How Would A Patriot Act? is, primarily, about the radical claims of total presidential authority made by the Bush Administration's radical lawyers, with the ostensible aim of fighting terrorism and the effect of discarding the Constitution.
As Greenwald clearly sets out, America defeated the Communist threat from the Soviet Union without losing sight of the Constitution; fewer sacrifices will be necessary to defeat a few disorganized Islamists.
So why has Bush's Administration been allowed to get away with torturing prisoners to death, "disappearing" and detaining American citizens without trial, and Big Brother-like surveillance of telephone calls and internet traffic (in violation of countless laws and the 4th Amendment?) Why has the Republican controlled Congress failed to assert its powers of oversight?
At the core of these failures, Greenwald argues, is fear. While Franklin Roosevelt told us "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," Republican leaders have stoked our fear of another 9/11, in part out of cowardice, and in part for political expediency.
This book will fortify the spine of the American people, so that we can elect leaders who will emphatically restore Constitutional government, instead of the current batch of corrupt Republican cowards.
In sum, "How Would a Patriot Act?" is both timely and relevant, cutting through the noise of traditional media sources. (The latest NSA phone records scandal took place after the book was printed, but up-to-the-minute discussion can be found at Glenn's blog Unclaimed Territory.) It's squarely in the tradition of great pamphlets; buy it, read it and pass it along to your friends.