of permanent combat related injuries.

Bush, etal. learned a very long time ago that in order to succeed just keep lying and lying and lying; accusing and accusing and accusing; labeling and labeling and labeling; deceiving and deceiving and deceiving. Bush etal. has done a very good job at lying, accusing, labeling, and deceiving.

When Bush ran for governor of Texas, he lied about crime in Texas under the leadership of Anne Richards. He stated crime was up 29% when in fact it was down 14%. He spread rumours throughout Texas that Ms. Richards hired people of immoral character going so far as to have his underlings spread this lie in the form of handouts placed on windshields of cars in church parking lots on Sundays. Just two small examples of Mr. Bush from way back in 1994.

But I am getting sick and tired of his attack dogs reaching out even into Amazon to protect this paper tiger of a leader. Don't believe the criticism written here. It is not genuine. Just more lies, accusations, labels, and deception.

Don't take my word for it. Take a look for yourself at every book written that criticizes Bush and his administration that Amazon sells. Read the customer reviews which are one star only. The rhetoric used is pure Karl Rove acid.

Bush's attack dogs are EVEN here.

A plague on his house!


Rating:
Summary: Hatred or Senility?
Review: Senator Byrd is clearly a disgruntaled old foggy who's failed ideology is still stuck in 60's and is no longer selling today with the younger generation. Perhaps it is time for the good people of West Virginia to send this worthless senile old fart back to the "home" .