Why Bugliosi Wrote “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder”

[Time for change]

Vincent Bugliosi is a very interesting character. Most important for the purposes of this post, he is the most high profile and reputable person in our country to call for the prosecution of George W. Bush for murder – or anything else for that matter.

Alan Dershowitz has called him “as good a prosecutor as there ever was”. In his career at the LA County District Attorney’s office, he successfully prosecuted 105 of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions, including that of mass murderer Charles Manson. So, if Bugliosi thinks that there exists a good case for murder against a sitting U.S. President, it would behoove people to listen to him.

Yet, his new book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder”, has received woefully little attention in this country. No wonder. Our status quo loving corporate news media doesn’t want to rock the boat. And what could cause Americans to feel more nervous about the status of their country than the prosecution for murder of a sitting President – or even a convincing argument that a sitting President ought to be prosecuted for murder?

Vincent Bugliosi is no flaming liberal. Referring to the crimes for which the U.S. House Judiciary Committee drew up articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon in 1974, Bugliosi calls those acts “infinitely less serious crimes than what George Bush has done”.

In chapter 1 of his book, Bugliosi explains simply that most people fail to see what is directly in front of them and staring them in the face, simply because they either don’t expect to see it or because they don’t want to see it. What would the American people expect and want to see less than the case for murder against their sitting President?

In chapter 2, Bugliosi makes a superficial case (expanded upon in great detail later in the book) that George Bush took his country to war solely for reasons other than those he claimed before his country and Congress.

In chapter 3, Bugliosi explains his motivations for writing the book. He begins that chapter by describing the personal details of several Americans and Iraqis who died in George Bush’s war. He also discusses a good deal of evidence to the effect that George Bush does not take seriously the tremendous amount of death and destruction caused by the war that he dishonestly led us into. To the contrary, he doesn’t seem to be the least bit affected by it.

Bugliosi certainly doesn’t pull any punches when he gets onto a subject that he feels emotional about. I review here his main motivations for writing his book. I do that for much the same reason that Bugliosi wrote it: the hope that it will motivate some people to open their eyes wider and be more flexible in the way that they view our President:


Failure to protect the troops

After noting that most of the thousands of American soldiers who died in the war thought that they were dying to protect their country against terrorists, Bugliosi continues:

The additional fact that these soldiers were sent into a war zone without the equipment necessary to protect them… shows how little regard Bush and his administration have for those who have been willing to risk their lives fighting Bush’s war…

The situation was so bad that American soldiers in Iraq were literally writing home and having their loved ones send requested body and armor parts for the Humvees to them…

A Pentagon study in 2006 found that some 80% of the marines who were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2005 from upper body wounds could have survived if they had extra body armor there… As of late 2005… less than 10% of upper armor plates on order had reached our marines in Iraq.

Why so little support for our troops? Bugliosi compares the meager amounts of money spent on protecting our troops to Bush’s $1.3 trillion tax giveaway for the ultra-rich:

The flag waving super patriots in the Bush administration, who want us to believe they love our troops so much more than Democrats do, actually wanted to partially fund the tax giveaway on the backs of these poor soldiers dying for them and their wealthy corporate friends in Iraq…

Democrats voiced their strong opposition to the Bush administration decision to cut the combat pay of American soldiers fighting in Iraq… Democratic senator John Edwards said, “Our Military deserves every dollar they earn and more. The Bush administration should reverse itself immediately”, which is exactly what Bush and his people did, withdrawing their call for a cut in combat pay the moment they saw their proposal being met with so much opposition.

George Bush doesn’t love his country

In support of his contention that George Bush doesn’t love his country, Bugliosi discusses several related issues. First, on his incredible ignorance and lack of determination to learn anything:

It is obvious that Bush’s knowledge of information and events is shockingly low… He prefers to run the most important country on earth not by reading up on what he needs to know, but by lazily relying on what his gut tells him and on what communication he can manage with God… His sense of responsibility to his country is so remarkably poor that not only doesn’t he read any reports from those in his administration… but he frequently doesn’t even read the summaries… He doesn’t even read newspapers…

On the subject of cronyism:

Another good example showing that Bush has no love or respect for his country is the blatant cronyism he has practiced in his federal appointments… Bush couldn’t care less if they’re qualified… He places loyalty above everything else.

And on the issue of the Iraq War:

The ultimate act by Bush showing a lack of respect and love for this country is leading this nation into a deadly war in Iraq for no justifiable reason at all… Bush’s lying to the people of America to lead them into war shows an absolute, utter contempt for the American people.

The tragedy and irony of a draft dodging “war president”

Bugliosi does a lot of ranting about Bush’s successful attempt to avoid fighting in the Vietnam War. To some extent, I was tempted to feel that he overplayed this issue. After all, there are millions of Americans who choose not to fight in their country’s wars who don’t deserve to be criticized for that.

But in George Bush’s case we are talking about someone who used his father’s connections to avoid fighting in a war that he voiced support for AND – and this is the important part that I believe makes Bugliosi’s criticism of Bush on this issue valid – shows no hesitation whatsoever in sending our young men and women off to fight in a needless war that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

And that leads into the next issue:


Enthusiasm for war

Bush not only went to war with a swagger, he wanted war, was looking forward to it… Helen Thomas, who has been covering the White House since 1960, said of all the presidents she has known, Bush was the only one who “wanted to go to war”… “I’m a War President” Bush told Tim Russert.

