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It may be the plethora of books about Cheney and the Bush administration in recent years that puts this book in the shadows, but author Barton Gellman at least has offered a good look at what the Cheney years have meant to the United States. That those years continue to this day, is left out in the analysis.

Gellman gives a decent picture of Cheney, but nothing much new emerges in his assessment which the avid reader doesn't already know. Cheney, true to form, is genuinely concerned about the American people after 9/11. It all goes downhill from there. One comes to understand Gellman's description of Cheney's determination and, indeed, the author's own description of the chapter entitled "U-turn on Constitution Avenue" is one of his best. But the final few pages in which Gellman mawkishly spews Cheney out as a feeling guy...well, that's too much to take.

"Angler" has some points but there are better books on this subject out there.

As is evident from the other reviews here on Amazon, this book provides a history of Vice President Cheney's vice presidency into the start of 2008. Gellman has excellent sources, and was therefore able to get impressive detail of some events not previously told - - most notably the Alberto Gonzalez hospital bed confrontation over domestic surveillance.

The overarching theme of the book is that Cheney was too clever by half. He was too uncompromising, or "principled," early on, and smart enough to get what he wanted much of the time. As a result, Cheney created a backlash against himself. By 2008, he was worse off than he would have been had he been more compromising early on. That theme emerges only gradually, however, and I would have liked to see it presented more forcefully throughout the book.

The first part of the book, in which Cheney uses his knowledge of how bureaucracies work, is the most interesting and important. Gellman documents how a talented player can get his way, and how Cheney kept important decisions away from President Bush without Bush's knowledge. This part of the book should be required reading for presidents and other high officials - - how do you make sure that you're getting the information that you want? Bush clearly failed this task until about 2006 or so.

I found the middle part a bit uneven, with some stories focused on minor details instead of the bigger picture. Fortunately, the narrative picks up again as the backlash against Cheney begins to trim his sails.

Overall, this is an impressive "first draft of history," as some people call journalism. A little more time to reflect, and to strengthen the overall arch of the story, would have served Gellman well. But who am I to complain? He won the Pulitzer Prize for this book, after all.

Dick Chaney, perhaps the most powerful man ever to hold the office of Vice President, began as President Bush's personal shield, confidant, mentor and ideological soul mate. However, this tidy arrangement, predictably, was to go horribly awry. As this timely book reports, Cheney's experience as a master wheeler-dealer of behind the scene backroom bureaucratic negotiations and Machiavellian manipulations, proved overtime to be more a liability than an asset to the Bush Presidency and appears especially likely to leave an indelible if not a very ugly stain on the 43rd president's legacy.

The book, well written and skilfully organized, began as a series of Washington Post Articles. It gives a careful account of Cheney's rise to power, and then captures in almost overly melodramatic terms the best and the worst of Cheney's role as VP: Undoubtedly the best of times was during the early days of the Bush's presidency when Cheney's role throughout the first campaign was heavily relied upon and was then both respectful and circumscribed; a time in which Bush relied on Cheney's political instincts as well as his policy advice. The crescendo of the book is when the worse came: toward the end of the Bush Presidency, in a series of vice presidential missteps best exemplified in the "shootout" at justice over the wireless wire taps, in which Cheney all but arrogated Presidential power unto himself, keeping the President in the dark and "single-handedly" precipitating a revolt by Justice Department lawyers.

The upshot of the book is that Cheney, remains a truly scary figure in the annals of American Presidential history, not just because of his Svengali like influence over our "not too bright President," but also because he was in his own right a devious spin-miester and die-heart ideologue who lacked no compunction are moral restraints about end-running the President, and then manufacturing "after-the-fact" rationalizations and justifications to cover his machinations and to cover-up even the most excessive and improper of his actions - such as his hidden hand in the Valery Plame incident. His utter lack of sensitivity to the meaning of the Constitution and the notion of a balance of powers among co-equal branches of the government is so aberrant as to border on being treasonous.

In the run up to the 2008 election, where questions about the current VP selections has caused the U.S. electorate to collectively hold its breathe, the Dick Cheney experience is a cautionary tale about the possible harm a weak selection of a VP can have in undermining the political process and American political institutions. Bart Gellman, in not taking sides, or completely "throwing Dick Cheney under the bus," when it would have been so easy to do so, has done this nation proud. Five Stars.

As a reader with advanced degrees in Political Science and Public Policy, and 20 years of employment in senior government service, this is the best expose with the required restraint and research that I have read in 30 years. A MASTERPIECE.

