Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush

Rating:
Summary: Democracy in Danger
Review: John Dean's book, "Worse than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush," first and foremost is written by a man who, having served as Counsel to the President in the Nixon White House, should know about this sort of thing. And, if even half of what Dean has to say here regarding this Administration's obsessive secrecy and right-wing extremism is true, then the Bush/Cheney "co-presidency" (as Dean describes it) is not just misguided but a serious menace to our nation's democracy and security. Indeed, if the charges Dean levels against Bush and Cheney are correct, they amount to nothing less than a case for the removal from office and possible criminal prosecution of both men. Certainly, other Presidents before Bush and Cheney have abused power, tortured the Constitution, and trampled on Americans' liberties, but Bush and Cheney are arguably the most dangerous ever because, in today's America, the careful system of checks and balances established by the Founding Fathers is in tatters, leaving few if any constraints on their power in a post-9/11 world of (apparently) permanent war. Finally, in "Worse than Watergate," Dean argues persuasively that the combination of Bush's tough guy/"bring it on!" attitude abroad and his assault on democracy and freedom at home "actually plays into the hands of terrorists," allowing them to make "remarkable strides" and ultimately lead to our defeat. This is scary stuff, if true.

The question is, then, how true are the charges that Dean lays out in "Worse than Watergate," and are they as serious as he makes out? Ultimately, this comes down to the author's credibility and, more importantly, to the evidence that he presents in support of his arguments. In this reviewer's opinion, Dean is very strong on both counts. As far as Dean's credibility is concerned, no doubt Bush/Cheney defenders will argue that Dean has none. In making this argument, they undoubtedly will cite Dean's conviction on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and to defraud the government, as well as the four months he served in prison for his crimes in relation to the Watergate scandal. They also undoubtedly will charge that Dean betrayed President Nixon by cooperating with prosecutors in revealing evidence of top-level White House involvement in the Watergate break-in, the existence of a Nixon "enemies list," etc. However, what they probably will NOT point out is that Dean's actions in 1974 were courageous, even heroic, in that they exposed -- at significant risk to himself --what Dean at the time (correctly) called "a cancer on the presidency." Although the Nixon White House slandered Dean and claimed he was a liar, what he said turned out to be true, and the "cancer" was excised just in the nick of time. Whatever his other faults, Dean's actions in 1974 were central to exposing the crimes of Richard Nixon and possibly even to saving our democratic system of government. In this reviewer's opinion, a person willing to stand up against the President of the United States has a great deal of credibility going for him. In addition, Dean is certainly knowledgeable about Presidential abuse of power, having seen it from the inside, and if nothing else this also gives him credibility to speak on the subject.

As far as Dean's arguments are concerned, my feeling is that there is a great deal of powerful, documented evidence presented here to back them up. The core of Dean's charges center on the following: 1) Bush's serious character issues, of which there are many, and his slimy prior business dealings, compared to which the actions of Martha Stewart pale in comparison; 2) Bush's obsessive secrecy, both as Governor of Texas and as President of the United States, and his desire to "free the presidency from all restraints" on its power; 3) Bush's misleading of Congress in order to lead the country to war in Iraq (an impeachable offense, in Dean's opinion); 4) the White House's possibly criminal leaking of a covert CIA agent's name in retaliation for her husband's refutation of Bush's claims regarding (supposed) Iraqi uranium purchases from Niger; 5) Cheney's failure to provide truthful and complete medical information about himself; 6) Cheney's past business (mis)conduct related to Halliburton; and 7) Cheney's (mis)conduct as Vice President, including his refusal to provide Congress's General Accounting Office with information regarding the National Energy Policy Development Group he headed.

These are all extremely serious matters, and Dean provides a great deal of evidence and documentation to back them up. Dean is also far from the only one who has raised these issues, as most everyone who has looked seriously at Bush and Cheney have uncovered some seriously unsavory material. In the end, the only remaining question is what to do about the situation. Given Republican control of Congress, Dean points out that there is essentially no chance of impeachment, or even a serious investigation by an independent counsel, at the present time. Therefore, Dean concludes that the only hope is this year's election, in which the choice is obvious: another mandate for Bush/Cheney to pursue their demolition of Democracy; or an 180-degree change of course before it's too late. It is obvious that Dean strongly prefers the latter option, as should all patriotic, freedom-loving Americans. Dean's warnings can, of course, be dismissed, but only at great peril to our nation.

