Bush's War For Reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the People [Hardcover]

James Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2004

A news-breaking exposé of the Bush administration's rush to war, from the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Bush's Brain
In this exclusive behind-the-scenes account, veteran journalist James Moore reveals how the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was a key goal of the Bush administration from the very beginning-and a critical component of the president's reelection strategy. Drawing on high-level sources inside the administration and the military, Moore weaves together a multifaceted narrative that probes the political underpinnings of the administration's push for an Iraq war, exposes efforts during the war (and after) to manipulate perceptions of U.S. military success, and contrasts it all to the ultimate price paid by soldiers duped into believing they were fighting for a just cause, not for political gain.
Moore takes us inside strategy meetings at the White House and the Pentagon, revealing the political calculus behind critical military decisions. He examines the administration's unprecedented efforts to control an d withhold information, including in-depth discussions with Joseph C. Wilson, husband of Valerie Plame, the CIA operative allegedly exposed by Karl Rove. Moore also gives us an uncensored view of combat in Iraq, reporting opinions of a senior Air Force source and troops on the ground; he shows how the war's first American casualty actually died, and reveals what really happened to Jessica Lynch's unit.
Finally, Moore uncovers what might be in store if Bush wins reelection: the use of Iraq as a forward base in the fight against terrorism, and where the war may go next. Publishing at the height of the presidential election season next spring, Bush's War for Reelection is sure to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a compelling expose of the conflict with Iraq and the political effort to help George W. Bush win a second term in office." (Prospect, March 2004)

From the Inside Flap

Bush's War for Reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the People goes inside the White House and the Pentagon to show how the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was a Bush goal before 9/11?and how 9/11 became the justification. Bestselling author James Moore examines the unprecedented efforts by the Bush administration to suppress and distort intelligence, and withhold the truth from the American public, including an in-depth discussion with Joseph C. Wilson, the former ambassador, whose CIA agent wife was allegedly exposed by Bush operative Karl Rove.

Using his deep resources and contacts, Moore takes you inside the war and provides a view of combat in Iraq, which the U.S. government has managed to keep from the American public. Senior officers and troops on the ground tell Moore exactly what happened in the war's opening days, including the real causes of the ambush of the 507th Mechanized Company where Jessica Lynch served. Exclusive interviews and documents also detail how the deaths in Charlie Company at the Battle of Nasiriyah were connected to the tragedy of the 507th, and how an American fighter pilot appears to have killed U.S. Marines.

James Moore also interviews a Lieutenant Colonel from the Texas Air National Guard who claims to have witnessed "embarrassments" being removed from the Guard records of President Bush. And he tells the emotional stories of military families committed to the service of America, and how they are coping with the loss of their loved ones. Bush's War for Reelection carefully explores the moral questions related to pre-emptive war and its effects on the future of all Americans.

Drawing on high-level sources in the Bush administration, the U.S. military, media, political operatives, and the families of soldiers who are doing the fighting and dying, Moore exposes the political and economic underpinnings of the rush to war. In the final analysis, the devotion and trust of American troops have been taken advantage of by a White House that has skillfully manipulated perceptions of the war on terrorism and Saddam Hussein.

Combining the dramatic tension of combat with the intrigue of presidential and global politics, Bush's War for Reelection delivers a version of current affairs and recent U.S. history, which, until now, had gone unwritten.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471483850
• ISBN-13: 978-0471483854
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,453,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading, March 11, 2004

By 

Carole Rhodus (Idaho, Colorado and Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bush's War For Reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the People (Hardcover)

No wonder the Bush Administration is so touchy about Mr Kerry's comments, "they are the biggest bunch of crooks and liars".
In this election year, I have been doing a lot of serious reading, both online, in the library, and when a really good book comes along -- buying it. This book is in that last category.
After hearing about this book on MSNBC, I had to get it. I was not disappointed. The format, style and detail is superb.
It confirms my original fears regarding Iraq, and gave me some new ones. The problem is, it makes me feel violated, taken advantage of by these people who arrogantly abuse their absolute power. And to think that I actually wrote Pres. Bush, and offered my "patriotic support, even though I didn't vote for you, as we go to war -- I have to trust that you know what you are doing and you will do the right thing". Trust? Do the right thing? Boy, was I a schmuck! Kerry was right -- "they are the biggest bunch of crooks and liars" that ANY of us have EVER seen. Worse than Nixon! And I used to be a Republican! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This book should be REQUIRED READING before you are ALLOWED to vote! I'm sending my copy to a brother-in-law, an uninformed Bush supporter. Hopefully he, and others like him, will make a more informed voting decision once they've read this book! My thanks to Mr Moore. I highly recommend this book. For a more comic, light, and entertaining approach to some of this subject matter, I also recommend Al Franken's, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them".