Prior to 2002 I used to have a great deal of respect for Dick Cheney. He did a great job of running the 1991 war with Iraq. His 2001 energy plan was well researched and professional even thought some people (including myself) felt it should have been more oriented to renewable energy.

However, since September 11, 2001 Dick Cheney has strongly promoted some totally disastrous policies such as the decision to go to war with Iraq.

This book contains some truly stunning accusations. It suggests that Cheney's role in picking himself as Bush's running mate when he was in charge of finding a running mate for Bush in 2000 had serious ethical breaches. There is a suggestion that Cheney was less than candid about his health problems.

The author suggests that Cheney knowingly lied to Dick Armey (House Majority Leader) about intelligence concerning the (nonexistent) relationship between 9/11 terrorists and Saddam Hussein.

There is more disturbing material concerning Cheney's alleged role in encouraging the use of torture against terrorism suspects and the use of domestic wiretapping.

It is interesting that Gelman knocks down one of the most popular accusations against Cheney, the notion that he wanted to use his office for private financial gain or the benefit of the oil industry or his previous employer, Halliburton. In a recent interview with Harper's magazine, Gellman states, "There's no venality here. Cheney was not trying to aggrandize himself, to steer money to friends, or to set himself up for higher office. He simply believed that the stakes were high and he was more capable than others. He saw the world, he believed, as it truly is and was prepared to do the "unpleasant" things that had to be done to safeguard us. Cheney is a rare combination: a zealot in principle and a subtle, skillful tactician in practice."

I can't vouch for the accuracy of all that's in this book. It may be true. It may not be - although the reporter is a very professional journalist.

What I can say is that this is a serious book that should be read and considered by American citizens. This is a book that should be read and debated by Amazon readers.

This whole situation is very depressing story about a talented man who did a lot of good in the past but went in a truly disastrous direction since 9/11/2001.

Nugent is not scared to say what he feels...book is written with unashamed conservative and capitalistic views that resonate with true red blooded Americans...not whining liberals that believe the world revolves around them (and the dolphins) Rock on Ted !!!

Great book, well written, plenty to think about. Most likely you won't agree with all of it, but that's o.k.

First off, I think Ted Nugent is what a rock and roll artist should be- he's the ultimate showman, a gifted songwriter and an excellent guitarist.

With millions of records sold and literally thousands of performances given over a 40 year career, he has earned his place in music history. I am a huge fan of his music ("Cat scratch fever" is one of my favorite songs and I even like Damn Yankees' stuff)and hope he's got many good years left in him..

I just have a problem when he spouts off some of his political viewpoints. (where is Laura "Shut up and sing" Ingraham when you need her?)

I read this book cover to cover last night. He actually has some great ideas and philosophies.

His passages espousing personal responsibility (especially his critiques of how the obesity and junk food epidemics are the real reasons behind skyrocketing health care) are admirable, as is his personal "no drugs no drink" philosophy which he elaborates on here.

I even think some of his immigration reform ideas (like arresting mayors who create sanctuary cities because they violate federal immigration laws) are pretty revolutionary and gutsy.

It's just that- all you need to know about this man's character is espoused on Chapter 5 when he talks about his view on War.

It is in this chapter where he reveals his true colors and shows himself to be just another of those ignorant cowardly "chicken hawks" who don't have a clue as to what actual war is.

He starts out with a pathetic and lame explanation for why he, Mr. Macho Warrior himself, never actually served in Vietnam- saying that he wasn't educated about the war's virtues and wasn't tuned to what was going on because he was focused at the time on his rock career.

Huh?

Yeah right- guess you missed all of those news reports about the war and never crossed paths with anti war musicians during all of that time on the road, eh Ted? (In reality, he fails to mention in this book documented interviews where he says he deliberately flunked his army physical by not bathing for weeks and eating junk food to appear as unhealthy as possible. He also fails to mention that he got a bogus "student deferrment" while he was traveling with his band)

and this guy criticizes Bill Clinton?

He then,after espousing that he would have killed everything in sight in 'Nam, (if he had the guts to go) opines that he knows what combat is like because he did some USO tours in dangerous areas! (with that logic, I guess Bob Hope was fit to be a green beret)

With that bs excuse out of the way so he can supposedly have some credibility on the topic, he proceeds to espouse his total warfare view that the enemy must be totally obliterated (even women and children - what a freaking humanitarian) and that the US must do this always and without mercy (something only someone who has never seen actual combat would say)

and this guy criticizes John Kerry?

