Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Political books are not my forte, especially in these trying times. Books are coming out from the right and from the left, either excoriating or excessively praising George W. Bush, and there just isn't any middle ground. After reading Misunderestimated by Bill Sammon, I think I will go back to my shell. I think that might be why I prefer history to current events. While history can certainly be politicized, the line usually isn't this distinct.

It's not that Misunderestimated is a bad book. In fact, it's actually quite interesting. I did learn a few new things, got a new spin on certain old things, and read the last 150 pages in one sitting. But all the time I was reading it, I kept on thinking "I wonder what a Leftist writer would say about this?" I found myself disengaging from it, wondering where some of the analysis was. There is little analysis, however. Instead, it portrays Bush in as good a light as possible. There is one mild criticism of the way post-war Iraq has been handled, but otherwise it's all positive. Instead, Sammon goes on the attack, against the Press mostly.

Misunderestimated begins with a riveting sequence in Portland, Oregon, where Bush's motorcade was assaulted by masses of protesters. Sammon takes us inside the motorcade and inside the security arrangements, showing us how the protesters were actually able to lay a hand on the limousine as it tried desperately to get behind the barricades and to where Bush was trying to go. Sammon puts the reader on the scene, and I found it pulse-pounding despite knowing that it ultimately had to turn out all right. Sammon uses this chapter to show us how ugly political discourse has become in our society, with Bush being the lightning rod.

In the second chapter, Sammon gives us a history of Saddam Hussein. A lot of it I had already known, but some of it I didn't. It would have been nice to have some documentation in this and other historical chapters, telling us where the information came from. It would make some of the details a bit more credible, though it is obvious that Hussein was a horrible dictator even without sources. It's not that I found myself doubting this chapter, but documentation would have given it a lot more power. Basically, all of the major events up until the book was finished are in here, seen from a behind the scenes camera. Sammon was given a lot of access to Bush and other Bush Administration figures, such as Rice, Rumsfeld, Powell, Karl Rove, and others. Thus, he gets their side of the story out.

Sammon saves most of his venom for the Press. He's not afraid to name names, either, as he points out one column or article after another that he feels is completely wrong. He's also very critical of the White House Press Corps, which he shows to be fixated on issues to be critical of the President, even to the point of constantly hammering ideas that have already been either answered or disproved. He's especially hard on Dan Rather, devoting an entire chapter to his interview with Saddam Hussein, almost transcribing it and putting in his comments about each part of it. It's a really effective chapter, and I found my opinion of Rather going down further and further as I read it (it was already fairly low after hearing about it the first time, but I hadn't actually read the interview before). He shows a Media fixated on Vietnam comparisons and trying desperately to trap Bush and the others into making statements that will put them in a bad light. In one instance, a reporter tries three times to get Bush to give her an end date for the war, just over a week into it. Then they all seemed upset when he wouldn't give them one, saying only "However long it takes to win."

Surprisingly, it's the quieter chapters that are the most interesting. Sammon devotes a chapter to January 2, 2003, and a hike on Bush's Texas ranch that he took the White House Press Corps on. He shows them the beauty of the ranch and it's a nice personal moment, just him and the reporters. Throughout the entire walk, they don't ask him any questions, saving them for the end. It's a quiet day and shows a more personal side to the President. Also neat was the chapter on Bush's Thanksgiving Day trip to Baghdad. It was interesting to see all of the planning behind it, and how they pulled one over on the entire press corps. The intricate detail, the extensive planning and the hair-raising closeness of having it all fall apart was the highlight of the book for me.

Sammon writes very effectively and the book definitely holds your attention. Even if you don't agree with Bush and with Sammon, you'll find a lot to like (or at least, enjoy reading). One fault of the book, however, is the almost personal tone taken by Sammon. He chastises George Galloway for writing himself so much into his pre-war article on Saddam Hussein, but he does a bit of it himself here. He talks about the playful way he stood up and blocked the White House cameras during one press conference and the banter that he and Bush shared. He also calls Rice "Condi" a few times, which I found really inappropriate for a book like this.

However, Misunderestimated is what it is. If you feel the same way as Sammon, you'll have a lot to agree with. If you disagree with him, this book won't open your eyes. If you like political books, this is one of the good ones, no matter what your affiliation. Just don't expect to change your outlook.

David Roy

I don't want to say this is outright better than Woodward's Plan of Attack, for that book is useful and insightful in its own way. I'll say simply that Sammon's book complements Woodward's very nicely -- and that Sammon is a far better writer than Woodward. Sammon has an eye and ear from the dramatic and tells a much better story. Indeed, it is riveting.

Sammon covers the Bush presidency from summer 2002 until spring 2004. His primary focus is the war in Iraq, from Bush's decision making and presenting the case for war to the early conduct of the invasion. He covers all the major details of the Iraq War, including the day and moment Bush made the decision to invade Iraq (afterwards, he went outside on the White House lawn to reflect). The auxiliary details are here also. For example: the story of the president's Thanksgiving 2003 visit to Baghdad (which is downright gripping) and the May 2003 trip to the USS Lincoln, where the "Mission Accomplished" banner was hung (by the way, Sammon doesn't let this pass uncritically).

Politics is a backdrop, particularly the 2002 midterm elections and, to a lesser extent (despite the mention of John Kerry in the subtitle), the early months of the 2004 presidential race. Sammon's discussion of the 2002 elections is especially interesting. He provides a great description of the notorious Wellstone memorial service/rally that turned the tide in favor of Republicans in Minnesota and perhaps nationwide. Another Democratic misstep that year was Tom Daschle's mismanagement of the debate and vote on the Iraq resolution; according to Sammon, Karl Rove couldn't believe that Daschle fumbled so badly and handed the GOP such a gift.

Another backdrop to the Iraq story is the media: how it got so much about Iraq wrong and how it was frequently biased against Bush and his administration. The second charge -- it's difficult to refute Sammon's quotations on this -- is an old one and not as interesting as the first. The press was wrong about a string of things in Iraq; for example, many in the media declared that US troops were "bogged down" a week or ten days into the war, when in reality they had advanced so quickly that they had to stop and let the supply lines catch up.

All in all, it's a thoroughly engaging read about a critical period of recent history.

As a conservative professional musician, I am often in the minority with my colleagues, who are distinctly left leaning liberal. As much as I disagree with my friends, I have no disrespect for their beliefs, as I tend to assume they are as honestly heart felt as mine, based on truth as they know it.

'Misunderestimated' reveals how the truth as they know it is not the truth. All the way through this book I wanted to buy as many copies as I could afford to send to my friends that at least have an open enough mind to respect me as I do them. It had become apparent to me before I read this book that there is a LOT of mischaracterization, misrepresentation, and out and out hatred regarding the current administration and its policies in the media. But the reality presented by this white house press insider is even more appalling.

At the same time, the character that I saw in Bush in the beginning, but doubted as the onslaught on him rages, was proved to be true. This is a man who is different, with convictions, with a keen awareness of his duty as leader of this country, who completely stumps those who oppose them BECAUSE he is who he is. If there is not an out and out media bias against Bush, the only other fair conclusion is they evidently do not have a grid for understanding this President, and so flail away in what templates they have, tragically missing the opportunitiy to report truthfully on the emergence of this new leader as he succeeds while shaking the status quo.

And so I say, if you do have an open mind, if you do honestly seek the truth, this book is it. In fact the story of Bush's Thanksgiving visit to the troops in Bagdhad is worth the price of the book. Anyone that can read this book and still claim hatred for Bush deserves the media deception they are fed.

Read with an open mind. I dare you.