Lies of George W. Bush
"George W. Bush is a liar. He has lied large and small, directly and by omission. He has mugged the truth—not merely in honest error, but deliberately, consistently, and repeatedly." —from the Introduction
All American presidents have lied, but George W. Bush has relentlessly abused the truth. In this scathing indictment of the president and his inner circle, David Corn, the Washington editor of The Nation, reveals and examines the deceptions at the heart of the Bush presidency. In a stunning work of journalism, he details and substantiates the many times the Bush administration has knowingly and intentionally misled the American public to advance its own interests and agenda, including:
- Brazenly mischaracterizing intelligence and resorting to deceptive arguments to whip up public support for war with Iraq
- Misrepresenting the provisions and effects of the president's supersized tax cuts
- Offering misleading explanations—instead of telling the full truth —about the 9/11 attacks
- Lying about connections to corporate crooks
- Presenting deceptive and disingenuous claims to sell controversial policies on the environment, stem cell research, missile defense, Social Security, white-collar crime, abortion, energy, and other crucial issues
- Running a truth-defying, down-and-dirty campaign during the 2000 presidential contest and recount drama
The Lies of George W. Bush is not a partisan whine—it is instead a carefully constructed, fact-based account that clearly denotes how Bush has relied on deception—from the campaign trail to the Oval Office—to win political and policy battles. With wit and style, Corn explains how Bush has managed to get away with it and explores the dangerous consequences of such presidential deceit in a perilous age.
"The Lies of George W. Bush nails the case. Mixing cold, hard facts with a rapier wit, David Corn skewers Bush, using the president's own words and deeds to prove that the straight-shooting candidate who vowed to restore honor and integrity to the Oval Office has, instead, turned out to be a serial liar. Meticulously researched, Lies sets a crooked record straight and shows that Saddam's WMDs are not the only thing missing—so is honesty in the Bush White House. Bush bashers, your ship has come in. Bush backers, I dare you to read this."
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, AUTHOR OF PIGS AT THE TROUGH
"Washington journalist David Corn takes a gloves-off look at President Bush's public record and finds a disturbing array of White House whoppers. With biting wit and sharp-eyed skepticism, Corn finds a pattern of deception too sweeping and consistent to be dismissed casually as 'spin' or "misstatements.' A valuable look at how often and effortlessly the man who campaigned on the lofty principles of 'responsibility' and 'accountability' has evaded both."
CLARENCE PAGE, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST FOR THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"One of the oddest aspects of the Bush presidency has been how reluctant journalists are to report that Bush lies. Reporters who jumped on Bill Clinton for disingenuous hair-splitting and piled on Al Gore for harmless exaggerations have given George W. Bush pass after pass after pass. No longer. Veteran journalist David Corn has collected all the glaring evidence. With flair, he skewers Bush and shows—beyond question—that the fellow in the White House has manhandled the truth about Iraq, the war on terrorism, tax cuts, global warming,
