Rating: 
Summary: Understanding
Review: As a Democrat and a Bush/Iraq critic, I really was looking forward to reading this book. And given it's title: "Bush's War for Re-Election", I had the expectation that the book would be about the Bush administration's failed policies, the impact those failures and Iraq would have on the 2004 race, and perhaps an inside glimpse at how Bush's team will confront the upcoming election.Gee, what unrealistic expectations! In reality, this book deals w/ none of those concepts. NONE. Having just read the book from cover to cover (painfully, very painfully), it's hard to state WHAT this book covers or was intended to cover. This book has no real beginning or end, no thesis, no argument, no motive, no coherent theme, no storyline, no nothing! As for the author's writing skills: his narrative style (when he tries to employ it) is butt-awful and difficult to follow. He manages to butcher a few stories of combat in Iraqi (which should be exciting, riveting drama) and reduce them to boring, confusing word jumbles. And the chapter on Bush's National Gaurd records??..Good grief, Dick Cheney! -- that chapter should be required reading for incurable insomniacs. I can't even call this book a "rant", b/c it has no real point to make. The only consistent thread throughout is the liberally dispersed chapters about US servicemen who were killed/maimed in Vietnam or Iraq, and how it's too bad, how their wives miss them, and how little Sally and little Billy can't understand where Daddy is. As an attempt at heartstring-tugging sappiness, it comes across as irrelevant and arbitrary -- along with most everything else in this book. Even the author's use of grammar and his liberal, use, of, commas, at random, inappropriate, points in his, sentences, sticks out as bizarre. (When you start noticing an author's use of commas...that's not a sign you're reading a riveting book.) I think the working title of this book was actually: "I Don't Like Bush and I Think War is Bad...But I'm Also a Really Crappy Writer Who Has No Point to Make." Then at the last minute, the publisher stepped in and said, "Wait...Let's call it 'Bush's War for Re-Election'. It'll sell more copies!" Toward the end of this book, the author says shame on Bush for using 9/11 to sell his Iraq war. I say shame on you, Mr. Author, for using a patently misleading title and a picture of Bush in a jumpsuit to sell your book and make a few $$. I had been interested in reading the author's other book ("Bush's Brain"), but no way I'll give this joker anymore of my money or brainspace. This truly was one of the worst books I have ever (forced myself to) read. I wouldn't call it a book, rather I'd characterize it several hundred pages of incoherent trash that fell out of a word processor and somehow got bound and put on bookshelves.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, from beginning to end --
Review: As a Democrat and a Bush/Iraq critic, I really was looking forward to reading this book. And given it's title: "Bush's War for Re-Election", I had the expectation that the book would be about the Bush administration's failed policies, the impact those failures and Iraq would have on the 2004 race, and perhaps an inside glimpse at how Bush's team will confront the upcoming election. Gee, what unrealistic expectations! In reality, this book deals w/ none of those concepts. NONE. Having just read the book from cover to cover (painfully, very painfully), it's hard to state WHAT this book covers or was intended to cover. This book has no real beginning or end, no thesis, no argument, no motive, no coherent theme, no storyline, no nothing! As for the author's writing skills: his narrative style (when he tries to employ it) is butt-awful and difficult to follow. He manages to butcher a few stories of combat in Iraqi (which should be exciting, riveting drama) and reduce them to boring, confusing word jumbles. And the chapter on Bush's National Gaurd records??..Good grief, Dick Cheney! -- that chapter should be required reading for incurable insomniacs. I can't even call this book a "rant", b/c it has no real point to make. The only consistent thread throughout is the liberally dispersed chapters about US servicemen who were killed/maimed in Vietnam or Iraq, and how it's too bad, how their wives miss them, and how little Sally and little Billy can't understand where Daddy is. As an attempt at heartstring-tugging sappiness, it comes across as irrelevant and arbitrary -- along with most everything else in this book. Even the author's use of grammar and his liberal, use, of, commas, at random, inappropriate, points in his, sentences, sticks out as bizarre. (When you start noticing an author's use of commas...that's not a sign you're reading a riveting book.) I think the working title of this book was actually: "I Don't Like Bush and I Think War is Bad...But I'm Also a Really Crappy Writer Who Has No Point to Make." Then at the last minute, the publisher stepped in and said, "Wait...Let's call it 'Bush's War for Re-Election'. It'll sell more copies!" Toward the end of this book, the author says shame on Bush for using 9/11 to sell his Iraq war. I say shame on you, Mr. Author, for using a patently misleading title and a picture of Bush in a jumpsuit to sell your book and make a few $$. I had been interested in reading the author's other book ("Bush's Brain"), but no way I'll give this joker anymore of my money or brainspace. This truly was one of the worst books I have ever (forced myself to) read. I wouldn't call it a book, rather I'd characterize it several hundred pages of incoherent trash that fell out of a word processor and somehow got bound and put on bookshelves.
