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The case against the current President of the USA, George W. Bush, is a fairly damning one and it is well-made by public interest lawyer William John Cox in his compelling new book, You’re Not Stupid! Get the Truth. From the well-publicised discrepancies over his early criminal record to the evasion of military service and to the business success that resulted entirely from his personal connections, the case made with relentless attention to detail reveals Bush to be a man with few if any redeeming features. His privileged background and lack of interest in his fellows and their lives make it possible for him to enact policies that are disastrous to most of his constituents; his religious and other ideological beliefs seem to cause him to reason that he is doing the right thing and that any devious or underhand tactic is worth it to achieve his goals and those of his close advisors.

It is possible to make out a case for conservatism. It is feasible that some good might come from reducing taxes and deregulating industry to enable market forces to determine the success and failure of individuals and organizations. However, that position is only tenable in a country such as the USA of the past which had such a remarkable ability to produce people who would philanthropically help and support those unable to succeed. It needs a pluralistic, inclusive society tempered with compassion. The USA of 2004 seems to have forsaken these virtues, at least in its ruling classes. Instead, an endless tide of hatred and vitriol floods out of seemingly all the mass media aimed at those who are in any way different. Much of this is the responsibility of the religious right who have found common ground with the neo-conservatives who have persistently and willfully confused luck with virtue. In the past, to see someone unfortunate was to see an opportunity to lend a helping hand – or at least to support the state in doing so. Now, to see someone in such straits is to rejoice that whoever it is must be morally corrupt and this reinforces our beliefs in ourselves as both godly and successful.

This is not a recipe for a sustainable society.

Cox focuses for most of the book on Bush’s role in fostering such beliefs and, necessarily, devotes a great deal of time to the run-up to the war in Iraq and its aftermath. Using a variety of sources, he demonstrates the regularity with which the president and his staff were alerted to the imminent danger of an attack by highjacked aeroplanes being flown into high profile targets and their brusque dismissal of these threats. He details the ways in which Bush and his staff misled the public by associating Iraq with the al Qaeda network and by falsely claiming there was evidence that Saddam Hussein had built or obtained weapons of mass destruction. As a result of these deliberate falsehoods and a prearranged determination to eliminate Saddam Hussein, Cox argues, Bush led his country into an illegal war – illegal because it contravened international norms established under the United Nations. Now that the absence of weapons of mass destruction has been (predictably() made apparent, Bush and his closest ally British PM Tony Blair have resorted to a moral argument that war was justified because it resulted in the end of an undesirable regime. So which undesirable regime will be next? North Korea? Iran? Myanmar has an extremely repressive regime that kills and enslaves thousands of its population yet there has been no mention of invading it. What about undemocratic states with high rates of state execution like China? How about a second attempt at one party Vietnam? Is this really a sensible way to manage the world’s largest military power?

Cox’s argument is cogent and well-made through all of this. If I had to quibble, I would mention the excursions against the right wing media and pharmaceutical companies as being problematic. These are complex issues and, while Cox is generally right in his accusations, these areas really need full length studies of their own to do them justice and to remove all grounds for apologists to be able to muddy the waters.

Secondly, while it is perfectly acceptable to write a book that is entirely dependent on secondary sources and, indeed, to do a worthwhile public service by doing so, the heavy reliance on the use of the internet as a research tool requires some consideration. While I am aware that material printed on the website of The Guardian or The New York Times is credible and accurate, there are other sites with which I am unfamiliar and about which a word of explanation would have been welcome and reassuring.

Above all, I occasionally ask myself whether I would forgive Bush his many faults if he were in favour of policies I supported. Would all the lying and the incoherence then become acceptable? I am forced to conclude that he is in no way a good example for my daughter or my students to follow. If Cox’s booth helps at all to unseat him from the high office he has wrongly obtained, then he has done us all – American or not – a great service. John Walsh, Mahidol University International College, July 2004

Scorn & Style Books condemning the Bush presidency are legion. It’s a testament to some stubborn human will to ignorance that Bush maintains any standing in the polls at all. If I hadn’t spent many years as a biostatistician I would sincerely doubt the actuarial sense of data that shows Bush with anything more than ten percent. But there he is in a dead heat with a genuine war hero whose only “fault” is that he’s open to changing his mind when evidence prevails that he should.

Most of the several dozen books on the Bush calamity are published by larger publishers, but here’s a new one by Progressive Press (POB 126 Joshua Tree, CA 92252, $15.95 paperback) written by attorney William John Cox that stands up to the Dean, Clarke and Wilson tomes. In You’re Not Stupid! Get the Truth: A Brief on the Bush Presidency, Cox reveals himself to be a careful and dedicated researcher who cites 93 primary sources with 883 footnotes and concludes that Bush and his “gang of zealots” have deceived the American public, abetted by the “passivity of the mainstream media.”

Cox covers it all, from what he calls the “theft of the American presidency” through “new lows in dirty tricks” in the midterm elections of 2002, to “Prevaricator III: The Campaign for Reelection,” when “the ballyhoo of his nominating convention will be an insult to the thousands who died, perhaps unnecessarily, on September 11, 2001.”

Cox quotes Samuel Johnson’s “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” and points out that in all his photo-op politicking Bush is not risking his own life but is “putting the lives and futures of our children at risk.”

