What We've Lost

Rating:
Summary: If you read one political book, make it What We've Lost.
Review: Every page of this in-depth look at what the Bush administration has cost the American people is worth reading. All Americans, whatever their political viewpoint, (especially if Bush-Cheney supporters), should be aware of what is going on within the President's team. The knowledge gained from the facts presented in this book is jaw dropping. It's absolutely amazing how much damage has been done in 3 1/2 years to so many fronts (to name a few: the environment (your air, water, forests), the deficit, foreign relations, unemployment rates, employee pay, health care, education, homeland security, U.S. intelligence, etc., etc.).

37.5 Stars

Rating:
Summary: Desperate Attempt To Manipulate Election
Review: Here we go again. Iraq gets compared to Vietnam, yet Saddam Hussein's regime has been overthrown, and we've lost 57,000 less troops than we did in Southeast Asia. I still don't understand: we accomplished the goal of changing the regime in Iraq and Saddam Hussein is sitting in a jail cell. How have we LOST??? We mourn the troops who've given their lives, but do not scorn their memory by suggesting this campaign has been lost when in fact, it's close to being won.

Rating:
Summary: Republican or Democrat you should read this book
Review: If you have an open mind whether you vote for Bush or Kerry you should read this book. If you follow the elction some of this you have heard before but this book is a real eye opener.

For an administration that is pro military and supposedly for the troops they have not backed it up with some of the proposed legislation.One part of the book describes in the build up for the war how superiors threaten analyst with being fired if didnot find info on Iraq that supported the presidents side. As far as supporting the troops Bush wanted to cut benefits for the soldiers they proposed an idea to charge the soldiers $250 dollars to enroll in the VA medical plan. Depending on what part of the country you lived in your heard about families raising money for buying two way radios and walkie talkies to send to the troops it brings out in the book that families were raising money to buy modern bullet proof vest or at least the plates for the old ones also points out how many of the humvees that were not properly eqipped with armor plating yet the administration spends hundreds of millions of dollars on new projects that some proven to be unreliable . Doesnot seem to be having the troops in mind.They surveyed the members of congress and senate about there experience in war there were very few and the same can be said about there children very few are in Iraq i believe the book said 8.Iknew that bush basically did not serve yes i know national guard but did you know that Cheney did not serve he had deferments.

On the economy especially unemployment which i have had to deal with too,the administration has proposed a total 5.5 million jobs being created where are they? One way the president tried to inflate job numbers was by reclassifing jobs by calling jobs in the fast food industry as manufacturing jobs. Yes Bush said he would make 500 million dollars available for job training but in the previous three years he cut it by a billion dollars,he did ask for 1 million dollars for job training for the new hires who would be joining his second administration. Found it interesting that from 2001 to 2003 that corporate profits rose 87% while eages after being adjusted for inflation rose 1.1%

Concerning the enviroment whether you are a tree hugger or not you have to figure that we are damaging our world bush is being called one of the worst presidents concerning his enviromental record this being noted by some of his own republicans (republicans for enviromental protection) with a majority of the presidents appointment being individuals from oil gas and mining industries to regulate these industries it kind of seems like turning the fox loose in the hen house.

This is a great and informative book and one to educate yourself on some of the isssues so no matter which side your on read it.





Rating:
Summary: All Facts, No Spin
Review: In black and white, "What We've Lost" lays down the facts without the author's political biases clouding his judgment. Post 9/11, Graydon Carter's allegiance rested firmly with the Bush Administration. See the February 2002 Vanity Fair for proof. He, like most of us, trusted our leaders to guide us to victory in the war against terror honorably, concisely and without a question of intent. But when they led the country stumbling into a war based on conjured circumstances, Carter re-evaluated how the Administration was conducting the affairs of the our country and realized we were being misled. What undoubtedly began as an indictment of the rush to an unnecessary war in Iraq, began to uncover a pattern and policy of misleading America. The Bush Administration had set on a path of unraveling our civil liberties and dismantling regulation put in place over several decades to protect average Americans from corporate greed and institutional apathy towards the environment. Legislation was enacted and judges and other civil servants were implanted whose only goal was to expedite the agenda of ultra right-wing conservatives, regardless of the fact it didn't even remotely reflect the opinions and desires of the majority of Americans. For good measure, they also succeeded in damaging our credibility and reputation among our allies, and other nations who might very well had become our allies in the war against terror.

