Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, the Powerful Forces That Put It in… (2009)

In this book, Russ Baker, an investigative journalist, reexamines the history of the Bush family in the context of the seminal events of the last 50 years: The Bay of Pigs, the Kennedy assassinations, Watergate, the Bush family connections with the Saudis, oil and gas intrigues, cronyism, the Iraq war, and Katrina. Baker's investigation has uncovered a myriad of new facts and documents, many of which raise questions about the conclusions previously reached during official examinations of these events.

While Baker posits plausible alternative theories in light of some of the new facts he has unearthed, most of the questions he raises are unresolved. In his afterword, Baker states that his investigation is a work in progress and is still on-going.

However, Baker states, his investigation has given him a 'new understanding' of how power works in America. His conclusions:

-Presidents have a lot less power and independence than he had assumed. Party affiliation is not a major factor in this regard.

-Initiating reforms or standing up to powerful interests can invite retribution of a kind he had not imagined. Presidents are subject not only to pressure, but also to entrapment, blackmail or worse.

-Constant recourse to the 'lone wolf' theory to explain assassinations and comparable national traumas is empirically challenged.

Baker recognizes that there will probably be efforts made to marginalize some of the facts and inferences he makes in this book. He states, 'Time and again, there has been a rush to bury inquiries into the most perplexing events of our time, along with a determination to subject dissenting views to ridicule. And the media weren't just enabling these efforts; they were complicit in them--not least by labeling anyone who dared to subject conventional views to a fresh and quizzical eye as a 'conspiracy theorist'.'

This is an important book to read if you are concerned about the current state of the United States of America. ( )

This is a scarry book. Facts in here that will open many eyes - facts around the JFK assassination and more and more. One Very powerful family that I would trust as far as I can throw my car. ( )