Rating:
Summary: WORSE Than An Ambulance-Chasing, Personal Injury Shyster!!!!
Review:
Reading this ingloriously disguised failure at intellectual critique--which Shyster-Dean shamelessly fabricates it is--I stunningly was OUTRAGED by Shyster-Dean's exorbitant irretrievability in character!!!! Anyone except low-mindedly antagonistic liberal-zombies who gullibly succumb to any libel at Bush can tell WTW's concocted with single-minded abusiveness meant to usurp Bush's praiseworthy presidency!!!! Shyster-Dean's ensnared by the same lure foaming-at-the-mouth, liberal abusers fall into while committing anti-Bush jihad: impeding over-reliance on half-truths/blatant forgeries from mentally imbalanced websites run by liberal fascists with agendas. WTW is THE most vengefully acerbic collection of manipulative defamation among the torrent of anti-Bush degradations, Shyster-Dean's personal animosity so glaringly apparent that his misconduct is underwritten by liberal-"activist" groups!!!! Consequentially, his demeaning struggle at "expose" is destroyed by his hampering excess in assuming he's "unmasked" Bush because it frequently derails into logically humiliating contradictions like ridiculing Bush's acumen and Cheney's business aptitude, yet disobediently persisting Bush/Cheney are master equivocators.

Unsatisfactorily dilapidating at 198 pages of grade-school reading, WTW turbulently begins by liberals' notorious disease of accusing via conjecture. Exhaustively planning to parallel Bush to Nixon because it's the cop-out-"thesis" of Shyster-Dean's libel, Shyster-Dean unconvincingly ties some Bush statements to Nixon's which remotely sound alike--if you're a mentally unstable liberal!!!! Shyster-Dean moreover chicanes "similarities" based on Bush and Nixon's habits of being "loners," holding formal views of the presidency, "crafting" public images, and being combative over leaks. Miserably, Shyster-Dean's discreditable observations are shallowly feeble, insinuating only coincidental likenesses which certifiably DON'T indict Bush for Nixon's breaches. Incrementally sinful is Shyster-Dean's unfairly partisan over-reliance on other slanderous "observations" by discriminatory schemers from liberal papers like LAT who've surreptitiously supplanted reporting with their prejudices. Yet ANOTHER Shyster-Dean prevarication's cunning generalization based on isolated accounts suspiciously from liberal mouthpieces like when Time questionably "reported" Bush uttering, "F$%k Saddam," Shyster-Dean smears Bush for prototypical behavior.

For all of Shyster-Dean's intimidating bravado in the "Stonewalling" chapter, he slips to "uncover" weakly insufficient cases where he accuses Bush/Cheney of secrecy. Shyster-Dean hypnotically rehashes the tarnish that has liberals going orgasmic, which is Bush's unfounded influence from father. Shyster-Dean SPECULATES concerning doubtful parallels between businessmen who helped or aligned themselves with GW and their personal ties to GHW. This, Shyster-Dean misuses so unconscientiously that he dissipates into liberal-recycled taints of Bush getting "insider information" while on Harken's board although board members aren't part of the corporate structure of the interior running; Shyster-Dean's brand's faulty: insider information ploys usually are to exit before the company goes bankrupt (didn't happen with Harken) or after embellishing the company's prospects. Shyster-Dean then caterwauls about Cheney's "secrecy" regarding health files before he dumbly, myopically undoes his contention by confessing Cheney has NO OBLIGATION to disclose!!!! Continuing with unraveling his damaged credibility, Shyster-Dean tarnishes Cheney for Halliburton's Iraq business, but COVERS-UP that a SUBSIDIARY was involved, which was LEGAL.