"What We've Lost" is an irreplaceable tool for anyone who finds themselves on the fence about this year's Presidential election. There's no bluster, conservative or liberal. There's no rhetoric, right or left. It's the facts, and just the facts. Any undecided voter who would, with a clear conscience, cast a ballot for the incumbent after reading this volume, was never really undecided. They were just too ashamed to admit that they were pro-Bush.


Rating:
Summary: Very thoroughly researched
Review: Many writers don't have access to the research staff Graydon Carter does, so we should not be surprised by the level of detail here. While many authors offer opinions for or against, Carter has provided a mountain of facts, with each major category being addressed in it's own chapter. Whatever one's political stripe, there is simply no way to put a good face on utter and complete incompetence shown by the Bush administration during it's stewardship. Most citizens will not learn of all the changes made by the Bush administration for many years, if ever. That does not mean that they won't eventually feel the pain or pay the price however. Even if you agree with the Bush administration on some major policy points, there are tens of thousands of changes that have been made, and some will very likely horrify you. Carter's staff of researchers has done an excellent job of digging them up and documenting them. As the saying goes, read `em and weep folks.

Rating:
Summary: Well written indictment from a new perspective
Review: The editor of Vanity Fair has spoken through "letters" in his magazine. I wanted to see the totality of his view on the Bush first term. I was not disappointed by the well written book that takes a viewpoint of how Bush and this administration have destroyed the reputation of the US within the world community and weakened our civil liberties at home. Mr. Carter is Canadian and has many friends within the international community - it is this perspective of someone who was drawn to the promise of America, but is now disillusioned by the actions of Bush and his administration to dismantle that promise, which makes the book compelling. I admit that I am less conversant on the "facts" than another reviewer but I am concerned that the US has weakened itself in ways that may take decades to repair. I come from a home that can be described as southern conservative - my mother was a "grand dragon" of the DAR and I have heard bashing of the UN and internationalism all my life. Unfortunately, reality is that we cannot promote a global economy on one hand (including exporting all our manufacturing) and then embrace isolationism. This country has become too dependent on foreign oil and is quickly becoming dependent on importing everything else - does this sound anything like the fall of the Roman and British empires? Our future will be dependent on us waging war to keep the import of "guns and butter" coming. If we heed the warnings of this book and others, it is not too late to change course.


Rating:
Summary: How recent politics has caused us to lose so much
Review: The subtitle for this text clearly indicates the purpose of the text - How the Bush Administration Has Curtailed Our Freedoms, Mortgaged Our Economy, Ravaged Our Environment, and Damaged Our Standing in the World. The various chapters cover items like the wars, military, secrecy, the economy, the environment, education, health care, the judiciary, state of the Union, and our reputation. Chapter 11 is particularly interesting as it shows the presidency "by the numbers". Basically, it is a collection of statistical information in simple statement form which shows things like the number of treasury agents investigating Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's money (4), amount offered by a group of veterans to anyone who could confirm Bush's Alabama guard service ($3,500), etc. A total of 404 different statistics are listed. The included information comes from multiple reliable sources and Mr. Carter has done his homework documenting the sources. At times it is obviously slanted, for example, the number of young adults that can't locate the Pacific Ocean on a map (30%) is a problem that we have known about for several years including well before Bush's presidency. Relevant most of the time, a curiosity at other times, interesting all of the time, What We've Lost is a recommended read.

Rating:
Summary: Do not vote until you read his book!
Review: To the average Republican, this may read as a conspiracy theory book, but it's NOT. The author has thouroughly researched this book, and the result is a dubious description of the unconscionable activities of the Bush administration. From the elections in Florida right through April 2004 it gives example after examples of the administration lying to Congress and the American public. Topics covered are the Iraq, the economy, the environment (not mentioned is a single debate, much to my dismay), the Patriot Act, the treatment of the military, education (No Child Left Behind Act), and healt care, among others. It is amazing to me (though after all the bald-faced lying, not so much) how this administration has managed to hookwink so many Americans. Don't let yourself be one of them.

