This is another of the many books that I have read attacking the Bush Administration. Sometimes I wonder that now Bush is history if all of the Bush bashers have been left wondering what to do with their time (a lot of them are now attacking the American system of government as it stands since Obama has not brought about the change that he promised he would in 2008). Granted, there is a lot of things that the Bush administration did that I did not agree with (such as invading Iraq) but with the number of books that hit the shelves attacking his administration is simply mindboggling. This particular book I picked up in a newsagent in Sydney for less than $5.00, and that was when Bush was still in power. Simply goes to show that supply on the subject easily outstripped demand.
Was there anything in this book that actually said anything new? No, not really. There is the typical attack on the birth control industry (a favourite of the Bush Bashers considering the fundamentalist stance that Bush took upon entering office) and corporate war profiteering (which is nothing new to the Bush administration, though the actions of Halliburton in Iraq simply cannot be justified).
Is it a book that I would recommend people read? Probably not because there are much better books out there that attempt to bring out the problems of capitalism (and since the two companies that control 90% of the world's water are both French companies, this is not something that is limited to the United States). Should we be holding our leaders accountable? Most definitely! Would a similar book be able to be published in Iran (or Russia)? Definitely not, well, okay, a book attacking American capitalism would be readily available, but a book attacking the Iranian president, or even the supreme religious council would most likely be taken from the shelves and burnt along with the author.
Despite all of the problems that the Bush Administration created (including the Global Financial Crisis) we should still remember that we live in a democracy and we can walk down main street waving anti-government placards (though don't try doing it in your local shopping centre, that is private property - democracy doesn't apply there). Well, maybe describing our system as a Democracy is stretching it a bit far, but since we do have rights and we do have freedoms, going as far as describing it as a plutocracy is stretching it a bit as well (though it does appear that our leaders do want to take us this way – a way that America is currently hurtling at incredible speeds). ( )