Customer Reviews

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder

5 star:		(177)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

What else would one expect from this brilliant lawyer? He is not afraid to address the issues that everyone else turns away from in a state of denial. His treatment of the deception the Bush administration used to promote the Iraq war for political purposes is the detailed account that Frank Rich's THE GREATEST STORY EVER SOLD did not quite make. Why? Because he starts with the premise that the Bush administration really can be shown to be criminally negligent at best. And while I loved Rich's book, Bugliosi's is such a knock-out punch that it's truly hard to read it as "over-the-top" even if you start reading it and expect to feel that way.

The author's folksy and informal style is a little surprising until you realize, as I did early on, that he is presenting the case as an advocate would in court. So it's not dry exposition, but passion that is driving the argument.

Remarkably, we live in a country where even people in the know should know better and don't. How many people today recall that it was the U.S. who kicked out the UN inspectors who were begging for more time to assure that there were no dangerous WMD in Iraq?

Bugliosi shows convincingly that Bush and his people had a perverse agenda of wanting a war, something that no other President had ever wanted. He paints a picture of Bush that makes Michael Moore's film look like hagiography. His research and command of the facts are exemplary, as one might expect from a star prosecutor and his appeal to common sense is such that one wonders why no one has made these obvious points before. (Actually, some of us have here and there, such as former Senator George McGovern, who declared that you would have to be crazy--or think Saddam Hussein was crazy--to believe that Iraq was an imminent threat to the U.S. in 2003.)

This war never made any sense. Bugliosi is not afraid to charge Bush, Cheney, Rice, and Rumsfeld with murder and helpfully explains how that is consistent with criminal law theory. He puts it together the way no one has before.

He also makes the case that Bush-Cheney have been negligent in the so-called "war on terror". As in the case of the UN inspectors issue (why, if the UN inspectors were in Iraq and reporting progress, did we need to invade?) most Americans probably do not recall that Bush and Cheney originally opposed the 9-11 Commission and were uncooperative with it.
This should have been a HUGE issue in the 2004 campaign.

I strongly suspect that some of these so-called "reviewers" have not read the book. If only John Kerry or John Edwards had taken on the Bush-Cheney regime this way in 2004!

Vincent Bugliosi has written one of the most important books of 2008, clearly laying out the case against George Bush for lying our country into an illegal war and occupation of Iraq, and for deceiving the American people by creating the erroneous deception of linking Iraq to Al-Qaeda and the events of 9/11. There is no defense of the indefensible, and what George Bush and his co-conspirators have done to America is treasonous. May all Americans read this book, call for Bush, Cheney and Rice to be brought to justice, and help restore America's integrity and standing in the world. To do otherwise would be criminal. Thank you Vincent Bugliosi for writing this book.

I highly recommend Vincent Bugliosi's new book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder (Vanguard Press, 2008). Bugliosi is a highly admired prosecutor. He prosecuted the Manson family trials. He has never lost a murder conviction. He usually votes Democratic, though he supported McCain in 2000. He now offers an objective, factual, spin-free treatise on one of the greatest crimes in American history.

The reason that Bush, Rumsfield, Cheney and Rice went to war with Iraq is because George W. Bush simply wanted to go to war with Iraq. Just as Hitler was planning to go to war with Poland and France long before he became Chancellor of Germany, Bush was planning to go to war with Iraq long before he became President. Even though there was no connection between Iraq and the events of 9/11, that tragic event gave him the opportunity to sell his war dreams. Going to war had absolutely nothing to do with national security or any kind of imminent threat to the United States. It had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 or Al Qaeda. In fact, the security of the United States has been considerably reduced as a result of Bush's adventure in Iraq. Therefore, the reason that the sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, siblings, best friends of thousands of Americans (and tens of thousands Iraqis) have had their intestines blown out of their bodies to be commingled with the pulverized brain tissue of the soldier sitting next to them in their unprotected, armor-free humvee is NOT because they bravely gave their lives for our country. It's because Bush lied to the country (and to the World), hid the truth and fabricated facts in order to satisfy his lust to go to war -- and have "fun" being a war-time President (at a cost that is now running over $1 Trillion in direct and indirect costs -- at time when Social Security is going bankrupt, health care coverage is not available for over 50,000,000 Americans, the economy is going south and the richest Americans are enjoying tax breaks).