Rating:
Summary: Full of disturbing information and interesting comments
Review: Well-said by other reviewers that this book is full of information, much of it disturbing. The author comments on hot topics such as Iraq, the economy, the environment, our personal rights, and the budget deficit. The author makes his case known that Bush and this administration is not in his favor.

A particularly interesting topic is our allies. It's a fine line we walk between defending ourselves, and having a reasonable alliance and popularity in the world. What we need is a leader who can balance these things in just the right way -- keeping us safe while not turning the world against us. And not many people are fit for this difficult job!

Though government-controlled healthcare is probably not the best answer, what is being done about soaring healthcare costs and insurance that, if people even have it, can hardly afford it? Employers have been putting more and more of the cost burden on employees, but many of these employers, particularly at small companies, have little other choice. Something must be done about this problem that has grown so much in only the last few years.

Another big issue, for me at least, is the environment. The connection to special interest oil companies, loggers, etc. is very disturbing to me in the potential effect on our environment, and what has already happened with the relaxation of certain legislation meant to protect the environment, particularly our air quality. Something must be done about this.

However, there is at least one claim in the book that seems to be a result of spin. Whether it be because of misinformation or politics, it involves the continuation of the lies about Houston's air quality. The book states:

"Under Bush's governorship, Houston had even passed Los Angeles to become the city with the worst air quality in America."

This is incorrect. Houston's problem was with ground-level ozone only, from 1999-2000. According to the EPA, there are six components of air pollution, ozone being only one of them. Many other cities, including Los Angeles, have severe problems with two, three, or more of these. Particle pollution, now considered by scientists to be more dangerous than ground-level ozone, is something many cities have a problem with, while Houston does not. Basically, overall air quality is based on all of the six kinds of air pollution, not just one. If you check data from the EPA and ALA, you will see that there are many cities ahead of Houston as far as poor air quality.

Although I appreciate the concern, I'm really tired of Houston-bashing in the name of politics that has been going on since the last presidential election. The Houston-bashing hurts not just one person, but an entire city, its businesses, its tourism, its residents. Political writers need to start getting their facts straight about this particular issue. Yes, this administration has been lax with the environment, but that's no reason to stretch the truth on pollution stats, especially when it can have a detrimental effect on a city.

(Unlike someone else insisted, I am also a somewhat undecided voter. Just because I live in Houston and am tired of the lies about our nice city and politics dragging the city through the dirt, doesn't mean I'm a Bush supporter!)

Overall -- informative book, but probably contains at least some bias. So as always, I encourage people to also do their own research on topics they see may potentially involve spin and to always keep an open mind and a sharp eye. I give the book 2.5 stars rather than more because of the potential bias I saw (i.e. don't use this book as your only source.)

Rating:
Summary: Lucid Study of the Bush Administration Reveals a Sad State
Review: Yet another distinguished voice has joined the chorus of those who have recognized how the Bush administration has significantly and perhaps irreparably weakened our democratic processes. Graydon Carter, the editor-in-chief of "Vanity Fair", uses his journalistic skills effectively by researching and presenting facts and statistics and verifying sources for legitimacy. The result is the ideal complement to the excellent books authored by his political brethren, Senator Robert's Byrd's "Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency" and Senator Bob Graham's "Intelligence Matters". What makes Carter resonate even more is the fact that he never strays from his point to spout his own biases or beliefs. Despite the often negative findings presented, this book is not a personal attack on the President. Rather, in a more dispassionate tone than either Byrd or Graham could muster, it's an attack on the destructive errors of an administration that believes they are above the Constitution.

Carter organizes his book according to the major issues such as, of course, the war, the Patriot Act, Medicare and public funding for domestic programs. The longest and most revealing chapter is on the environment, which explains everything you were afraid was happening from how many acres of forest and wetland have been lost to the unsigned Kyoto treaty. Even though Social Security is in good shape now, Carter points out that we are in debt to the world's other strongest nations, the same ones we used to fund. In fact, it is only our past reputation that prevents us from facing an Argentina-size economic crisis, and even our nation's global standing is tenuous. According to Carter, it took us two centuries to build our position as a global leader only to see one administration destroy it, perhaps irrevocably. This is among the most clear-eyed books about the Bush administration, and coming out just weeks before the election, one you will need to move up your priority reading list post haste. The book is heavy on statistics, but Carter's findings will likely enlighten you. Highly recommended.