Bugliosi spends some time arguing that no other U.S. President in our history has ever actually wanted to go to war, and those who did take us to war spent a great amount of time agonizing over it. Then he describes Bush’s actions just prior to the start of the Iraq War:

Here’s how our current president felt about the “agony” of war around 10:00 p.m. on the evening of March 19, 2003, minutes before he would address the nation to inform it the Iraq war had begun… As aides were applying makeup before his televised speech, he pumped his fist and told an aide: “Feel good.” In other words, Bush, “on top of the world”, felt just wonderful about launching a high-tech war of destruction and death which his people obscenely titled “shock and awe.”

“Bring ‘em on”

Bugliosi recounts Bush’s bombastic comments of July 2, 2003:

There are some who feel the conditions are such that they can attack us there (in Iraq). My answer is bring ‘em on.

Bugliosi had this to say about that little speech:

What instantly angered me was that this punk who hid out during the Vietnam War… dared to issue a challenge to the enemy to attack American soldiers… How dare this wimpish punk invite the enemy to kill American soldiers?

The last straw

It was the events of August 8th through August 19th, 2005, that apparently compelled Bugliosi to make the decision to write his book. He describes a several day period of terrible carnage, resulting in at least 43 American and 124 Iraqi deaths. Then he notes:

On august 13, 2005, right in the midst of all this violent death, and with hundreds of Iraqis and Americans crying out uncontrollably over the deaths of their children, parents, brothers, and sisters… and finding no way to cope with the unspeakable horror of it all, Bush, after a hearty breakfast, mapped out for reporters what his schedule was for the rest of the day… (ending with the statement) “So its’ a perfect day”.

Bugliosi continues:

When I read those last words, I said to myself. “No, you son of a bitch – if I may call you that, Mr. President – you’re not going to have a perfect day. Or, I should say, you’re not going to have another perfect day as long as you live if I have anything to say about it. Because I’m going to put a thought in your mind that you’re going to take with you to your grave. It’s the least I can do for the young American boys who came back from your war in a box… and for the thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women, children, and babies who died horrible deaths because of your war. That’s the least I can do.”…

Imagine reading in the newspaper that the man who caused your son’s death, taking him to war under false pretenses, told reporters, smiling, that he was going to have “a perfect day.” I don’t know about you, but if I ever killed just one person, even accidentally, like in a car accident, I’d never have another perfect day as long as I lived…

When we add to this the fact that not only was this not a righteous war, but that Bush took this nation to it under false pretenses, and over 100,000 people died directly because of it, for him to be happy and have plans to have “a perfect day” goes so far beyond acceptable human conduct… Wouldn’t you expect just a little remorse from Bush?...

He’s turned almost the entire civilized world against us; he’s cost this nation over $1 trillion with no end in sight; he’s literally destroyed the nation of Iraq; and most important by far, he is directly responsible for over 100,000 precious human beings having died violent, horrible deaths, yet he says he is feeling “pretty good about life.”…

Can anything be done to bring George Bush to justice? That is what the next chapter is all about.

A final thought

Perhaps some of Bugliosi’s comments in his book are more emotional than they need to be. Or perhaps not. What should be considered too emotional when talking about an issue like this?

If our nation’s Congress were to muster just a small fraction of the emotion and outrage that Bugliosi has over this issue, perhaps they might do something about it. They don’t have the authority to try Bush or Cheney for murder. But they certainly do have the authority – and many of us would argue the responsibility as well – to hold them accountable in other ways.

The American people may or may not some day get through these dark times, restore the rule of law in their country and regain the respect of the international community. But whether we do or not, the failure of our Congress to hold the Bush administration accountable for its many crimes will be regarded by history as disgrace.

[libnnc]

1. kick

:kick:

[rurallib]

2. just starting to read it.

What does it say about America today that Bugliosi could not get his book published in the US while that slime piece on Obama is hawked like the new bible by the RW mwdia?

[barbtries]

30. good point

it says what most people don't want to acknowledge: we are sick. as a nation, we are very sick.

[Time for change]

39. I didn't know that he couldn't get it published in the U.S.

What it says is that our leaders are obsessively concerned with transmitting a certain perception of reality to the American people -- for motives that are far from benign, as is always the case in societies that try to force their views of reality on its members.

It is not a good sign.

[jobycom]

3. Kick. The media ignored "None Dare Call it Treason" too. The answer to your question might be

that he wrote both books because of an abiding respect for justice and the rule of law that transcends partisan politics.

[Stuart G]

4. Outstanding post.

[DebbieCDC]

5. I have read many of Bugliosi's books over the years

and have always been impressed with his forthright presentation of facts, intelligent discussion of issues, ability to connect seemingly random facts into a cohesive whole.

If I were charged with a crime of which I was innocent, he's the first person I'd ask to defend me. If I were charged with a crime of which I was guilty, he's the last person I'd want prosecuting me.

I hope that some DA somewhere in this country has the cojones to take up Bugliosi's challenge and charge the little dictator.