Now, this is old news. You'd have to be either a fool, an ignoramus, in a coma or be a Fox News Channel viewer to be unaware of this. The facts are well documented and irrefutable. Just as volumes have been written about other recent criminal regimes (i.e., Pinochet, Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin -- even Sadaam Hussein who, while not a threat to America was a bloody despot), there is no dearth of published information about the crimes of the Bush regime. Bugliosi's book differs in that he asks the question, "so what are we going to do about it?" He answers the question with a well thought out, logical, objective, non-partisan and legally sound solution: some time after Bush leaves office, prosecute him for murder in each of the 50 States.

On the face of it, this may sound like a preposterous proposal: prosecute a U.S. President for a capital crime (actually, over 4,000 counts of that crime)?!? But he makes a very strong and logical argument for why it should be done. He follows this up with a legally sound explanation about how it can be done.

In this election year, we can look forward to a lot of partisan books and articles from both political parties. Mr. Bugliosi offers us a refreshing (if unsettling) break from partisanship and spin with his objective, factual and well documented arguments. He even anticipates many rebuttal arguments to his thesis and responds to them. The book is neither pro-right nor pro-left. It is pro-American. Not Republicans vs. Democrats but, rather, The United States of America vs. George Bush.

Before I read this book, I believed that prosecuting and convicting a U.S. President, regardless of the extent or heinousness of his crimes, would do more harm to the United States than good. Now that I have read the book, my thinking has changed. Here we have a man who is personally responsible for putting tens of thousands of innocent people into harm's way for no other reason than his own, personal desire to wage war -- laughing and talking about how much fun he is having while all this is going on. A man, who while Governor of Texas, would publicly make fun of condemned convicts when they asked for mercy or for a stay of execution. The Governor of a state that executes more prisoners than any other state. As much as I personally oppose capital punishment, I have to admit that it would be ironic and just to see this particular criminal strapped to a gurney, himself, awaiting the needle. (At least it would be a swift, probably relatively painless, death. Not the kind of death that our nation's sons and daughters experienced as their armor-free bodies were ripped to shreds and whatever could be recovered of their remains categorized at the mortuary as "unviewable.")

I strongly encourage all patriotic Americans to read this book -- then lend it to your friends.

I had seen a pre-published version of this book and will now be buying it, as anyone with a sense of morality, ethics or patriotism MUST support its message, its conclusion and its brave author. I have all of Bugliosi's books, as he's one of the very few non-cowards writing in America today. He makes his case here, and to any rational mind (as opposed to the majority of the U.S. decision makers who pander to the marketplace of uninformed emotionalism), his conclusion is the only one possible or permissible in any civilized society -- which we in the U.S.A. (I don't say America, as Canada and the south Americas are generally more informed than we are on political matters), are every day becoming less qualified to call ourselves. This is an amazing book, full of unemotional wisdom, truth and common sense, and cannot be ignored by anyone interested in or passionate about the U.S. government.

This book deserves to be read before you make up your mind. It is not slanderous, as he offers proof for every allegation. It simply allows us to confirm what we already knew.

One could only hope that Bush is not allowed to get away with murder. At the very least, however, this book deserves a prominent place in the new George W. Bush Library he is planning. George Bush has declared that history will determine his legacy. Personally, I believe this book will be his legacy, and I imagine there are many others who feel likewise.

Therefore, we can only hope that someone has as much courage to pursue this as Mr. Bugliosi shows in writing this and Vanguard Press shows in publishing it.

