The book details many of the down sides of the Bush presidency, going back to many documented and some new reports of election fraud from the 2000 and 2004 elections. Some of the economic theories and free trade discussions need a little more explaination, and other policy failure discussions of the past eight years have been discussed enough over the years so that it's no longer breaking news. Book has become somewhat dated following the 2008 election. Obama is in, and Bush is out, and it's time to move on. ( )

This really is not a bad book. Part of the reason I gave it only two stars is because I am pretty much satiated when it comes to books about politics and the Bush administration (i.e. I don't need yet another person to tell me how bad Bush & Co. are, since it only reminds me of the many bozos out there who voted for him not once, but twice, but I disgress).

Having gotten that out of the way, if you have to read one of these books that document the many foibles and outright outrageous acts of this administration, this is definitely a pretty good one. Palast adds a sense of humor to what can be a pretty depressing topic. The book is very well informed, pretty good documentation overall too. The nice thing is that the book's chapters are organized into small segments, which means you can pick up and read sections here and there. The book does invite some browsing as well. So, if you have to read yet another book about current politics, this may be it. If like me, you are already tired of them, just skip it, and do try to skip the whole genre for a while. I know I will; this will probably be the last book on the topic I read. ( )

Like Franken's book, very funny but also much more caustic and full of facts (enough to get me lost at times.) I'm very glad I did not read the chapters on the stolen 2000 and 2004 elections before this current election because I might have stayed at home cowering in a corner at the futility of it all. Thought provoking and angry making and also taught me my new favourite word; mendacious.

I started this book somewhat sceptical about both its tone (snarky attempts at humour can often be plain irritating) and its content (was there really going to be anything substantially new here or just rehashing well known info with a good dollop of outrage?) But ultimately I was blown away by both the quality of research and the writing. First off Palast has finally made sense of the cause and conduct of the Iraq war from a U.S. policy point of view. It was such an absurd war, and so badly managed that despite reading a mass of insider books about it one could never quiet figure it out. Palast offers an explanation that finally fits the pieces together. Secondly his look at the ever-growing practice of manipulating voting in U.S. elections by using various methods to essentially deny voters the right to vote in the 2000 and 2004 elections are prophetic as they seem to have really come in to their own in recent months in the lead up to the 2012 elections. ( )

Palast is a fairly amazing representative of a nearly dead breed; in fact he may well be the last real investigative reporter with a USA beat working today. Read with your sense of humor cranked way up, though, or the depressing implication of Palast's research will make you cry. ( )