Shyster-Dean, unhappy with cursing Bush/Cheney, brings the lowering to Chief-of-Staff Card as a "staff coordinator" who functions like a yes-man. Shyster-Dean tricks incompetent liberals with the fearmonging of Bush/Cheney running a compartmentalized WH hoarding information from even cabinet members and excluding speechwriters from meetings so to stymie leaks. Only radical liberals who offer practicality for their psycho-ideology of "disclosure" even if it'd harm US interests would fault this efficient, administrative protocol. Shyster-Dean bitches about the Administration's professional oversight of WH press who're "herded" into their indoor-swimming-pool-converted-into-small-press-room and Bush's masterful delegation of calling on "pre-selected" reporters during press conferences, which are crybaby excuses for an ineffective liberal media!!!! Next, Shyster-Dean complains about Bush's "executive privilege," letting him withhold certain documents, which only impractical liberals would cite instead of acknowledging the criticalness that information control is to proficient governance; Shyster-Dean also whines over poor presidential scholarship that's setback by Bush's sealing of presidential papers. Ooooooo, what NITPICKING!!!!

Here, Ch.4, Shyster-Dean levels the worn-out, sadistically loved, liberal-connived scandalization that Bush was so empty in foreign policy, neoconservatives "hijacked" him; Shyster-Dean cites only circumstantial conjecture like Bush missing one or two foreign leader names in 2000's campaign. Shyster-Dean blackly defends the 9/11 investigations' Demoncratic politicization by perilously, incompetently demanding them to be held in 2004's election year to ruin Bush/Cheney, not due to care for 9/11!!!! Shyster-Dean worsens his affronts when he insubstantially denigrates Bush/Cheney for "controlling" staff selections for the 9/11 investigation with the slight being the "real" investigation would be conducted at their level although commissioners delegate; Shyster-Dean progresses conspiracies that NSC-vet Zelikow provided "channels" to and from the WH. Shyster-Dean lowers repute calamitously when AUDACIOUSLY pressuring Bush to--irreverent to national security--open the 9/11 investigation to APPEASE anti-American Eurotrash who invent anti-Semitic conspiracy theories because of joint animosity at America and Israel, which sadistically excites liberals!!!! Shyster-Dean's final overstepping comes when he unstably--without offering credibility; illness he terminally commits--hallucinates Cheney is stewarding Continuity of Government Plans with right-wing favoritism. Unsalvageable to his mental illness, Shyster-Dean plots to "solve" this imagined "ordeal" by challenging Cheney should disclose everything regarding COG although that'd DEFEAT ITS WHOLE PURPOSE!!!!

Shyster-Dean impertinently deludes he can brand Bush's use of intelligence for Iraq in Ch.5, but dilapidates miserably. His disdainfully "huge" foundation is subordinately, blindly patronizing liberal-varmint AP's fabricated story which doubtfully "refutes" Powell's pre-war, UN presentation. Liberal-varmint AP's forgery is mainly based on other organizations' OPINIONS so they're not discounting Powell's arguments at all; Shyster-Dean commits this unprincipled mischief relentlessly, citing others' unauthorized OPINIONS as refuting Bush officials. In AP's case, their sources were even disrespectable, some coming from the Hussein regime and the UN!!!! Shyster-Dean's derisively propagandized "Appendix I"--where he impotently exerts to expose Bush--is FORGERY. Impudently and culpably, Shyster-Dean doesn't bother disestablishing Bush's WMD assertions--because his information's unimpeachable as the UN and other governments backed him. Shyster-Dean strategizes to "sentence" Bush based on technicalities of certainty Bush employed. Bush used "concludes" when tracing UN reports of Iraqi WMD although "believe" was used by the UN. Despite they're SYNONYMS, Shyster-Dean psychotically and gloatingly misbelieves he's "got" Bush there!!!! The rest of WTW is punitively the same: half-truths, chicanery, fabrication, misguidance and doubtfulness!!!!


Rating:
Summary: Valuable Perspective On The Current Bush Administration
Review: This book is a must-read because Dean was there. Dean "lived" inside of the former out-of-control Nixon administration. Now we have the out-of-control Bush administration. Dean address issues including too much secrecy in the current administration.

