Late Summer Reading

THE LATEST IN a series of books that are critical of the Iraq 'situation' is now available for your summer reading pleasure (early copies available in some places). 'Fiasco' , by WaPo writer Thomas E. Hicks, seems to have a leg up on the others in terms of credibility, but we'll have to see. The Right Wing will try to discredit him -- you know, because any report of something bad happening in Iraq is a product of the liberal media. But look for 'Fiasco' to weather the 'liberal media' storm a bit better than some other books on the topic. Several of the reviews I've read indicate a pretty long paper (and source) trail that backs up Hicks' account.

Michiko Kakutani has a review the book in the NY Times (which, of course, you can't read online because of their firewall -- damn you, NY Times!) . But here's a quick excerpt:

An after-action review from the Third Infantry Division underscores the Pentagon's paucity of postwar planning, stating that "there was no guidance for restoring order in Baghdad, creating an interim government, hiring government and essential services employees, and ensuring that the judicial system was operational." And an end-of-tour report by a colonel assigned to the Coalition Provisional Authority memorably summarized his office's work as "pasting feathers together, hoping for a duck."

I'll get my copy just in time for my trip to the beach.