Seriously Mr. Nugent- You're a talented musician and a pretty smart guy- but when it comes to warfare, you have NO CLUE what you are talking about- you were a coward when your country needed you and killing deer in a canned hunting environment does not make you some kind of warrior- it just makes you a clown with a gun license.

I suggest you begin your education and read "all quiet on the western front" for a real glimpse into the true nature of war- or at least watch a good episode of MASH on tv land....

Overall, some good ideas but just another silly ranting from a toy soldier...

As a fee-only fiduciary in the business of providing investment advice, I'm dealing with a lot of random emotions these days as a result of our inept Beltline policies and unconscionable Wall Street greed. These "leaders" of ours lost their adult sense of reason around the risks associated with reality, and how to prudently manage them, in this case with money (and lots of it).

Needing a little shot-in-the-arm of clarity around this concept of human nature and risks inherent in it, I busted open my ordered-in-advance copy of Ted Nugent credos as soon as it arrived yesterday. Reading a portion with two of my three recently adopted kids last night, we all felt energized with renewed conviction for the important things we're here to do in our lives. To see such a misunderstood man write about how in performing life's most difficult yet necessary tasks, "...it is equally manly to bawl my eyes out, sobbing uncontrollably over the heartbreak and trauma of such an act" (page 12), would surely help many to see that this is not a crazed lunatic, but one of the greatest humanitarians (and thankfully rock and rollers) to walk our planet in our lifetimes. The man is not perfect (and who is?) but he loves our Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Emancipation Proclamation ("The American Way") like few I've ever come across.

With our global markets in turmoil as they are today, the need for elemental management of risk in complete awareness of primal reality is on high. Hunka Ted delivers exactly that, with intensity and certainty. Had more of our politicians and business people been even remotely in touch with the core issues elucidated here, we'd be in a period of continued prosperity now and not the pathetic state of fear and chaos that so many are shamelessly gripped by today.

Godspeed to you, reader. Get the book, devour it and let's take the best of what it has to teach us in creating a better world for our kids. It's our gift to leave behind, let's celebrate and get it done now.

This book was great. Ted has it right even if some of the ideas come off as extreme to the current milk-toast males and blank stare females.

The only issue is where he speaks of his own education and lack of military experience. He says his lack of understanding came from the broken education system. He graduated in the 1960s when the system was far and away better than today.

He says they did not teach him about the Civil or any other War. This is hard to believe as I graduated in the late 1970s and all that was taught to me.

He goes on to say he didn't know how to balance a checkbook. Who's fault is that? His mom and dad's fault that's who! School was never expected to teach me basic personal needs and life skills.

The issue is that he just wanted to play Rock-n-Roll music and party. Even with a crummy education he still could have enlisted and joined the Marines or Army. They just wanted bodies to throw at Vietnam. And then how later in life did he learn all those valuable lessons?

Ted, your book is dead on but you don't walk your talk. You were just a long haired maggot who did not have the guts to go into the military and did not listen when his teachers were teaching him. It's ok because you say it was a mistake but that mistake was yours alone.

Mrs. Cheney has continued with her magnificent books for children that explain various parts of our history, heritage, culture and stories!

I am SO glad Mrs. Cheney wrote this book, it is a wonderful way to teach your children about the time between the end of the Revolutionary War and when George Washington becomes president. Most children's books skip over that part and children don't understand how hard it was to come up with a government that had never been done before. What a monumental task! Mrs. Cheney does a wonderful job of leading you through that time in history and gives James Madison his due in writing the Constitution.

Adults & children alike will learn a thing or two from Lynne Cheney's latest - We the People: The Story of Our Constitution. Lynne tells the story of our Constitution with beauty and simplicity, easy enough for a first grader to understand but complex enough for middle school. A must-have addition to any homeschool library, We the People: The Story of Our Constitution would also make a wonderful gift for any child.

Lynn Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, wrote an interesting history of the Constitution. It is a good way to start your kids off on the birth of the Greatest Country on God's Green Earth and, if you're a history buff or want to know about the early years of our nation, it'll grab your interest too. Madame Cheney writes about what happened after the American Revolution - 'But our troubles were far from over'. When you see what's going dow in this country, the people subverting it, or that somehow a guy like Barack Hussein Obama and his closet America-hating friends stand a good chance to take power in this country, our troubles are only beginning. This is why it's important to start educating your children about the greatness and blessedness of this country as early as possible with books like Madame Cheney's. Before the lefty public schools and colleges get at them.