[1]

6. or maybe vincent saw an opportunity to sell a book. i know we all agree on the subject...

but vincent bugliosi just seems to be trying too hard to push his book. you know, for profits.

you do understand that vincent bugliosi is a corporation, right? not some struggling author?

hate the message, not the messenger. if you disagree, post a response before you alert on me so we can discuss this.

i'm just saying...

[DebbieCDC]

7. Well if we all agree on the subject

then why are his motives so suspect? Do you find it so hard to believe that someone might just be moved to write these truths because they need to be said? So to take your viewpoint, only a "struggling author" can write about crimes at the highest level of our government and not be suspect?

[1]

9. ok. let's go with that. cool. "write these truths because they need to be said."

then why not pass them out for free?

thomas paine. common sense. 1776.

no, vb has a best seller here. vb, inc. is making a lot! of cash here. and if i question his motives its just might be because i think vb has more than an altruistic reason for his efforts here. but then again, i just might be wrong. i am always open to being wrong.


before you hold ol' vb up to being the "visionary" of our generation, you might want to look into his past and how he makes his riches.

i'm just saying...

[SeattleGirl]

11. A lot of work went into that book. He should be compensated for it,

by proceeds from people like me who choose to buy it.

If you don't want to buy it because you think he is a "corporation", you could probably get it at your library.

[1]

15. ok. i surrender. i was just trying to point out the fact that...

vb and his vb corporation make their money from selling books.

i had the opportunity to meet vb and spend some time with him after "helter skelter" and i was not impressed. dude was a self-promotion machine and his entire effort was promoting and selling books.

now maybe this whole new campaign is an effort to actually do some good.

if so, à salut and god bless...


i have my opinion. i stated it. du is a discussion board. some opinions are more popular than others.

feel free to ignore me...

[SeattleGirl]

25. Not gonna ignore you.

And I agree. DU is a discussion board, and sometimes people will disagree.

We obviously do on this issue.

No problem.

[rucognizant]

34. Sorry casual watcher9

Your attitude is symptomatic of the lowest common denominator this country has sunk to.
If it isn't for money it's meaningless! If you are poor nobody respects you enough to listen to your wisdom; because if you were smart, (wise) you would be rich right? The arguement over rich vs principled has been lost long since!
I AM SORRY....... I am not a lawyer, I am not rich, I don't write books, but I HAVE been vibrating with fury at crimes of Bush for 8 LONG tortured years. Just on the basis of interconnectedness with humanity at large.
Someone described Bugliosi's feelings about Bush as a great "animus"towards him. Bush has not only killed thousands of people, HE has also killed our country! He has turned sanity upside down, so that normal is wrong and insanity is acceptable. These are VERY GREAT CRIMES INDEED!
:nuke

[Time for change]

53. I could be wrong, but I think his/her point was somewhat the opposite of that

I think he was saying that if it IS for money then it's more likely to be meaningless, or at least to indicate a suspect motive on the part of the author.

While I feel that that viewpoint has some validity, I mostly disagree with it because the great majority of people who write books and are sincere about what they write still expect to get paid for their time and effort.

[davekriss]

86. CW9 you are making a fallacious argument

You ask us to consider that vb is a "corporation" and is making money off the book, as if in some way that deflates his arguments -- a classic (even though low key) ad hominem attack.

You either need to tie his tendency to "self-promotion" to perhaps a tendency for unwarranted and incorrect sensationalism rather than well argued narrative. If you have evidence of incorrect sensationalism, then bring it out. Otherwise quit the ad hominem and address vb's arguments and evidence.

You have your opinion but you're making fallacious arguments. If you can't do better then perhaps we should ignore you.

PS/ I am NOT a big fan of vb as I find him irritating and overly aggressive (probably good character traits in a prosecutor), however he's arguing a case and it is those arguments -- and not the man -- that need to be addressed.

[librechik]

14. Bugliosi said he sent out 1000 free copies to DAs and so on around the country

He has plenty of money. This time he wants to get the word out far and wide, to start a movement as it were. Becasue that's what it will take.

[SeattleGirl]

16. That's right!

I had forgotten he did that.

[ima_sinnic]

23. as a wannabe book author, I find your comments highly offensive

Let me guess--you work for free?
I suppose you also feel that the many, many titles that have been published criticizing * since he became "president" in 2000 should also have been given away for free? Al Franken, for instance, should not have received one cent for Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them). And why didn't Michael Moore give away his work on 9/11 and on the healthcare crisis here? Oh, and don't forget Al Gore! Talk about "a corporation"! In all of these cases, the fact that the authors "made money" means that they were "just in it for the money," they didn't really care about the subject matter or put any real time or effort into research, writing, rewriting, and rewriting again. Is that what you think?
Hell, why should any author get paid for any book that is ever written? Why should any talented person ever be compensated? They should all want to give it away for free because, after all, Thomas Paine, more than 200 years ago, did.
I have read one book by Bugliosi, And the Sea Will Tell, and could not put it down. He is skilled as a lawyer, as an author, and as a compassionate and insightful human being. He no less than any other person who produces something of value deserves to be paid for it and not criticized for not "giving it away."
Feel free to devote a year or two of your life to a major piece of work and then give it away.

