Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Like a Russian nested doll, the recent wave of books explaining the details behind the current Iraqi conflict has represented a continuous extrication of a deepening mystery. There is something new and enlightening to be discovered with each new volume I read. This one is no exception. David Corn, the Washington editor of the Nation, and Newsweek's Michael Isikoff has written a blistering account of the behind-the-scenes personalities and decisions that have led to the 2003 Iraqi invasion. Their reporting roles are well known from the infamous Valerie Plame controversy, in which she was revealed to be working for the CIA. Much of this has been covered in recent, strongly recommended books by the likes of George Packer ("The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq"), Ron Suskind ("The One Percent Doctrine") and Michael Scheuer ("Imperial Hubris"). Corn and Isikoff, however, shed new insights to previously reported events, disclose new facts such as Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage's role in the CIA leak, and bring the pivotal figures to life, in particular, President Bush whose obsession with destroying Saddam Hussein was and continues to be the mantra by which he forced others to abide. Even as evidence has piled up to the tenuous connection between 9/11 and Hussein, he continues undeterred in his mission. Another figure that comes alive on the pages is Colin Powell, who justifiably feels he was made the fall guy with his infamous UN Security Council speech urging other nations to support the US case for war by falsely accusing Hussein of harboring al-Qaeda and training terrorists. Yet, the most intriguing figures are unquestionably Joseph Wilson and his wife Valerie Plame. Wilson was sent to Niger in 2002 to investigate the possibility that Hussein had a deal to buy enriched uranium yellowcake, a perceived threat which he concluded was gravely overstated. As we all learned, Plame was instrumental in sending her husband because she turned out to be a CIA operative, a fact we learn was disclosed to journalist Robert Novak by Armitage. According to the co-authors, this led to vicious in-fighting to discredit the Wilsons, which included document forgeries about the findings from the Niger trip, doctored photos of supposed WMD sites in Iraq and recruiting Laurie Mylroie, an obscure researcher who was convinced that Hussein was the source for all terrorism. Even though there was a lot of questioning from Congressional leaders on both sides throughout, there was very little resistance to challenge Bush, leading to false stories reported in the New York Times about the supposed presence of the WMDs. The labyrinth of deception is mind-boggling, yet Corn and Isikoff have done an impressive amount of fact-checking to substantiate their book. Even if you feel you've read every book on the culpability of the Bush administration, this one still manages to surprise and more importantly, puts a lot of the heretofore random pieces together into a cohesive account.