A friend recently introduced me to Lynne Cheney's books, and I think they're some of the best history books for kids that I've seen. "We the People" is no exception. Mrs. Cheney does a great job of telling the story of our Founding in both an interesting and easy-to-understand way. This book is a great gift for all the kids you know.

Robert Baer draws on years of experience and a wide array of sources to sketch out the reality of the new Iranian superpower. Highly original and masterfully written, Baer explores the depth of Iranian influence that has left its mark all over the region, and increasingly so. The message is that if we ally with Iran, the region would become more stable and radically more favorable toward our interests.

This is a unique book that should stimulate thoughtful debate among serious people.

I don't agree with Mr. Baer that Iran is a a "super power". He does make some serious points, however, that are often obscured by western debate about Iran. There is a growing divide in the Islamic world about the Shia "revival".

The American invasion of Iraq has created a true revolution inside Islam but not the one Bush and his crowd planned to create. For the first time in Islamic history, Shia Islam dominates two major Islamic states. It is particularly galling to Sunnis that Iraq is now a Shiite dominated state since Baghdad was the capital of the Islamic caliphate in the Middle Ages.

As for the need to do more to explore negotiations with Iran, this is an idea supported by many foreign policy experts. People forget that due to its hatred of the Taliban regime (which it almost went to war with) Iran supported America's efforts to crush the Taliban in 2001.

This book should be read in conjunction with The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future

As pointed out in Bob Woodward's new book The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008, the Saudi King is absolutely furious with the reality of a Shia state in Iraq.

I'll leave to others to debate the exact manner America should negotiate with Iran. My point in writing this review is to alert people to the growing divide in the Islamic world.

Ignorant attempts to lump all Muslims and all Islamic "radicals" together as is being done in the popular media is not only idiotic but dangerous.

Iran and Saddam Hussein's Iraq were never in an "Axis of Evil". They fought two wars with each other that killed over a million people.

I don't agree with all in this book but it is a useful work to stimulate debate.

Baer's book starts out by making a number of seemingly wild and unfounded claims; unfortunately, (for the U.S., not readers) he then proceeds to document them quite well.

Baer sees Iran as engaged in a soft takeover of the Middle East - it now controls a significant portion of Iraq, is extending influence over Jordan and Egypt, and has the ability to wreak havoc over the entire Middle East. Baer's conclusion is that destroying Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder this nation has ever made, and we should now ally ourselves with Iran instead of continually goading it.

Our first problem in dealing with Iran is that we don't understand it. Its population growth has fallen from 3.2% in 1986 to 1.2% in 2001, only slightly higher than the U.S. Further, its religious parties generally only receive about 10% of the vote. Iran's current belligerence can be traced not to innate aggression, but the fact that wars are being fought on two of its borders. American are not hated in Iran - just that we occupy large portions of the Middle East.

Iran got the confidence that it can beat the West from its 1982-2000 experience in Lebanon, when its proxy Hezbollah forced the Israelis to retreat.

Iranian surrogates have already started to take control of Iraq's oil by stealing hundreds of thousands of barrels/day, as well as getting Iraq's Shia oil minister to cancel Kurds' oil contracts because Iran does not want to strengthen that group.

Saddam's T-72 tanks and helicopters were all that kept him from falling; without those resources, whatever regime replaces him will not be able to hold the nation together. The U.S. further acerbated control problems by allowing Iran to take over from moderate Shia clerics via assassinations and taking over various sect bank accounts.

Baer expects Iran to play off the differences between Iraq's major Shia parties and use Iraqis that had been exiled to Iran, imposing its own order through money and arms. Meanwhile, its objective is to bleed the U.S. so it will not interfere with Iran.

Iran has armed itself via fire-sale prices from Russia - new and refurbished tanks with heat-seeking missiles, MIG-29s with accompanying missiles, and Chinese missiles. Much of this armament is buried underground. Fiber-optic cable technology that can't be intercepted is used for communications, and of course they are well known for having learned to create EFPs (explosively formed penetrators). Finally, in 2007 Iran sent emissaries to all Gulf states telling them that if the U.S. attacks us we will destroy your oil facilities. Thus, Iran doesn't need nuclear weapons to play an important role.

