House of Bush, House of Saud : The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties

Rating:
Summary: Scary . . . even if only half of it is true
Review: Suddenly after reading this book, Bush's alterior motives for invading Iraq are quite clear.

Rating:
Summary: Bush-Saudi Marriage...the Never Ending Honeymoon
Review: There is plenty of compelling material out there that covers the same ground author Craig Unger does in his book. To name just a few, there are Greg Palast's searing documentary, "Bush Family Fortunes - The Best Money Democracy Can Buy" (on DVD); Kevin Phillips' intergenerational saga, "American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush"; Senator Bob Graham's compelling "Intelligence Matters"; and of course, most famous, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" (on DVD). But Unger's contribution still provides great value, as he is part of a growing brethren that have examined the inextricable ties between the Saudi royals and the Bush family, a relationship so tightly bound that it has shaped America's Saudi policy and to some degree, facilitated the proliferation of terrorism. This intricately researched and thoroughly sourced book covers all aspects of the bond between U.S. politics and Saudi oil, and how those bonds created a foundation of future policy that would include the special treatment of the bin Laden family immediately following 9/11, when 140 Saudis were allowed to leave the U.S. on secret flights, and the ongoing refusal by the Bush administration during the 9/11 hearings to hold the Saudi's responsible for their part in funding and supporting terrorism.

The secret relationship between the "world's two most powerful dynasties," as Unger puts it, is all about oil, money, power and influence and has had significant impact on the political and economical landscape of the last several decades. It started in the seventies when an oil-rich House of Saud began courting American politicians in an effort to gain more political, military and economic influence. The ruse apparently worked as Unger meticulously details how both Bushes, father and son, have made fortunes over the years by trading on their famous name to persuade rich backers to invest in their various businesses, mostly oil-related. Some of the backers have been Saudi, even members of the royal family, and others came from another clan of note, the bin Ladens. Although the author relies pretty heavily on third-party evidence in illustrating how widespread the Bush-Saudi link is, he does provide compelling evidence of the enormous amounts of money involved, even putting a price tag on the Saudis' contributions to the Bush family at a staggering $1.476 billion, paid out over 30 years as gifts to Bush-related charities and companies. Moreover, Unger shows how our government leaders, namely Republicans, repeatedly chose to ignore the warning signs of Saudi extremism and corruption, because they didn't want to give up the oil, the power, and the access to material wealth the Saudis promised them. It certainly became a two-way street for both the Saudi royalty and the U.S. government. He concedes that Washington's indulgent attitude toward the Saudis may once have made sense, but he points out and then backs up the fact that the Saudis have always been fair-weather friends far more committed to Islamic fundamentalism.

The author wisely does not go as far as charging the Bushes with deliberately acting in ways that went against America's national interest. Instead, he tries to describe other nefarious intrigues that the Saudis and Bushes have supposedly engaged in over the years, for example the Iran-contra scandal, the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (B.C.C.I.) and even George W. Bush's narrow victory in the contested 2000 presidential election. Perhaps some of this is arguable, but cumulatively, there is credence to Unger's thesis. The fact remains that U.S.-Saudi relations are ruled by a particularly rigid iron logic, which dictates a fairly constant American policy: support for the royal family and indulgence of its excesses in return for stable oil prices. But it's always worth reminding ourselves just how unsavory they (and our own ruling family) can be. Unger has provided a valuable service with this book, and the more people who read it, hopefully the more that outrage will grow. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Grain of salt....
Review: This book was great but should be taken, as with all the reviews (or those attempted rebuttals disguised as reviews) with a grain of salt. The right wing can't stand dissent and the rich can't stand being outted or questioned.

Read this book and make your own decisions. And while your at it, read the rest of the books concerning Bush as well.

Rating:
Summary: House of Intrigue!
Review: As an ultra conservative I am the type of person you would least expect to read this book, much less to enjoy it and give it a positive review. However, that is exactly what I am doing. This novel is explosive and should be read by all Americans.

Unger starts off with the attacks on the United States in 2001 and the federal governments role in getting the Saudi's (in particular members of Osama's family) out of the United States and ends with the war in Iraq and the battle against terrorism. He explores in great detail the Saudi relationship with the Bush family (in particular with George H. W. Bush) as well as the Saudi relationship with Wahhabism.

Mr Unger uses a great number of sources, so many that it is hard not to come to the same conclusions he does. If you have always wondered about our relations with the Saudi's then read this book!!!!