Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace

Explains how the U.S. may well incite terror, which it so vehemently now fights. Full of wit, wisdom, and just that classic touch of Vidal satire.

"Interestingly, this book emphasizes something I had not considered that bears emphasis: although there were numerous intelligence failures in detail, Vidal suggests that the Director of Central Intelligence is correct when he claims that 9-11 was not (at root) an intelligence failure--but then leaves unsaid what Vidal says explicitly: it was a policy failure in that Bush-Cheney decided not to alarm the people and not to share the warning information, in part to avoid turbulence and in part because such an attack would be welcome--as Pearl Harbor was welcome--as a means to remilitarize foreign policy.
INTERESTING THAT GORE BELIEVES THAT ROOSEVELT KNEW THE JAPANESSE WERE GOING TO ATTACK-PLB

I found this book poorly written with errors and found that it jumped around too much and was repetitive. The list of wars was given but no background information at all which made its usefullness limited. I found that some of the phrases were intended for Americans who already knew the background of certain issues and some words used that may be familiar to Americans but not necessarily to others. It was a short read with little value though I do agree with many of the end remarks. I don't think it was effective in making a point that the government provoked McVeigh or Osama. It may have, had he included more information. It was in the end, disappointing in it's content.

a bit of a polemic.

United States Foreign Policy, United States 21st Century

What's there to say...? Its Gore Vidal!

“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our fellow citizens whom we will never know or see are actually thinking and feeling. This seems a paradox when most politics today involves minute-by-minute poll taking on what looks to be every conceivable subject, but, as politicians and pollsters know, it’s how the question is asked that determines the response.” (p. 59)

“’We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.’” - Bill Clinton, March 11, 1993 (p. 114)