Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

~ Arianna Huffington (Author)
Key Phrases: war without end, sustained national discussion, White House, Right Is Wrong, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Columnist Huffington unleashes her pen on the far-right cowboys and lunatics who, she says, are running the Republican asylum and—with the media's help—threatening global safety, American security, health care and civil liberties. Her contribution to ongoing political debates offers well-rehearsed analyses parsing right-wing spin on the Iraq War, the justification for torture, global warming, immigration, stem cell research and health-care reform. Huffington's sallies have no trouble finding the chinks in the armor of the Bush administration, neocons like Bill Kristol or right-wing media stalwarts like Ann Coulter. While this is a serviceable election-year playbook, Huffington's populist stance may strike some as shaky given her relationship with the media she decries (she lambastes a television show for giving Ann Coulter a platform without adequately accounting for her own presence on the same program). Moreover, her distinction between the current radical right-wing leadership and Ronald Reagan's GOP fails to account for the strong continuity in terms of policies and personnel and has more rhetorical appeal than historical merit. (May)
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From Booklist

Political blogger Huffington worries about the lingering aftereffects of the Bush administration’s extreme conservatism. How, she asks, did the nation get to the point where torture is acceptable, intelligent design carries as much weight as evolution, and a war waged on dubious charges of weapons of mass destruction are met with only mild challenge? The primary culprit is the press—not the “Fox News pseudo-newsmen and talk radio blowhards” but traditional media, Huffington asserts. Bending over backwards to avoid being labeled liberal and enamored of the image of objectivity, the traditional media insists on defining two sides to every issue and locating sources on the Left and the Right in search of balance. Huffington insists there are no two sides to some issues: the need for universal health insurance, the consequences of global warming, and the misguided decision to go to war in Iraq. She lambastes the conceit of objectivity that presents both sides and leaves judgment to readers and listeners while failing to give them enough hard facts. Among the targets of her criticism: Tim Russert of Meet the Press, Judith Miller of the New York Times, and Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.  She offers transcripts of news shows, highlighting press failures to ask hard questions or to follow up on weak and nonresponsive answers. Huffington issues a challenge to stand up to bullying by extremists and regain a sense of fairness and decency in the nation. --Vanessa Bush

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307269663
• ISBN-13: 978-0307269669
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #309,720 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Converts make the best arguments, May 7, 2008

By	Jon Hunt "musician, teacher" (Old Greenwich, Ct. USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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It's hard to imagine that just a few short years ago Arianna Huffington was on the "other side" of the political spectrum but her conversion has been welcome and her new book, "Right Is Wrong", is terrific. Like a fifteen-round prizefight without the one-minute intervals inbetween, Huffington relentlessly sheds light on the "right" with alacrity and acuity. From George Bush on down, we are reminded that this administration has been the worst... from the Middle East to the economy, health care and social issues.

The central thrust of "Right Is Wrong" is necessarily the war in Iraq. Citing many other prominent exposés about the war, Huffington goes after the major players...Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & co., and explains why this massive failure occured and continues. It's vintage Huffington...focused and persuasive. Yet, she also provides some great humor, and her descriptions of Tim Russert and Bob Woodward are more than worth it.

Huffington finishes her book with a warning about John McCain and the consequences we would face if he were elected. It's Bush's third term, she says, and after almost eight years of "W", the country is ready for a new direction. I highly recommend "Right Is Wrong"... it's a solid, in-depth look at the past few years in Washington. One can only wonder what other things lurk in this administration...things we won't know until January, 2009, after they're out of power. I'm sure Arianna Huffington will be there with a sequel!

78 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, May 6, 2008

By	LA-Radio Ken (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

I give every author of politically charged books a shot. As long as there are facts to back up the assertions, I will continue to read. Mrs. Huffington hits the mark again. She isn't one to pander to either side of the political spectrum or cover up when either a Democrat or a Republican has committed a crime or a faux pas.

What I like about the book is that she isn't attacking the Republican Party as a whole; but sheds light on those individuals who are harming the GOP from within. The Republican Party of Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower is gone; it's not the same political group.

I hope everyone gives Mrs. Huffington's book a read. I'm certain that my fellow Republican friends will immediately pan "Right is Wrong" without even reading it - only to get their opinion of the book from the likes of Coulter or Limbaugh. We need to stop being so blind as to what's going on.

35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Right" is wrong as can be!, May 15, 2008

By	Scott (SF, CA) - See all my reviews

Incredible, honest, and thought provoking book... even my staunch, conservative father found this one worth the read. How far into recession does the country need to sink before the "right" realizes they are as wrong as can be?