[classof56]

77. Wow--well said! As another wannabee book author I applaud you.

At this point in my life, much as I'd love to see my book in print, it really is my strong desire to coin a few bucks from it when/if that day comes. To expect me, you or any author to simply "give our words away for free" is an insult and as you said, highly offensive. Plenty of fiction authors have books with messages, some pointedly political. I admire them for that and gladly pay the money to buy and read their books and I often recommend them to others.

Anyway,congrats for posting and best wishes on your writing venture. Can be a lonely journey at times, but the payoff is worth it. By that of course I mean that whole publishing thing, as well as the monetary side of it. Marketing--now that, as I'm learning, is a whole 'nother story...so to speak!

Blessings.

Tired Old Cynic

[ima_sinnic]

82. heh--at least you apparently have words on paper

my book is still just mental--I'm not even really sure what i want to write about, only that I know I'm a good writer. I'm a full-time freelance copy editor and love working with words.
Thanks for the kind thoughts and best wishes for your book!
:toast:

[H2O Man]

28. It is worth noting

that several publishers turned down the book, even though they recognized it would be a money-making best-seller.

[proud2BlibKansan]

44. Do you have any idea how much it costs to publish a book?

Why in the world should Bugliosi do this at his expense? It's not 1776, it's 2008.

[Lena inRI]

85. Common Sense pamplet was SOLD. . .also. . .

. . .


http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/

If you're gonna split hairs, at least check your historical facts.

Bravissimo Bugliosi !

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[barbtries]

31. that's right

not a whole lot of people write with the authority, expertise and experience of vince bugliosi. and i don't believe he needs the money. he's been a best selling author for years.

[Time for change]

37. But what did you think of what he has to say here, irrespective of what you think of his motives?

Shouldn't the focus of discussion be on the book's content rather than on the author's presumed motive?

Nobody will ever be able to prove his motivation.

If what he says is valid, then why focus on his presumed motivation?

If you don't believe that what he says is valid, then let's focus on the substantive issues that you believe make that point, rather than discuss his presumed motives?

I will also add that the person who wrote the second most scathing book about George Bush (Bugliosi's being the first most scathing) ended up dead of a presumed suicide. I do believe that it takes a fair amount of courage to write a book like this about one of the most powerful men in the world.


Edited to say that, after thinking about this some more I realize that you were responding to the title of my OP, which notes Bugliosi's motives. Ok, that's fair enough.

Actually, my intent in posting this had a lot more to do with what Bugliosi said, which I believe was right on target, rather than what his motives were, but I can see where my title probably led some people to think otherwise.

[truedelphi]

84. One thing that I find very sad and very scary is that he could'nt even BUY

Ad time on ABC. How is that for censorship on airwaves that should belong as much to Bugliosi as to you or me. Yeah I know, you and I can onnly dream of buying ad time. But still...

Isn't it a bit chilling? Is this the America any of us thought we were living in??

[fascisthunter]

40. or... maybe you are just trying to cast aspertions

oh... and you probably won't find an asterisk next to the book title at Amazon since the "LEFT" unlike the "RIGHT", we don't buy in bulk just to put on the perception that it is a "BEST SELLER".

[Another Joe]

46. Oh please...

If he just wanted to make money, there are any number of topics or angles to this one that would have been acceptable to the MSM.

To claim that he meticulously laid out the case that chimpy took this nation to war based on lies, outlined how this could be construed as murder is ridiculous, and then offers to provide help for anyone brave enough to start the process rolling...

Let's just say it's absurd. But regardless of his motives, its an important work that those of us that seek positive change should not slander.

[redqueen]

57. "If he just wanted to make money," He could have cleaned up had he chosen a "safe" subject.

Makes me sick to see trollish flamebaiting like the above post.

[HughMoran]

50. Your prejudices have been duly noted

I read every word in the O/P and never once thought "profit mongering capitalist".

[Cherchez la Femme]

74. While profits aren't a bad thing

how exactly do you know that is the primary reason Bugliosi is "pushing" his book 'so hard'?

And so what that he's 'a corporation'? At his level, with his taxable income and daresay his accomplishments he'd be crazy to not incorporate -- many authors, playrights, actors, poets have done so
--would Maya Angelou's or George Clooney's, Andrew Lloyd Weber or Elton John's incorporation make their primary and overweening purpose for their body of work the accumulation of money?
So why accuse and hold Vincent Bugliosi suspect; untrustworthy of any better or higher nature and above all greedy?


As a person whose job it is to uphold the law, especially as a prosecutor of those who violate our code of justice, wouldn't it make as much or more sense that VB is outraged at what he see's as a miscarriage of justice
--the highest in the land, perpetrated BY the 'highest in the land'

...pardon me while I :puke: while I type that...

Beyond all, above all people, the person who is supposed to support law and order, uphold the rule of law, protect it and ensure that true, blind, American justice (while not infallible, it still is, er WAS the best system we homo sapiens have so far devised) is achieved more than any other U.S. citizen, even beyond the Attorney General, is the President.

From what I know of Bugliosi's trials and battles over the years and his sense of Justice and Right, I am much more to the conclusion that VB is reacting as he always has: taking on 'the worst of the worst' violators of the rule of law.