Dean convincingly makes the point that the level of secrecy and scandal in the Bush administration is worse than what happened in the Nixon administration. Dean has the inside knowledge of how administrations work that most of us could never have a clue as to these inside workings. In Dean's estimation, the secrecy with which Bush and Cheney govern is an obessive strategy meant to conceal a deeply troubling agenda of corporate favoritism and a dramatic growth in unchecked power that is putting at risk the lives of American citizens, civil liberties, and the Constitution.

Rating:
Summary: Better than a bucket of cold water
Review: For anyone who has fallen asleep at the wheel of his own political philosophy ship, this book presents an astonishing slap to the senses. Written in a language which enforces fact, it explains emphatically, our personal consequence of snoozing through the purposely baffling speeches of our present-day politicians.
Dean proves beyond doubt that such inattention leads to permanent coma. Brilliant, and professionally brave.



Rating:
Summary: Lots of debatable interpretations
Review: Since this review comments on two books, I have submitted it for both.

My brother, a conservative Democrat or liberal Republican but a man of principle either way, gave me Worse than Watergate by John Dean for Christmas. After reading that book, which did raise many questions in my mind, I immediately read A Matter of Character. I consider myself a compassionate conservative, but I am trained as a mathematician and engineer so I believe I am an objective thinker who formulates opinions based on verifiable facts and evidence.

Both books may be, and one book must be, wrong; President Bush can't simultaneously be the Dean's devil or Kessler's altar boy. Each author clearly had an agenda when writing his book so readers of each are very unlikely to change their opinion after reading both. Having now read both, I still believe Bush was the better person to receive my vote last November.

Dean's book claims that every conclusion presented is based on incontrovertible facts. To his credit, Dean does include pages of footnotes but he also reaches makes several unsupported conclusions. Paraphrasing the first I noticed, "Everyone knew that Jeb would deliver Florida to his brother, not matter what." This claim was not footnoted, nor was it supported with anything that looked like a fact even though "everyone knew it."

Dean devotes an entire chapter to suggesting that Dick Cheney is the first high-ranking executive branch employee to hide details of his health history from the American people. I guess Mr. Dean did not read Dallek's Unfinished Life, or a decent biography of T. Woodrow Wilson. Both men were at times practically, or perhaps actually, incapacitated by their infirmities; yet no one knew. How many painkillers did Kennedy need to function during October '62? Was the second Mrs. Wilson actually the first Mrs. President?

Kessler clearly spent a lot of time with people who love their long time friend, George. These people are loyal to him. Those who have not demonstrated their loyalty do not get to remain his friend. Did W. drink too much? Did he inhale? Many confirmed the stories released by the White House. None extended the envelope of young George's behavior beyond what George defined. That's how loyal friends behave. Is it how you get the dirt on a guy you like? No.

Kessler does provide some reasoning for why the Bush White House is so secretive (Dean says to the point of Nixonian paranoia.) W. was responsible for dealing with leaks during his father's campaigns and became something of an executioner (my word not his) for dealing with those individuals who placed their own interests above those of their President. W. debates issues, encouraging vigorous discussion. Then he decides and everyone is expected to fall in line. For those not familiar with how a team is supposed to function, this is a classic to moving forward.

As I said, reading both books is not likely to change anyone's mind. I read Character after reading Worse because Worse did raise some concerns in my mind. But I have completed the debate in my mind and now I intend to move forward. I hope that others will do the same.