Finally, Cox discusses the coming election and the role of the new electronic election devices, especially the Diebold Election System whose CEO, Walden O’Dell, is a huge Bush contributor, and who is quoted as saying he’ll put Ohio (a swing state) in the Bush column whatever it takes. Cox points out that “neither Diebold, its CEO, any of its executives, or any other manufacturer of voting systems have made campaign contributions to any Democratic candidates. Len Fulton, small press review, July-August 2004

You're Not Stupid! Get The Truth: A Brief on the Bush Presidency is an unabashed wake up call to what President Bush and his "neocons" are doing to the country. From a hyper-focus on testing children that ignores real problems with public education - Bush's own home state of Texas has an abysmal graduation and college attendance rate, partly in due to pressures to have substandard achievers drop out rather than bring down test scores - to the lies surrounding the war in Iraq, to how much warning the Bush administration had before the 9/11 attacks, to the overwhelming array of tax favoritism for the wealthy in Bush fiscal policy and more, You're Not Stupid! Get The Truth blunty exposes lies as lies. A brutally honest, well-researched book that debunks common myths and sharply warns readers to be vigilant against being manipulated, and strongly recommended reading for all eligible voters. Midwest Book Reviews November 2004

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Amazon Reader Reviews

A book written for you and me, August 2, 2004. I liked this book for many reasons, but one of the reasons I appreciated "You're Not Stupid" is it provided me with so much information without making me feel overwhelmed. Although I think of myself as being well informed, I discovered new and important information reading this book. In fact, the book's description of Bush's education "reform" in Texas is fascinating . . . in a tragic train wreck sort of way. Bottom line, this book is a fast easy read and by the time you finish, you will know more about our President than your neighbors, your co-workers or your friends.

Fool me twice, shame on me, July 31, 2004. If you know of any fellow Texans (or anyone else for that matter) who suffer under the delusion that they haven't been screwed by Dubya, and who may be fixin' to vote for him again, a gift of Cox's book may be the best thing a friend can do. The book's easy to read; it lays out the truth (painful as it is); and it's written for those who are smart enough to know what "fool me twice, shame on me" means.

A Librarian’s Review, July 31, 2004. If you want to know what the mainstream media has been reluctant to report -- the truth on the Bush presidency -- this is the book for you. Provides an excellent, comprehensive overview of the issues; well-researched. However painful the topic, we owe it to ourselves to be informed. This book is like a crash course that will allow you to discuss politics with authority and debate with facts. Clearly organized with annotated chapter headings and easy to read.

Getting the Truth Made Easy, July 29, 2004. This fully footnoted, easy-to-read compendium of irrefutable facts about the Bush administration is what you need to navigate your way to the truth during this campaign year. Even if you consider yourself politically aware, this book will surprise you with things you didn't know, and are glad to learn. There is a blizzard of Bush-bashing books out there, but this one condenses everything you need to know in one place. It's a crash-course in the political history of the last four years, such as it is. If you're undecided, at the end of the book you will be decided; if you're subdued, this book will mobilize you.
Current Events Neo-Con-Densed, July 9, 2004. Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover. The beauty of "You're Not Stupid! Get the Truth" is the affirmation of what is right about America. After the shameful images coming out of Iraq and Washington, it's easy to forget the humane ideals that America was loved for, which we have fought for.

Between the covers, "You're Not Stupid" pulls no punches on the political and media establishments. The brief documents all the main causes of grief with the "Commando-in-Chief", in chapters on topics from Bush's background to the Iraq fiasco, with Medicare, 9/11, and education in between. What it all boils down to is the best voter's guide I've seen for this year's elections.

Well Will Never Stop Seeking New Ways to Harm Our Country And Its People. September 3, 2004. That's W's latest (and greatest)"Bushism" stammered as he sighned a 400 billion plus military appropriation to further the neocon cause. Freudian slip? Could be. Just an idiot? That's a given. Not enough functioning synapses after years of alcohol and cocain abuse? All of the above? Thought the folks who acquited OJ Simpson were stupid? They ain't got nothin in terms of putting emotion ahead of reason over your average Bush supporter. Decent book. More ink must be spilled on the neocons, how they've come to power, and the damage they've caused to this country. I thinks this is the last one I'll buy that exposes this imbecile. One must conserve monetary resources in the Bush economy. One never knows when one will find themselves between jobs these days. Remember when we were a prosperous nation at peace back in 2000? Ahhh the good old days. Yeah, think that's it. No more pol books. I'm passed the point of being pissed off. Just go to the polls in November, and hope the independents see the light. Oh, yes, and cross your fingers that the electronic voting machine tallies your vote.

Fool me….um….twice. September 2, 2004. In this well researched book, William Cox has marshaled a wide variety of impressive and verifiable sources to build a strong case against the current occupant of the White House. In You're Not Stupid!, you can judge the record for yourself.

The book shows that George W. Bush has rewarded his wealthy supporters with irresponsible tax breaks, just as he has turned the largest national budget surplus in history into the biggest-ever deficit. His "No Child Left Behind" initiative has been a failure. He neglected clear warnings of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He spearheaded a shameful and vicious personal attack on triple amputee and Viet Nam war hero Max Cleland for political gain. He misled the American public into a war a majority feels was ill-advised and counter productive. He has incurred the enmity of the world at a time when the United States most needs international cooperation. He has abridged our civil liberties in such a way as to shock moderates of both political parties. These are not mere allegations. With a lawyer's attention to detail and proof, William Cox lays the record bare.

In the words of our embarrassingly inarticulate president, "Fool me once, shame on--shame on you; fool me--you can't get fooled twice." This easy-to-read book talks directly to you. Don't be fooled twice. You're not stupid. Get the truth from this important book