As for George Bush, it is my fervent prayer that he will be made to pay for this reckless, illegal arrogance which has caused so much sorrow to so many. Again, at the very least, let this book serve as the legacy of this most hated, most un-American president.

I was born and raised in California and have admired and respected Mr. Bugliosi since I was a child. He is far from a no-name as some reviewers have claimed, nor is he a pawn of propaganda. If there is anyone out there these days who can objectively see the cold hard facts it is him. If he believes that a case can be made against Bush, people need to listen. Listen on behalf of this nation that we all say we love.

When I joined the Army, I believed that I would be serving my country, not serving the deranged interests of one man. Yet here I am in Iraq, torn away from my infant, firstborn son and thrown into harm's way. This book was sent to me as a gift. When I opened the cover and saw the collage of pictures, I crumpled to the ground as I looked straight into the face of one of my friends who died less than two years ago, someone who had bigger dreams in life than to lose his lung to a sniper's bullet. I thought of my other friends who were killed and maimed because of this cataclysm that some people call the global war on terrorism. To those who think that this book is just some kind of diatribe, I ask, why shouldn't Mr. Bugliosi be angry? Why shouldn't I? Why aren't you? All of this death and destruction, and Bush thinks he can achieve solidarity with us by giving up golf??! Well, Mr. President, you can keep your golf game! Give back Kenny Bostic. Give back Brandon Stout. Give back Rob Eppich. Give me back a normal life, and my son's babyhood. Give America back all of her money and her good name.

Those of you who haven't read the book, you have no business reviewing it. Those of you who have, I dare you to tell me that I shouldn't be angry.

This book is profoundly important.

The thesis is
1. There was no connection between Al Quaeda and Iraq

2. There were no WMD in Iraq

3. The evidence was overwhelming on points 1 and 2 and known to Bush before the war.

4. Bush took the country to war on points 1 and 2 inspite of the evidence, and he brazenly lied to gain support for the war.

The disconnect between Al Quaeda and Iraq was so great that the CIA, even after being pressured by the Bush administration to find a link, could not do so. (Notice the CIA was pressured to find a link and not to find the truth). The final CIA reports indicated to Bush there was no credible evidence Iraq was involved with Al Quaeda and/or that Iraq had any involvement in 911.

But Bush was not deterred. He then focused on WMD as the reason America had to urgently attack Iraq. But Bush had no evidence that Iraq had WMD or that America was in imminent danger of being attacked. In fact, Bush confided to Tony Blair that he was worried Hans Blix and his team would not find any WMD in Iraq. Bush, fearing he would lose his pretext for war, ordered Hans Blix and his team of inspectors out of Iraq.

Bush even entertained the idea of dispensing with the WMD pretext and instead devise a plan to provoke Saddam into war by flying an American plane camouflaged in UN insignia over Iraq. But in the end, Bush decided to attack without provocation. He would not allow anymore time for inspections and not allow anymore time for debate. He wanted to attack Iraq ASAP.

Vincent is very methodical. The book has the same sense of outrage that Bugliosi displayed in his definitive OJ Simpson book 'Outrage.'

Even though Bugliosi is a renound prosecutor and even though he backed up his provocative book with facts and references, the press continues to ignore this important book. Instead the press continues to focus on important stories like Britany Spears' drinking habits or who will win the American Idol competition. Vincent will get the same treatment Ron Paul (a staunch antiwar Republican candidate who was highly critical of Bush's foreign policy) got from the press.

You see the American mainstream press is not a free press, they are a controlled press and they were, and are, very much in favor of this war.

The one weakness of Vincent's book is that it gave no motive for Bush's lie. Bugliosi asserted he didn't need to prove motive only that Bush did in fact lie. True, but motive is an important component in proving a crime. I can think of a very plausible motive. Read the book "The Israel Lobby And U.S. Foreign Policy" by Mearsheimer and Walt to better understand the influence AIPAC has on our foreign policy. I can't help but think Bush was dominated by Neocon advisors that were telling him we needed to attack Iraq. I think Bush, who had no foreign policy experience and is not known for deep thinking, was put in office and was quickly dominated by advisers and Neocons that saw Iraq as a threat to Isreal and 911 as a golden opportunity to remove that threat.

