Reading "State of Denial" - SCARY!

[Bake]

In the beginning of the book, Woodward describes the "policy school" that Poppy held for Junior, where he'd invite various "experts" to Kennebunkport to school Junior on what he needed to know to be Prez. He recounts a conversation between * and Condosleeza Rice in which * admits that he doesn't have a clue about foreign policy because, "I don't do that."

At another point, * asks Prince Bandar, "Everybody has been briefing me about North Korea. Why should I care about North Korea?"

GREAT BOOK, but scary!

Bake

[Sad4world]

1. That's it!

Why should I care about: Anything!!!!!!

Megalomaniac!

God help us all.

[Warpy]

2. He is a willfully ignorant and incurious man

but we all know that. A playboy scion of the rich who has only figurehead jobs is not going to need to know about anything, so he doesn't bother knowing about anything. It's all about being a gentleman, inheriting wealth, and never really having to dirty one's hands with "trade."

Only the lower classes are expected to know anything, you see. If members of the gentleman's class know anything, it is unusual. After all, it's slightly vulgar to be that knowlegable. That's what they hire other people to do for them.

The funny part is that Bandar actually thinks Stupid's running things. He's not. He's a front man, a fund raiser, and an embarrassment to us all.

He's also exactly what we can expect from his class, which is why we should take care that another one of them is never in control of this country.

This one is such a poor specimen that it's become every man for himself, a fractured and compartmentalized goverment with no oversight and everyone in the "club" is stealing it blind.

[LSK]

3. wait until you get to Rummy making the Pentagon full of "yes men"

[elehhhhna]

5. oh heck ya beat me to it.

[elehhhhna]

4. Keep reading. Rumsfeld is a complete asshole, too.

[goclark]

6. Finally good ole Bob is getting closer to the TRUTH nt

[Bake]

7. Speaking of Rummy and his yes-men ...

Woodward recounts the story of the selection of Myers to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Adm. Clark, head of the Navy (CNO), was up for it and * was all set to offer it to him, until Clark told Rummy that he fully intended to fill the statutory function as the POTUS' chief military adviser, including issues where he might disagree with Rummy. Rummy, of course, went with Myers. Woodward later asked Rummy about a clash with Clark, and Rummy conveniently didn't recall one.

It's all about EGO. From * on down.

The scariest thing, so far (first 10 chapters), of course, is Tenet's briefing of Rice in July 2001, that OBL had something BIIIIIIG coming. Rice totally blew it off.

The book is a great read.

Bake

[jkshaw]

8. General Myers

One of the saddest things in that book (among many) was Woodward at the end speaking of General Myers when he left in 2004 as a "broken man." It's hard for me to understand how a man like Myers who must have been used to being a strong leader could have let himself be so thoroughly bullied by Rumsfeld. Was being Chairman that important to him?

But we could ask the same thing about Powell as Secretary of State allowing himself to be a pawn for Bush.

[Bake]

9. Another nugget

Rummy, Rice, and Powell had an early morning conference call every day. Powell, with his years in the military, had connections and access to info that Rummy would NEVER have. Powell loved to drop little bits of info about the military into the conference calls, knowing that Rummy wouldn't know about it. Just to give Rummy a poke in the eye.

How Powell stayed with BushCo as long as he did (hell, how he ever got sucked into it in the first place) is beyond me.

Bake