Iran is further strengthening itself politically and economically by signing a 25-year large natural gas contract with Turkey, and allowing Turkmenistan to transport its natural gas across Iran to markets. Baer further believes that Iran will be able to control a proposed gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan, and that a similar situation is arising with Caspian Sea oil. Meanwhile, the Straits of Hormuz across from Iran through which at least 20% of world oil flows are only 21 miles wide.

Iran is the overwhelming military force in the Gulf region, capable of quickly putting one million into uniform; Saudi Arabia, the next largest force, can field only one-quarter that force. Iran could quickly take over Saudi Arabian oil fields, and though eventually be pulverized by U.S. air forces, the resulting damage would seriously impede oil flow for two years.

On the other hand, Baer does not believe Iran has to invade to create chaos. The Persian Gulf rim is populated by 90% Shias and vulnerable to Iranian meddling. Oil-rich Dubai is mostly Shia, and Baer foresees they could overthrow the rulers and call for help from Iran.

Consensus in the Gulf is that the first Arab sheikdom to fall will be Bahrain, with a tap by Iran. Its population is 700,000, 70% Shia, and Iran funds its Shia clerics, charities, and schools. Further, until 1782 it was part of Iran. Losing Bahrain would force the U.S. Navy to relocate to the Indian Ocean.

What does Iran really want? Baer says they primarily want to unify with parts of Iraq, and to be left alone by the U.S. As for sanctions aimed at bringing regime change - its regime still stands after 30 years of sanction, and Turkey and Japan ignore the sanctions entirely.

Baer's Recommendations: Let the Iranis do most of the patrolling of the Gulf region, stop efforts to change its regime, and grant them a defined role in Iraq and Afghanistan. The alternative is for the U.S. to continue its financial bleeding in the area, bring Iran, Russia, and China closer together, and continue to escalate Iran's arms buildup in the region to include possibly nuclear submarines.

BOOK REVIEW: Robert Baer's 'The Devil We Know' Reveals Some Inconvenient Truths About Iran and the Conflict Between Shia and Sunni Islam

By David M. Kinchen


The conventional wisdom in the Middle East is that Iran is a rogue state run by religious fanatics who want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and drive the U.S. and other Western powers out of the region.

The reality, according to Robert Baer in his new book "The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower" (Crown Publishers, 288 pages, $25.95) is much more complicated and subtle -- and dangerous. He says we must deal with reality -- with "The Devil We Know" -- or find our access to Persian Gulf oil eliminated.

The Shia regime in Iran is halfway to winning its undeclared 30-year war with the U.S. which began with the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 by using proxies such as Hezbollah and the Kurds, forging alliances with Russia and China and exploiting the Muslim divide of Shia and Sunni factions, Baer says.

He's a former CIA operative whose character was played by George Clooney in the movie "Syriana," based on Baer's book "See No Evil." He has extensive contacts throughout the Middle East, including Israel, which he says is pursuing a realistic approach to Iran since its defeat by Hezbollah in the 34-day 2006 war in Lebanon. Baer quotes -- on Page 109 -- an assessment from the Winograd Commission Report, the official Israeli investigation into the 2006 war: "A semi-military organization of a few thousand men resisted for a few weeks, the strongest army in the Middle East, which enjoyed full air superiority and size and technological advantages."

Baer -- now a free-lance journalist and author of four books who contributes to Time.com, Vanity Fair, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications -- says there is still time to counteract the Russia-China axis and forge relations with what is in effect a superpower. In their own peculiar way, the majority of Iranians like Americans and America, something I noticed while living in Los Angeles and interacting with the large Iranian exile community there.

What about the looney-toon president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Baer argues that he's a figurehead, that the country is run by a secretive, calculating, rational shadow government that has succeeded in controlling the Shia areas of Iraq and has gained credence with the Palestinians, Jordanians and many in Egypt and the Gulf States because it has done what Sunni Muslims have never done -- defeat the mighty Israelis.

Iran's interest in its neighbor Iraq is "considerably stronger and more enduring than America's," Baer says on Page 93. "...its will is stronger, and it never will overcome the temptation to meddle, to undermine us in Iraq. Iran also cannot afford to allow Shia Islam's historical center of learning in Iraq, Najaf, to return to being a moderate rival to the Iranian learning center, Qum. Iran will not abandon its quest for control over Shia Islam, nor allow a quietest form of Shia Islam to challenge the legitimacy of Iran's mullahs."