From what I know of Bugliosi: profits my sweet ass


edit:
Well, finally reading down I see it's all been hashed out.
Hey, I'm not gonna ignore you -- you have every right to your opinion, as equal right as I do to disagree; but why should you be ignored? Yeah, there seem to be many (more) people who are enamored of the Ignore button and seem to use it as a weapon to cut off someone's viewpoint and at least for their aspect they think have 'silenced' their opponent, as if any Democrat should want to abridge anyone else's Free Speech; but I certainly won't.
The only way I think I would ever use it is if someone advocated breaking the law;
I have heard there are some on this site who advocate a NAMBLA position -- I haven't run into them Thank Goddess, but if I do, then I don't think there would be any question that I would avail myself of said button, after I probably flipped out
but it would have to be a case congruent to something like that where I would cut someone off and not at least read if not entertain their opinion, however short and however futile the chances may be. :evilgrin:

Otherwise, I'll read your, and anyone's views.
Who knows? I may end up changing my mind completely (doubtful) but I have been known, at times, to take certain logical and irrefutable points of view into consideration and even modified my overview.

LOL I know, at this point you probably don't care; but the short version is I won't ignore ya, babe :)

[davekriss]

88. At 150 posts, you've been around for a while...

...but let me say welcome, Cherchez la Femme, you have a great post there! :)

[Octafish]

8. Because George W Bush is a giggling mass-murderer?

In addition to that, Bush is a traitor.

DU's archives are a book proving both.

Bugliosi, from your outstanding post, Time for change:

“No, you son of a bitch – if I may call you that, Mr. President – you’re not going to have a perfect day. Or, I should say, you’re not going to have another perfect day as long as you live if I have anything to say about it. Because I’m going to put a thought in your mind that you’re going to take with you to your grave. It’s the least I can do for the young American boys who came back from your war in a box… and for the thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women, children, and babies who died horrible deaths because of your war. That’s the least I can do."

Count me in. I know you're there, too, TfC.

[Time for change]

47. I'm there, Octafish. Thank you.

[SeattleGirl]

10. I'm into the third chapter of the book.

I'm liking it thus far.

[frogmarch]

12. Wonderful post! K&R nt

[understandinglife]

13. Recommended. Excellent, as always. Irrespective of how the book "sells" ...

... this is the architectonic for the prosecution of Bush and his neoconster co-criminals.

Have no doubt, this book will be used, for years, to bring these criminals to justice.

Oh, and Georgie boy, hint, hint ... they're still hunting Nazis in 2008. I know you are math challenged, but that is now more than 63 years since V E Day.

Peace,
Bob

[Time for change]

49. I sure do hope you're right about that Bob

It's good to think that, even though our Congress fails to accept their responsibility to hold these criminals accountable, there are still other ways to do it.

[MadMaddie]

17. Kick

And another book to add to the ever growing list.

[bleever]

18. My K&R is

for both Mr. Bugliosi's tremendous work, taking the crimes that were designed to be omnipresent and a matter of moral fiat, and laying them bare to the light of the jurisprudence of accumulated centuries (cumulating in the U.S. Constitution), so that like a mythological vampire they might suffer the fate of simple sunlight;

and also for this brilliant distillation of his work, and the possibilities of it being shared in wider and wider circles.


:thumbsup:

[Time for change]

55. Thank you bleever -- Here's to having all the Neocon crimes

"suffer the fate of simple sunlight" :toast:

[katukov]

19. War crimes trials

Would be good for the country, even if after the fact. Maybe if we can get a few more true Democrats in office (not corporate ones)

[Swamp Rat]

20. No more 'perfect days' for Little Boots.

:kick:

[Iwillnevergiveup]

21. Bugliosi and Susskind

are both talented, prolific writers. In each case their most recent books are must-reads for citizens who are patriotic and paying attention. As are these gentlemen.

K&R

[H2O Man]

29. I fully agree.

Of the recent books that I've read, Vince Bugliosi's and Ron Suskind's stand out as the very best. They are the two most important books of the past decade.

[troubleinwinter]

22. I VERY much appreciate you posting this interesting and important issue for discussion.

[MikeDuffy]

24. "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy "??

I am concerned about his support of the "single gunman" thesis in this book (which I have not read), which I understand is contrary to what most analysts believe. This makes me doubt his motives in writing all his books. Anyone have any insights/comments on this who has read that JFK book?

[H2O Man]

27. Sure.

I read the book (and the disc of footnotes) last summer. I'll answer this briefly, so that your question doesn't appear to be an attempt to "hijack" this thread by injecting something that has nothing whaysoever to do with the OP.

Mr. Bugliosi spent 20 years researching and writing the book on JFK. It represents what he honestly believes is the truth. A person may agree with him, or disagree with him, but still find the book both interesting and of value.

Those familiar with his career know that Mr. Bugliosi takes different stances on the possibility of conspiracies being involved in the assassinations of JFK and RFK.

My primary interest in JFK and RFK is their lives, rather than their deaths. However, I have a fair number of books on the tragic death of each. I disagree with Mr. Bugliosi's interpretation of some evidence in his JFK book, but still highly recommend it.

Finally, his reputation among law enforcement (police and prosecutors, who tend to be conservative) was enhanced by the JFK book. This makes them much more likely to read his new book with an open mind.

[MikeDuffy]

32. Thanks for your response.

I realize that it would have been best for me to have found past discussion threads about his JFK book, but I don't have DU Search rights (altho I am now thinking Google search probably will suffice).

