by Craig Unger
First published 2008
Craig Unger exposes the hidden alliance between neoconservative policy makers and Christian Right leaders that pushed America into the Iraq War. The author traces how this coalition convinced George W. Bush he was fulfilling God's will by ignoring his father's counsel and launching an invasion. Unger reveals how Dick Cheney manipulated Bush while building a shadow national security network that fed discredited intelligence directly into presidential speeches. Through interviews with Christian Right figures, neoconservative activists, Bush administration officials, and intelligence sources from the CIA, Pentagon, and Israel, the investigation shows how forged documents rejected by fourteen intelligence agencies still reached Bush's State of Union address. The book documents how Cheney and allies created disinformation pipelines to mislead the public while veteran officials who protested the policy were silenced. Unger argues this certainty about bending history to their will doomed Bush's presidency and cost thousands of lives plus trillions of dollars, potentially igniting wider Middle Eastern conflicts.
Genres: history, american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, political-thriller, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, government-conspiracy
Setting: Iraq, Middle East
Period: 21st Century
480 pages · Paperback · Free Press
Content warnings: death, violence