Rating: 
Summary: An Affable Man Deficient in Character
Review: Bush, known cocaine user a the time, was kicked out of the Air National Guard under the regulation 36-05 that provided for the involuntary separation of officers who were unfit or unprofessional. That regulation is clearly stated on his discharge that indicates he had not met his legal obligation to the Air National Guard. So he was forced in the Reserves and given extra months. Moore doesn't go into some of this. The Guard also had to look at his being AWOL, not meeting the minimum attendance standards. And there was the problem of the flight physical. Bush has one story. But the documents prove there's nothing to back up his version, just the order for him to get it done. Bush could have resolved these questions any time with the simple stroke of a pen. Instead, as Moore documents, the Bush political staff had a general gather all the material, then they censored it before providing anything to the media. Much of it was duplicated and it was clear that many things were missing. Documents were never provided relating to his discharge, the Flight Inquiry Board about his refusal to obey orders to take the flight physical, etc. What we don't know, because the Bushes conceal it, is whether the Guard decided to use the other issues to oust the wandering concaine snorting, alcoholic Lt. Bush. Or did they look his arrest on Cocaine charges and sentencing to community service and just say, that's enough. all the while aware they would have to consider his political connections. Sometimes it's hard to tell. But what Moore makes clear withough any hysterics or too much interpretation is that Bush needs the coverup. The documents there tell the story. If you've got an open mind, you'll find it hard to support Bush for anything, especially given his sending troops to Iraq just to get himself re-elected. But even if you still feel compelled to vote for Bush, you'll find it hard to trust this spoiled brat born with a silver spoon in his mouth who used influence and connections to avoid the consequences of his actions .... and gotten richer at the same time without doing any honest work.
Rating:
Summary: Rehashing the Same Old Bush-Hater Material
Review: Finally a reasonable perspective on the current political miasma created by the Bush Administration. Well written, organized in a logical presentation, and more even handed than the usual fair from both extremes, i.e. Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore, Al Franken.
One mystery that isn't explained however is, why is it called the "Commitee to re-elect the President" when he wasn't "elected" yet.
If much of what is discussed by James Moore is weighted more to the truth, then a win for Bush in 2004 will be a bigger disaster than the re-election of Nixon in 1972.
If read with a truly open mind, Moore's book is at least an eye opener and a cause for much needed debate before we go to the polls in Novemeber.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for Conservative ideologues and liberals alike
Review: Finally a reasonable perspective on the current political miasma created by the Bush Administration. Well written, organized in a logical presentation, and more even handed than the usual fair from both extremes, i.e. Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore, Al Franken.
One mystery that isn't explained however is, why is it called the "Commitee to re-elect the President" when he wasn't "elected" yet.
If much of what is discussed by James Moore is weighted more to the truth, then a win for Bush in 2004 will be a bigger disaster than the re-election of Nixon in 1972.
If read with a truly open mind, Moore's book is at least an eye opener and a cause for much needed debate before we go to the polls in Novemeber.
Rating:
Summary: Reasons For Regime Change!
