Another Shrub-slapping Book: Houses of Saud & Bush

[UTUSN]

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Who is J.R. LABBE, and why is she writing TWO columns plugging a Shrub-slapping book in Fort Worth, TEXAS, so close to the pig farm?


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http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/columnists/jr_labbe/8235527.htm

Although Bush is positioning himself as being unassailable on national security in his bid for re-election, Unger believes the president has actually compromised U.S. safety in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.

"I mean, how real is the war on terror if you're in bed with the Saudis?" Unger asks.

This and many more questions are posited in the final chapter of Unger's newly released book, House of Bush, House of Saud -- but not before the author provides what he feels is lacking in all the post-9-11 reporting: a narrative of what occurred within the context of the U.S.-Saudi relationship before and after that terrible day. ....



http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/columnists/jr_labbe/8235572.htm

.... The "big event" in House of Bush, House of Saud is Sept. 11, 2001, and "this book should be mandatory reading for every member of any 9/11 investigation panel -- even the one appointed by the president. What occurred before and after the greatest atrocity in American history reveals an astounding amount of special privilege extended to a foreign regime with direct ties to terrorism.

Unger's book is very much in the vein of Ron Suskind's The Price of Loyalty and Kevin Phillips' American Dynasty -- intensely researched and well-documented looks inside the Bush White House. It cannot be labeled the ranting of an unrepentant liberal, although that might be the impression one gleans if all that is read is the book jacket. ....

By using the tools of the journalism trade, Unger has compiled an illuminating, disturbing look at the close relations between the Bush family and the royal House of Saud, particularly Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the "Arab Gatsby" who is also a key figure in the world of Islam's most fundamental sect, Wahhabism. ....

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[UTUSN]

1. It's #28 on Amazon's Top 100

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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/074325337X/qid=1080487625/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-9379829-7780022

Editorial Reviews
Book Description


Newsbreaking and controversial -- an award-winning investigative journalist uncovers the thirty-year relationship between the Bush family and the House of Saud and explains its impact on American foreign policy, business, and national security.

House of Bush, House of Saud begins with a politically explosive question: How is it that two days after 9/11, when U.S. air traffic was tightly restricted, 140 Saudis, many immediate kin to Osama Bin Laden, were permitted to leave the country without being questioned by U.S. intelligence?

The answer lies in a hidden relationship that began in the 1970s, when the oil-rich House of Saud began courting American politicians in a bid for military protection, influence, and investment opportunity. With the Bush family, the Saudis hit a gusher -- direct access to presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. To trace the amazing weave of Saud-Bush connections, Unger interviewed three former directors of the CIA, top Saudi and Israeli intelligence officials, and more than one hundred other sources.His access to major players is unparalleled and often exclusive -- including executives at the Carlyle Group, the giant investment firm where the House of Bush and the House of Saud each has a major stake.

Like Bob Woodward's The Veil, Unger's House of Bush, House of Saud features unprecedented reportage; like Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? Unger's book offers a political counter-narrative to official explanations; this deeply sourced account has already been cited by Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, and sets 9/11, the two Gulf Wars, and the ongoing Middle East crisis in a new context: What really happened when America's most powerful political family became seduced by its Saudi counterparts?


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[slor]

2. I am reading it now...

what can i say? IT IS DEVASTATING!

[MetaTrope]

3. And it's been banned in Great Britain

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1177091,00.html

[Solomon]

4. Kick. I wrote a thread on this too a few days ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1289146

[Solomon]

5. Kick to keep people thinking about it.

This book should be read along with Clarke's book.

The interesting thing I found about the difference between Clinton and Bush. Clarke had worked for Reagan amd Bush I. When Clinton came into office, he respected Clarke's expertise more than care about his political affiliation, so he kept him on and used him efficiently.

Bush, on the other hand, hires ideologues who are so busy scheming that they don't do the job at hand.

[Unknown Known]

6. This book is devastating

The bushies and Saudis have been in cahoots for decades, and most especially, with the bin Ladens. Why Americans aren't lynching this bunch is beyond me:nuke:

[UTUSN]

7. Why? It's Just Us n/t