So I guess you are saying you believe he writes like a judge would, i.e. what he believes the preponderance of the evidence shows?

[MinM]

35. Here's a review:

http://www.ctka.net/bugliosi_davy.html

[MikeDuffy]

48. I looked at a video presentation of Vincent's linked to by Wikipedia.

Link: http://www.americanbooktour.com/book_reclaiming_history_part_1.asp

It was very disappointing. Rather than a careful deliberation like an impartial judge he came across like a paid defense advocate trying to make the best case for his client. (Of course he was never a judge, but a prosecutor.)

I guess more research is required...

[Time for change]

56. I'd like to say a few words about that

The GWB book and the JFK book are very different types of books. Whether he is right or wrong about his conclusion in the JFK book, I don't think that has a lot of bearing on the GWB book. The JFK book considers tons of evidence, much of it very controversial, to reach its conclusions. The GWB book, in contrast, discusses facts that are right out there in front of our faces, yet so few Americans are willing to draw the obvious conclusions from them. Very little if any information in the GWB book are is new. Bugliosi's great contribution with that book is to very forcefully make the obvious conclusion that so few are willing to make, despite the abundant evidence.

With regard to his JFK book, I have not read it, though I do disagree with his conclusions. I feel a little bit arrogant saying that -- who am I to disagree with someone on an issue that he has spent years researching, when I haven't even read his book? Nonetheless, I'm entitled to my opinion. I've read 4 other books on JFK's death, including one that tried to make the case for the official Warren Commission version. It was one of the most ridiculous books I've ever read -- I just wanted to tear it up and burn it, it was so stupid ("Case Closed", by Gerald Posner, I believe).

The best book by far that I've read on the subject is "Best Evidence" by David Lifton. That book deals mostly with the medical evidence, which clearly shows that JFK was shot from the front, twice. All 9 doctors who treated him at the hospital and who viewed at least one of the two bullet wounds agree on that point. Lifton's book went into great detail on the subject, and I don't doubt that he spent as much time on his book as Bugliosi, and far more time than Posner.

His book barely deals with other issues, such as how Oswald fits into the picture. I've read many different opinions on that question, and I have no idea how Oswald fits in, whether he was in the book depository when they said he was, whether he fired a shot or more, or whether he was set up. But all that is completely irrelevant to the question of whether JFK was shot from the front. Oswald did not kill JFK, unless he was shooting from somewhere around the grassy knoll, rather than from the Book Depository, where the official story places him.

Anyhow, my bottom line is that, whether or not Bugliosi is correct about his conclusion from the JFK book, that has little to do with whether or not what he says in the GWB book is correct. As far as I'm concerned, it is obvious to me that Bugliosi is right on target with the GWB book because, as he says, the information is all out there, staring us in the face. It's just a matter that so many Americans are simply unwilling to reach the obvious conclusion.

[ailsagirl]

60. I was very surprised at that, I must confess. I have not read the book

I'm amazed that anyone in this day and age thinks that
LHO was the lone assassin. Bugliosi is smart as a whip
and doesn't suffer fools gladly, so I'm just surprised.

However, (slight shift of subject) he was one of the
more vociferous critics of the slipshod job that was
done on the "investigation" of RFK's murder...

[Doctor Panacea]

65. I agree with you, Mike

I think Bugliosi is one of those people, especially common in people born before WWII, who buy the metaphor that the U.S. is a shining city on a hill, and consequently believe that any crime with national significance is an individual aberration, not a systemic sickness. I think he chose to believe that the JFK assassination was just a blip on the radar screen caused by one man's personal frustration or warped political sympathies.

Of course, Bugliosi was wrong in this, but he spent about a thousand pages arguing his case. His mindset is that of a prosecutor, who in our legal system, unfortunately, may confuse winning a case with proving the truth. He set out to assemble evidence that, in his mind, would convict Oswald of the murder. I have read a couple of reviews of his book. Bugliosi, according to what I have read, followed the all too common prosecutorial habit of conveniently ignoring things that did not help his case.

Frankly, I do not have any great respect for the man. I heard his self-aggrandizing, ego-stroking comments after the O.J. Simpson trial. He is truly a legend in his own mind. I think I heard some kind of promotion recently about a Tom Hanks HBO special dealing with Bugliosi and (I think) the JFK issue. Sorry if I got that wrong, but I think that was the subject. If the special is, indeed, about the JFK assassination, then we will have yet another establishment attempt to cover up a conspiracy that diverted American history in a direction that has led, through Vietnam and its aftermath and Republican administrations, to a rending of our social and political fabric.

[dailykoff]

71. Bingo.

The JFK book (which I heard Bugliosi defend pathetically in a friendly Pacifica interview) has made me seriously question everything he's every defended including the Manson convictions. Lotta LAPD funny business there as it turns out.

Yes, junior is a murderer, but no, I don't think we know exactly why Boogy wrote this book.

[Hubert Flottz]

26. K&R...

[DU GrovelBot]

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[myrna minx]

36. K&R n/t

[Baby Snooks]

38. Any patriotic and philanthropic DUers reading this?

If I had the money, I would send every member of Congress a copy of this book. Perhaps someone will. The majority of the members of Congress are as much a disgrace as Bush and Cheney if not more so. They enabled him. And they have continued to enable him.