Review: James Moore, author of "Bush's Brain" (that would be Karl Rove) is back with more hard-hitting reporting. The theme of the book is that Bush, who had strings pulled to get him into the National Guard to avoid Vietnam and then went AWOL to work on a GOP political campaign, is no war hero. Moore's book is filled with the stories of the real war heroes, the young men and women who were sent to fight in two wars that should not have been fought -- Vietnam, and Iraq 2003. The format moves back and forth between chapters exposing the lies, vendettas and trickery of Bush and his team, and chapters profiling the stories of combat veterans. The opening chapter documents the fact that the Bush administration was committed to a war on Iraq upon entering office. 9/11 was merely the pretext. They knew full well that they were manufacturing and twisting intel -- what nerve to deny it! (See the excellent story "The Lie Factory" on the Office of Special Plans in Mother Jones on the web.) Hundreds of U.S. troops have died for Bush's lies, Bush who used his family connections to avoid combat himself. A major contribution of the book is to document Bush being AWOL and the cover-up, including photocopies of many documents and a list of those that are missing. LTC Bill Burkett of the Texas Army National Guard is one who knows and has paid the price -- he has suffered death threats, shots fired into his house, and the denial of medical treatment that nearly killed him, all because he refused to join the coverup of Bush's AWOL episode in 1972-3. Another chapter covers the shameful outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame by the Bush administration. Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife was exposed by right-wing journalist Bob Novak in retaliation for Wilson's exposing the lie that Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger, the infamous "16 words" inserted into Bush's speech long after it was known to be unfounded. One of the most shocking stories included here is the scandal of electronic voting. The use of electronic touch screen systems allows the manipulation of results -- this is documented by Moore, using the research of Bev Harris (see her book "Black Box Voting") among others. Diebold Election Systems, one of the leading manufacturers, is associated with the GOP -- CEO Wally O'Dell was a "Ranger" for Bush in 2000. Diebold is alleged to have stolen 16,022 votes from Gore in Volusia County, Florida in 2000 with vote tabulation equipment, and also to have stolen the election from Vietnam vet Senator Max Cleland of Georgia in 2002. It is explained how patches are used to fix malfunctioning machines, and that these patches can easily be used to insert codes that change the results. In the 2002 election in GA, which used Diebold machines, there was a 25-30% failure rate, which resulted in the application of patches to 1,387 terminals. This is not a science fiction dystopia, this is the GOP using computers to steal elections today in America. Bush has manipulated the patriotic sentiments of the American people following 9/11, and is running as a "war president." But he launched an unnecessary war on Iraq, which had no connection to 9/11 and presented no imminent threat from nuclear weapons -- these facts were known all along, as those of us who opposed the war said so time and again as we tried to stop it. James Moore has done our nation a great service by exposing the high crimes of the current administration. It's time to put an end to the lies, to honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed for us, and bring about a regime change in November!
Rating:
Summary: Rehashing the Same Old Bush-Hater Material
Review: Mr. Moore's book is another in a long line of Bush-hater books --expounding all types of conspiracy theories and diatribes against President Bush regarding the Iraq War. It's good material for those who suffer from persistent, virulent and senseless hatred for George W. Bush - aside from that, it's not worth the time. The arguments presented against President Bush are silly at best and ridiculous at worst. The author's argument that the Bush Administration fabricated or exaggerated the intelligence reports that Iraq was trying to procure "yellow cake" and "nuclear tubes" from Africa and Asia as a contrived basis for the war in Iraq is absurd. British Intelligence has stood by its intelligence reports that showed that Iraq was trying to procure nuclear material in Africa and elsewhere in the 1990's. It was a mistake for the Bush Administration to apologize for including that information in the 2003 State of the Union Address. Most importantly, the U.S. Government intelligence community issued a report prior to the Iraq War showing that Saddam Hussein would have reconstituted his nuclear program by 2006. No one has yet to credibly refute that joint intelligence assessment, including this author. Who's the basis for most of these arguments? Former Clinton Administration Ambassador Joe Wilson -- who now works for the John "French" Kerry campaign. It would appear likely that these ludicrous charges, as repeated in this book, are merely the inventions of those who would do anything to unseat President Bush. After reading 60% of this worthless book, all I can recommend is -- don't believe the arguments. Get the facts for yourself and make your own decision.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading
Review: No wonder the Bush Administration is so touchy about Mr Kerry's comments, "they are the biggest bunch of crooks and liars".
