Wise Buddha

“The selling of Bush’s Iraq debacle is one of the most important-and appalling-stories of the last half-century, and Michael Isikoff and David Corn have reported the hell out of it.” — Hendrik Hertzberg, Senior Editor, The New Yorker

Hubris is the aptly titled book by Michael Isikoff and David Corn that is a damming unravelling of events within the Bush administration leading up to the Iraq war. It is quite frankly shocking and frankly gripping at the same time - why - because it would appear that the really powerful really are unaccountable for their actions and because one is left with a deep sense of unease as to how PR can be used to bludgeon people into accepting one perspective.

Living in Canada it is easy to be influenced by the obvious contempt that many Candians have for George Bush and frankly the somewhat superior attitude generally that exists. He is clearly not the sharpest tool in the box but I do try and keep an open mind when evaluating the facts - real facts not the O’Reilly Factor type I hasten to add. Having said that even Ann Coulter would have to work overtime to convince people that invading Iraq was a sound decision. This book lays bare the astounding incomeptence rooted in arrogance that Bush and his cronies (the usual suspects Perle, Rumsfeld, Libby, Rice et al) continually demonstrated.

If there is one thing this book makes clear, Dick Cheney wields massive influence and is without doubt the main puppet master along with Douglas Feith who is patently a complete dick. This is essential reading for anybody who has an interest not only in politics but in marketing. After all, the selling of the Iraq war was one of the most effective marketing campaigns of all time.

Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War
by Michael Isikoff, David Corn
Hardcover, 480 pages
Crown
0-3073-4681-1