They are supposed to serve the American people. Not the president. So far they have only served the president. Clicking their heels and saluting him.

[H2O Man]

42. I believe

that has already been done.

[Time for change]

59. One of the posts up higher on this thread says that

Bugliosi himself sent free copies to DAs around the country. Perhaps it would be more useful to them than to Congress.

[Baby Snooks]

81. Why?

The district attorneys around the country can't indict him - only the Justice Department can and they will only indict him if Congress impeaches him and removes him from office. After they remove Mukasey of course. All eyes turn to Madame Speaker. Who of course ignores the eyes. The Empress serving her Emperor. She smiles to herself at the notion of impeachment and indictment. It is too late.

The man is a mass murderer. Congress has been a willing accomplice.

[truth2power]

41. GWB is a psychopath. He shows this clearly by his words, his actions

and his demeanor. He is more dangerous than John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and many others.

The only reason he hasn't been tried and sentenced to death for his crimes is because he is protected by his wealth and his connections to others with sick minds like his own.

Read what Dr. Robt. Hare, the preeminent researcher on psychopathy today, has to say (about the disorder in general) and you'll note that Bush meets virtually every criterion. You'll see that what is referred to as "Bushisms" is actually an indicator of the working brain of the psychopath.

Yes, our President is a murderous thug who, in a just world, would have met his fate long ago. It's only due to the poisoning of the minds of the American populace by Faux news and their ilk that he is able to avoid judgment.

[WinkyDink]

87. "Bush on the Couch". Brilliant analysis, IMO.

[marias23]

43. Is Bush Innocent by Reason of Insanity?

I think Bush may be psycotic - he seems to have no emotional reaction to the pain of others.
I will be buying the book to support Bugliosi.

[Time for change]

61. I doubt it

Having no emotional reaction to the pain of others is not considered "insanity". Such a person is referred to by psychologists as a "psychopath", and that provides no legal defense against murder or any other crime. If it did, we may as well tear down all our prisons.

[Another Joe]

45. LYING LIARS IN MSM

The MSM has too much vested in dur chimpfurher to allow the truth to be told. The 5 global corporations that own 80+ percent of the media have decided that these assets are more profitable as propaganda centers than as vehicles of communication and advertising.

They know that their corporate sponsors have no other meaningful choices to reach mass markets, besides, many corporate sponsors have direct or indirect links/investments in the MSM anyhow.

They will whine and complain about falling readerships and viewers, but are actually more interested in "catapulting the propaganda" than providing real news.

They will stonewall this with silence, that's why we need to keep talking about it.

IS THERE AN HONEST PROSECUTOR OUT THE THAT WILL STAND UP FOR AMERICA?!?!?!?!

[Time for change]

67. I certainly hope that there is a prosecutor out there who will do this

Welcome to DU Joe :toast:

[liberalcanuck]

51. Kick it!

:kick:

[HughMoran]

52. Glad a life-long prosecuter knows a good case when he sees it

I can only hope that Bush will eventually be held accountable for his horrific actions.

At least if he goes back and actually reads his holy books, he will see that he is clearly headed for hell and an eternity of reliving the horror which he inflicted upon many thousands of innocent people.

[windoe]

54. All posts like this should be posted on New Republic and other Republican sites

seriously, there are people here that need to see this post and most others enjoy it---but the RW sited NEED to see it!!


It would no doubt start flame wars, but at least it would be SEEN by many people who would otherwise not see this!!!:)

[Time for change]

63. I once posted a much more moderately worded post on the Free Republic

It was merely a "plea to moderates" to consider voting for Democrats in the 2006 election, and I gave some reasons why I thought they should do that. It lasted less than one minute before I was tombstoned from the site.

[windoe]

68. There goes that idea

:-(

[Dinger]

58. K & R

Bugliosi kicks ass!

[Larry Ogg]

62. And what could cause Americans to feel more nervous

about the status of their country than the prosecution for murder of a sitting President – or even a convincing argument that a sitting President ought to be prosecuted for murder?

Well now, I could think of a lot of things that would scare the hell out of most American people, but it all boils down to just two word, ”…Truth and Lies…”. So start with the first word ‘truth’ and you ask yourself, is there anything more terrifying to most politician than the truth? And I suppose once you start pulling on that string the unraveling wouldn’t stop with Bush / Cheney. After all, it’s what the American people don’t know that makes them the American people. And not knowing the truth is what helps make the world an easier place to wake up in - so ‘we the people’ can smell the roses and go shopping - while feeling confident in the knowledge that people like the Bushes and the Cheney’s of the world are working very hard to keep us all free and safe from those Islamo fascist terrorist boogiemen and peace loving tree hugging liberals. Nope, the last thing the American people need - as their country sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of hell, is the truth…

So what fun can I have with the second word ”Lies”, other than to say, most dumb downed Americans have been fed so full of them for so long, I don’t know if they would even capable of believing the truth if you hit them over the head with it. And this is no lie, if you’re a conspiracy theorist, you say Bush lied us into war. But if you’re a Bush enabler who has taken impeachment of the table you will say something respectful like this,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x162744">Oh sure he (Bush) took us to war on a false pretence, but that’s not grounds for impeachment.

