I read a good chunk of The Price of Loyalty today...it is damning!!!

[rumguy]

On the way home from work I stopped by a bookstore and picked it up and just started reading. Before I knew it I had read most of the book...I was standing there for over an hour...

I couldn't believe it...Whitman fought hard for Kyoto and CO2 reductions, promises made during the 2000 campgain - and Bush and Cheney treated her like dirt, the same way they treated O'Neill...

The oddest thing about Bush* is how no one in the admin. really knows his views or opinions. There appears to be absolutely no discussion or rumination about policy options. It is all political, all the time...

The media should still be talking about this book...it is so fucking damning.

[lovedems]

1. I read the book in one sitting myself. It is good. When you talk

about Whitman, I see the same thing with Powell. This administration has used their hard earned, well respected reputations to make them look like fools. They don't care whose reputation they hurt as long as they get their beloved political agenda passed.

Isn't it clear to you that the chimp doesn't have a clue! He truly is the puppet we have all imagined him to be.

[patricia92243]

2. I wonder if this book will stand the test of time - will historians use it

50 years from now to get a real idea of Bush. Just curious.

[rumguy]

3. I think so - simply cuz O'Neill is such a credible source

His entire career has been admirable and his honesty has never been questioned...

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. The Value of this book:

1. O'Neill was an insider, and highly placed
2. He has a strong reputation for integrity
3. He has served in other Republican administrations and contrasts the discussions and debate over issues in Nixon WH vs. Lord Farquad
4. More than anything single thing it shows the process or lack thereof in decision making in Lord Farquad's White House.

The overwhelming impression is: Lord Farquad is essentially an empty shell to fill the throne. Whatever "strongmen" that are in the administration are given free reign to run with their agenda, after checking it through Rove to make sure it will make some fat guy in Indiana vote Repub...

Foreign policy/war, now one and the same = Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz
ProBusiness/Antienvironment, Antiregulation = Cheney

Losers would include Powell (though he sold his soul just before his UN testimony and is on board now) and Whitman.

I wonder sometime about the significance of all the Anti Farquad books of late. I am encouraged because one thing it demonstrates is that the anti Bush voters exist in numbers, and are probably very pissed off like me (meaning more likely to get up and vote). But just about all of these books are probably bought by people who were never going to vote GWB in the first place, so I'm not sure I see any indication of changed votes there, except that how well they sell will be a positive propaganda point for our side.

[Bandit]

6. The books may be bought only by people like us but they are discussed

among a lot of people. Republicans will hear about the contents whether they buy the books or not. People talk and not just among ourselves. Word is getting out and I truly feel like people are getting tired of the hatred put out daily by the GOP sycophants

[Sliverofhope]

5. Lest it be forgotten, Suskind is releasing his cache

http://thepriceofloyalty.ronsuskind.com/thebushfiles

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1088432&mesg_id=1088432

I might also add, the book really shows the difference between Republicans, and what they used to be, represented by O'Neill. Basically decent people who want the best for the country, but disagree with us about the means... and what we have now. I've been using the term 'fascists' but I'm not sure we're quite there yet, so the DeLay type.

As much as the Democratic Party needs reform, I think the GOP needs to be redeemed for the sake of the entire country.