In this election year, I have been doing a lot of serious reading, both online, in the library, and when a really good book comes along -- buying it. This book is in that last category.
After hearing about this book on MSNBC, I had to get it. I was not disappointed. The format, style and detail is superb.
It confirms my original fears regarding Iraq, and gave me some new ones. The problem is, it makes me feel violated, taken advantage of by these people who arrogantly abuse their absolute power. And to think that I actually wrote Pres. Bush, and offered my "patriotic support, even though I didn't vote for you, as we go to war -- I have to trust that you know what you are doing and you will do the right thing". Trust? Do the right thing? Boy, was I a schmuck! Kerry was right -- "they are the biggest bunch of crooks and liars" that ANY of us have EVER seen. Worse than Nixon! And I used to be a Republican! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This book should be REQUIRED READING before you are ALLOWED to vote! I'm sending my copy to a brother-in-law, an uninformed Bush supporter. Hopefully he, and others like him, will make a more informed voting decision once they've read this book! My thanks to Mr Moore. I highly recommend this book. For a more comic, light, and entertaining approach to some of this subject matter, I also recommend Al Franken's, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them".
Rating:
Summary: Understanding
Review: One must be sure to keep an open mind for both sides while reading the book, and form your own opinions.
Rating:
Summary: The Authors Struggle For Direction
Review: There were three reasons that I bought this book, the first is that I read the authors other book on Bush, Bush's Brain, and found it a wonderful book. The second reason is that I tend to read a number of anti Bush books so this was just one more to add to the collection. And lastly, with a goofy picture of Bush on the cover of the book I just figured the book would be full of sharp barbs and nasty zingers aimed at Team Bush that would make for happy reading for me. Unfortunately for me, my high expectations for the book did not materialize. I found the book to ramble from one area to another, which were tied together by only, at times, a passing link to Bush Jr. I was thinking I was going to get a detailed account of how the Bush Administration used over the top partisan politics to lead the country to war. Maybe also an interesting view into how the author feels the war will effect the 2004 election. This framework did not really come together. The author focused on numerous other areas that took focus and energy away from a look at the Bush Administration. I do not what this review to be all negative as that would not be fair to the book. The author provided a very interesting review of the actions of the 507th in Iraqi and the ambush that resulted in numerous deaths and the capture of Jessica Lynch. The author is good at this type of reporting and you could really get a sense of the battle form his writing. He also gave the reader a nice overview of the Ambassador Wilson story and the publication of his wife's name in the press. It was such a good overview that I am wondering if I even need to read the Wilson book. I doubt there is a book that goes into more detail on the Bush Jr. National Guard AWOL story then this book. You could tell the author was really having fun digging into this dirt. Where I got disappointed was that the author spent a lot of time on the effects of combat deaths on the people back home. He did it in a very good way, it was just not the type of book I was looking for. He then spent a good deal of time tying in Vietnam combat stories to Bush Jr.'s Texas Air Guard days in kind of a compare and contrast between real military heroes and children of the wealthy. But where I lost respect for the book was in two separate parts where the author slipped into odd conspiracy theories about Bush Jr. Again I am no fan of the boy king, but reading these types of over the top X Files type innuendo gossip does nobody any good. The detractors of the book can point to these items to paint the full book and all the important comments in the book as a hate inspired hack job meant to dirty the reputation of a President. The author tried to claim that one of the military people that saw the "cleaning" of the Bush guard files has been suffering from some mystery illness and that somehow Team Bush is keeping needed medical treatment away from the guy. The author then spent the end of the book talking about how the Bush group is in bed with the manufactures of electronic voting machines and that the Max Cleland election was somehow rigged in favor of the Republicans by this shadowy electronic voting. Overall I had mixed feeling for the book. The writing was good and most of the reporting seamed solid. There were sections that I really enjoyed. It was just that the book went off into directions that I was either not interested in reading about or was so over the top that I came away from the book with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
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