124 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reasons For Regime Change!, March 7, 2004

By 

R. Hutchinson "autonomeus" (a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bush's War For Reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the People (Hardcover)

James Moore, author of "Bush's Brain" (that would be Karl Rove) is back with more hard-hitting reporting. The theme of the book is that Bush, who had strings pulled to get him into the National Guard to avoid Vietnam and then went AWOL to work on a GOP political campaign, is no war hero. Moore's book is filled with the stories of the real war heroes, the young men and women who were sent to fight in two wars that should not have been fought -- Vietnam, and Iraq 2003. The format moves back and forth between chapters exposing the lies, vendettas and trickery of Bush and his team, and chapters profiling the stories of combat veterans.

The opening chapter documents the fact that the Bush administration was committed to a war on Iraq upon entering office. 9/11 was merely the pretext. They knew full well that they were manufacturing and twisting intel -- what nerve to deny it! (See the excellent story "The Lie Factory" on the Office of Special Plans in Mother Jones on the web.) Hundreds of U.S. troops have died for Bush's lies, Bush who used his family connections to avoid combat himself. A major contribution of the book is to document Bush being AWOL and the cover-up, including photocopies of many documents and a list of those that are missing. LTC Bill Burkett of the Texas Army National Guard is one who knows and has paid the price -- he has suffered death threats, shots fired into his house, and the denial of medical treatment that nearly killed him, all because he refused to join the coverup of Bush's AWOL episode in 1972-3. Another chapter covers the shameful outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame by the Bush administration. Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife was exposed by right-wing journalist Bob Novak in retaliation for Wilson's exposing the lie that Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger, the infamous "16 words" inserted into Bush's speech long after it was known to be unfounded.

One of the most shocking stories included here is the scandal of electronic voting. The use of electronic touch screen systems allows the manipulation of results -- this is documented by Moore, using the research of Bev Harris (see her book "Black Box Voting") among others. Diebold Election Systems, one of the leading manufacturers, is associated with the GOP -- CEO Wally O'Dell was a "Ranger" for Bush in 2000. Diebold is alleged to have stolen 16,022 votes from Gore in Volusia County, Florida in 2000 with vote tabulation equipment, and also to have stolen the election from Vietnam vet Senator Max Cleland of Georgia in 2002. It is explained how patches are used to fix malfunctioning machines, and that these patches can easily be used to insert codes that change the results. In the 2002 election in GA, which used Diebold machines, there was a 25-30% failure rate, which resulted in the application of patches to 1,387 terminals. This is not a science fiction dystopia, this is the GOP using computers to steal elections today in America.

Bush has manipulated the patriotic sentiments of the American people following 9/11, and is running as a "war president." But he launched an unnecessary war on Iraq, which had no connection to 9/11 and presented no imminent threat from nuclear weapons -- these facts were known all along, as those of us who opposed the war said so time and again as we tried to stop it. James Moore has done our nation a great service by exposing the high crimes of the current administration. It's time to put an end to the lies, to honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed for us, and bring about a regime change in November!

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Conservative ideologues and liberals alike, March 28, 2004

By 

W. P. Strange "Bill's shelf" (Williamstown, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bush's War For Reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the People (Hardcover)

Finally a reasonable perspective on the current political miasma created by the Bush Administration. Well written, organized in a logical presentation, and more even handed than the usual fair from both extremes, i.e. Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore, Al Franken.
One mystery that isn't explained however is, why is it called the "Commitee to re-elect the President" when he wasn't "elected" yet.
If much of what is discussed by James Moore is weighted more to the truth, then a win for Bush in 2004 will be a bigger disaster than the re-election of Nixon in 1972.
If read with a truly open mind, Moore's book is at least an eye opener and a cause for much needed debate before we go to the polls in Novemeber.