Rating:
Summary: Wow, what an incredible book.
Review: Significant action in the Middle East was an imperative (status quo led to Sept 11). We know he had wmd (12 times he used them - ask the 5000 Kurds who were gassed). He, the one who started two wars and violated 17 UN Resolutions, had never publicly destroyed all his wmd. In 1998, Saddam booted the inspectors out. Saddam only allowed inspectors back in when we had 150,000 troops on a carrier waiting to liberate Iraq. Unless we were prepared to maintain the troops there indefinitely, the inspectors would have been booted out. Moreover, the inspection process was doomed to failure due to the size of Iraq, minders who were always around the scientists and duel use facilities with multiple purposes. Thus: either give up the inspections (since we could not keep the troops there forever) or liberate Iraq unless Saddam proved he had destroyed the weapons we know that he had. Since Saddam did not prove that he had destroyed all the wmd we knew he once had, we had only his bare, naked word that he had destroyed the wmd. We had no reason to believe that he had secretly destroyed the wmd. Why would he destroy his own weapons without telling us? Besides, the sanctions were falling apart (being repeatedly violated as the Oil for Food scandal shows). He still had scientists who knew how to make more stockpiles of wmd. Terrorism does not base itself out of or grow in democratic countries. Resentment fueled by a perceived sense of injustice, poverty and powerless is what motivates terrorists. A free press, prosperity (coming from a free market system) and the power to vote in a free and fair election like ours is the most effective long-term weapon we have against terrorism.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the bunch
Review: Of the myriad books about the Bush administration, this one is certainly among the creme de la creme. This is not a screed by a reporter, pundit or "commentator" (although those can be fun too). Dean knows his way around Washington, and the White House, and indeed, around Republican presidential administrations, from personal experience. Dean's writing is engaging and effective, both because he pulls no punches, which is refreshing and rare, but also because he succeeds in large part in making the world of the Washington insider accessible to the general public. I believe that this book, unlike many others, will be persuasive even to those who are not already inclined to think as Dean does. I certainly think that, if you are looking for a book to give some perspective on the current presidential administration, you can do no better than to begin here.

Rating:
Summary: A Direct Indictment of the Bush/Cheney Crime Team
Review: An overall main on-going theme of this book is the secretive nature of the Bush administration. Having worked as a counsel to R. Nixon, John Dean is well aware of the dirty tricks that politicians will do to push their agenda and win an election. And no administration has utilized more dirty tricks, cheap shots, lies and secrets than the current Bush/Cheney team.

Mr. Dean starts out by comparing Nixon's secrecies to Bush's, which actually makes Nixon look like a nice guy. He then proceeds to demonstrate the tricks that Bush used to lie to Congress about the war in Iraq; Powell's lies to UN about alleged weapons program. Bush's suppression of EPA's executing their work, especially in NYC after WTC bombing. In addition, Bush has mastered the art of acting in front of the camera in a way that portrays him like a nice, easygoing, regular type of guy... when in reality, he is anything but. Perhaps that is the real reason why Cheney didn't run for president.

Whereas Bush goes around smiling to the camera and waving to the crowd, pretending to care about people, all the meanwhile the real work goes behind closed doors, in the bunkers with Cheney leading the way. It was Cheney who constructed the foreign policy, created a false reason for war in Iraq and most importantly of all, knew that something to the effect of 9/11 would take place. In fact, that IS the reason why it happened, because Cheney/Bush needed reasons to go to Iraq, dominate/rape the region and establish an oil exploitation machinery to reap the benefits of oil for many years to come.

What appears as an administration fighting terrorism, is actually creating it and making Americans a lot less safe than prior to 9/11.

The reason I gave it 4 stars, is because it seemed like a very fast read, with no historical details involved and perhaps with some details omitted. Clearly, it seems, John Dean wrote the book fast in hope to influence the elections. Of course that doesn't mean that his book is full of lies.

It will open up your eyes to the truth about the current Bush regime!

Rating:
Summary: Goerge W. Bush is the worst President in American History
Review: This book is a very good book. I believe that George W. Bush is the worst President of the United States of America. He does not think of his countrymen, all he thinks is his political ambition. It is very clear that he went to Iraq war just to get re-elected. Educated people knows that there's NO LINK between Saddam Hussein and the Al Qaeda and the there were NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. He declared war in Iraq for nothing...

Rating:
Summary: After the election...
Review: I ran into a Bush suppoter the day after the election who bragged that she hadn't read a newspaper in seven years, and she listened only to Fox News. I guess that explains why excellent books such as this one, that make a watertight case about why the Bush presidency is derailing America, had no effect on the recent election. I saw this on my shelf and flipped through it after the election and just shook my head. All I can hope is that, like Nixon, enough light is shed into the dark, "shrink-wrapped" White House to oust President Bush and his staff in his second term.