Ya gotta love it though! A spoon full of sugar (Reversive Blockade anyone) helps the medicine go down. That and the hope that the dumb downed American people won’t have a clue as to what a ‘false pretense’ is.

Any how I just wanted to say high Dr. Dale, give your OP a kick and my two cents, for what it’s worth, theory… :toast:
Larry

[Time for change]

64. Thank you Larry

"I don’t know if they would even capable of believing the truth if you hit them over the head with it."

Isn't that the absolute truth about the FOX News crowd?

One wonders what they think when a Republican is indicted or convicted of a crime (Mark Foley, Ted Stevens), and FOX labels them (literally) a Democrat.

[Larry Ogg]

76. I don’t know what your next book to read is

So I’ll give another plug for http://www.electricpolitics.com/media/docs/authoritarians.pdf ">” The Authoritarians”

As per your comment. “One wonders what they think when a Republican is indicted or convicted of a crime (Mark Foley, Ted Stevens), and FOX labels them (literally) a Democrat.”

Bob Altemeyer makes it perfectly clear as he presents years of research on how the right wingers minds work and who they are, and why they go out of their way and are so willing to kill and pull the wool over their own eyes as well as every one else’s, it's for their in-groups ideologies and leaders whose acts or words are never to be questioned, the Authoritarian followers are literally the perfect sucker for psychopaths to build their base from, and they buy and defend every lie and act hook line and sinker. So it’s easy to understand when one of their leaders are caught red handed, the damage control is to blame someone else, or the other party. It’s not so much a stretch for these followers to believe that these criminals were implants from the other party.

Just think about what Hitler said, “What luck for rulers that men do not think.”

Altemeyer discuses in great detail facts, premise and conclusions:

For instance, before you come to a conclusion, you will look at many objective facts and form a premise which is the foundation for your conclusion. But Right Wing Authoritarians (RWA) on the other hand, don’t need those pesky little facts to form a conclusion. What they do, is form a conclusion or have one handed to them, and then they look for a premise that fits the conclusion. Altemeyer sais they, “Build a house and then look for a foundation to put it on. You will remember the following stories well.

Sodom Husain is making weapons of mass destruction because he has aluminum tubes. It’s true, aluminum tubes are used to enrich uranium, but if your benevolent leader fails to mention, and the media goes along and covers up the fact that aluminum tubes are also used for many other things, the conclusion is an easy sell to your RWA followers, and rest assured what the RWA leader says will not be questioned by the RWA follower.

And its true, trucks can be used to make mobile chemical weapon labs, and Sodom Husain had trucks, and when Colin Powel showed to the world those drawings as to what these mobile chemical labs look like, the conclusion was proof positive and enough for the non-critical thinking mind of the RWA follower who will never question the RWA leaders drawings.

Another thing Altemeyer sais is typical of the RWA mind think, it is how they defend their conclusions with their profound world view,
“I know I am right because those who agree with me say I am.”

Anyhow it’s a great five stare book, extremely important, easy and fun to read and understand, and I know you will thoroughly enjoy it…
Larry

[SalviaBlue]

66. Thank you for summarizing this book.

I have been meaning to buy it, now I will.

Rec.

[speedoo]

69. K&R. Thanks for posting this. nt

[whistle]

70. When do the trials begin?

[katty]

72. This sums it up well

(for 7+ long, horrible years we have been witness to the rape of our country and Iraq by the current administation-yet-none of our elected representatives will ever, at the very least, impeach George Bush & Co.)


***
In chapter 1 of his book, Bugliosi explains simply that most people fail to see what is directly in front of them and staring them in the face, simply because they either don’t expect to see it or because they don’t want to see it. What would the American people expect and want to see less than the case for murder against their sitting President?

[jeff30997]

73. Great post!

Another infamous moment when Bush demonstrated that he was a cold heartless sociopath was this:

August 5 2002

"Just over four hours before, as Bush slept at his parents' seaside retreat, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a bus in Israel, killing nine passengers."

"Bush, wearing khakis and a knit shirt, was holding a driver in his gloved left hand. The rest of his foursome, including his father, former president George H.W. Bush, was waiting. However incongruous the setting, the president plunged ahead. "There are a few killers who want to stop the peace process that we have started, and we must not let them," he said. "I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers."

His business out of the way, Bush barely paused for breath before saying, "Thank you. Now watch this drive."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43789-2002Aug4?language=printer


We all remember that last phrase mainly because of Michael Moore's movie Fahrenheit 9/11 but adding

this to all that have been said above I believe that this guy is a psychopath.He doesn't deserve to

live in our society.His place is in jail or in a mental institute.

[TheCoxwain]

75. Kerry should have ran an ad during his campaign

..that called him a thief and a murderer

thief ( because he looted the US treasury) using tax laws and no-bid contracts for his buddies
Muderer .. He killed 10's of 1000's of people in pursuit of the former

[Disturbed]

79. No matter what the motive was for this book, the case is strong.

Will any Prosecutor in America have the courage to file the charges after Busholini is forced to
leave the office?

[hootinholler]

78. Kicking it! n/t

[northamericancitizen]

80. K & R

[namvet73]

83. Great book! Halfway through it. n/t