The American press, while very liberal in general, is heavily influenced by this Neocon line of thought. Did you see Bill Moyer's documentary about the press and the war? Many reporters and editorial writers said they were ordered not to be critical of the war. The staff writers were free to attack Bush in general and free to attack the Republicans to their hearts content, but they were told don't be critical of the war.


I'm not excusing Bush. Bush should be impeached in my opinion. I am just making the point that Bush was not alone. Many more were and are complicit.

Any nut off the street can write a book that claims Bush should be tried for murder. But Vincent Bugliosi is no nut -- he's a respected criminal prosecuter and author of several well researched, well received books.

Vincent Bugliosi is pissed, and he does not mince words in this scathing indictment of George W. Bush. He admits to being a democrat, but lays out his "case" with rational, fact-based arguments. He lists HOW a state's attorney general would bring a case to court, how he would survive a grand jury, and specifically how he would try it. It is damning and effective.

Maybe this is where I should state that I am a Republican and have never voted for a Democrat in my life. So dismissing my comments as those of an angry liberal aren't going to hold water. This isn't about politics, right vs. left, blue vs. red. It's about being an American, and deciding on what we believe in. If you read this book and still fail to believe that George Bush LIED to us and COVERED UP many of those lies, than you need to get your head out of the sand.

George Bush is responsible for the deaths of our soldiers who died in Iraq. Period. If you don't believe me, read the book. Then tell me that you aren't bothered by everything that has happened. Iraq has never been a direct threat to the people of the United States. There was a time when we only fought when we were attacked. The threat of attack was the absolute minimum justification for going to war. Bugliosi clearly lays out the reasons we went to war, and I guarantee you if we knew now what we were lied to then, we would have risin up collectively and not allowed this to happen. At least I hope we wouldn't have. I'm not sure enough of us are smart enough, or determined enough, to get off the couch and do anything about things like this, but I'd like to believe we would.

We need to change some things to be a good country again. We need to change things to be good Republicans again, too. I don't recognize this party as the party I grew up with and supported, and the first step to changing this is by holding those accountable who have done so much damage to our standing in this world, as well as to the military families who have suffered so much to fight in Bush's war.

This book will really fire you up, regardless if you come from the left side or the right. If you have the capacity for critical thought, it will inspire you to AT LEAST investigate the claims further.

As a final note, don't stop reading when you get to the end of the text. The author includes 75 pages of notes that are just as good (and sometimes better) than the original manuscript.

My only criticism (and it's small), is that Bugliosi claims a few too many times that his premise is "not open for debate," or "undisputable facts," etc. At times, they are. Often, he says that about something that is clearly debatable. While I may agree with what he is saying, there are things that are clearly open to debate. When he does this, I feel he loses some of his effectiveness. But, taken as a whole, the book is extremely effective.

I doubt if those who gave this book one star actually read the book. But I read it. The opening chapters show a side of Bush that sickened me. Bugliosi clearly shows, with an abundance of evidence, that Bush really doesn't give a damn about our soldiers in Iraq, and that Bush spends ZERO time trying to get this conflict resolved. Bush is lazy, pure and simple. I doubt if Bush will ever spend one day in court being tried for murder, after he leaves office (if he leaves !). But this book is a beautifully written indictment an evil man. If nothing else, at least historians have another book to use to judge the Bush presidency in years to come.

While I do not agree with all of Bugliosi's opinions, his book is a must read for anyone who wants to know the truth (Finally!) about George W. Bush. Bugliosi is especially effective when he backs up what he alleges with fact after fact, something truly refreshing these days when most writers make the facts fit what they want to say. Hopefully, Bugliosi will wake up some people to what chaos this administration has caused and why. This is a very important book, one that needs to be read by every American who truly loves his or her country.