Iran, Baer says, thinks in terms of the long haul: "Iran is calculating that the United States will get tired of Iraq, pull out, and let fall the first domino in a Persian reconquest of the Gulf." (Page 104). "The Iranians understand perfectly that the only reason we care about that miserable body of water called the Persian Gulf is that 55 percent of the world's reserves lie beneath its shores and 17 million barrels of crude oil pass daily through the Strait of Hormuz."

Iran is little interested in becoming a nuclear power, for now, Baer argues in a startling turnabout of conventional wisdom: "Right now, at least, the Iranians don't need a nuclear bomb [Page 110]. If a war is to be fought in the Gulf, Iraq, or Lebanon, Iran will almost certainly fall back on its asymmetrical tactics and weapons. There are also innumerable drawbacks to rushing the development of a nuclear weapon in today's global atmosphere --and few benefits."

Baer's says one reason the U.S. is obsessed with Iran's supposed nuclear ambitions is that "we're once again fighting the last war rather than this one [Page 110]. We remember it was Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons that stopped Iran from taking Basra. We're worried that the Syrians intend to put chemical warheads on their Scud missiles and fire them at Tel Aviv. We're blinded by the worst-case scenario, which happens not to be Tehran's preferred scenario."

Not that Baer rules out Tehran's developing nuclear weapons; he argues that Iran wants to counter Pakistan's "Sunni Bomb" with its own "Shia Bomb." Too, Iran "wanted to be taken seriously as a major power, in the same way it wanted to control Hormuz and the world's oil [Page 111]."

Among Iran's proxies are the Kurds, who inhabit a strategic region encompassing major parts of Turkey, Iraq and Iran, Baer says. It's only a matter of time, he says, before the artificial state of Iraq -- developed out of the 1916 Sykes-Picot secret pact by the British and French in their dividing up of the Middle East into spheres of influence -- is split up into Kurdish, Sunni and Shia elements. Iraq's civil war has just started, Baer says: The Shia intend to fight until their former masters, the Sunni, are expelled from Baghdad and central Iraq. The Shia already control Basra and southern Iraq.

Summing up, Baer says the longer we ignore Iran, the more dangerous this sophisticated country with a history dating back thousands of years will succeed in ousting the U.S. from this volatile region. One might argue it's too bad we don't have Baer as Secretary of State! But that would make too much sense, and we're not especially noted for common sense in the Middle East.

If you're looking for a clear-headed, rational look at the Middle East, read "The Devil We Know." It turns conventional "wisdom" on its head. Of the three options Baer outlines for dealing with Iran -- Staying in Iraq forever; provoking a "Mad Max" Shia-Sunni civil war; or sit down at the negotiating table with Iran, "treat it like the power it has become, and see what it has to offer" the latter is the only sensible course of action, he says.

Once again, Baer comes flying in with the sorry-but-it's-true reality of the Middle East. I've read all his books and couldn't wait to read this one. The first two dealt with exposing what Saudi Arabia is really up to and their involvement in terror and, most importantly, why it is beyond insane to call them an "ally."

Now he takes on Iran and details in very convincing manner (having dealt with Iran for decades) how Iran is much more powerful in the region than we currently believe, and how all this talk of them being the third prong of the "Axis of Evil" that is going to nuke Israel is completely 9/10 thinking.

He correctly summarizes how they, via Hezbollah, were able to beat Israel in the 2006 war and galvanized public support for them. He also points out, which is pretty obvious, how they have immense sway over Iraq and its Shia majority.

What's eye-opening is his pointing out that Hezbollah/Iran hasn't launched a terror campaign (meaning, bombings, kidnappings) since the 80s because there's a "pragmatism" to their thinking and they realized this kind of thing wasn't helping their cause. And what is that cause? To be, and be realized, as the superpower in the region.

NOT to wipe out Israel, not to do anything that the fool Ahmadinejad keeps talking about, not to eventually bring Islam to our doorstep and force it down our throats.

The epiphany of the book is that Baer positions Iran not as an enemy to be attacked or feared, but rather a historic opportunity to form an alliance in the region. Time is ticking, he asserts, and do we really want to cast our lot with the zealot Sunni Muslim "takfiris" who have wreaked destruction for decades (including 9/11) and have no other goal except destruction and using the Koran as their Constitution? Because that's who we're partnered with now.

Or, do we form an alliance with a country that doesn't share that ideology at all, and who can provide dividends in settling Iraq and, yes, Israel/Palestine?

He makes a good case. Read and judge for yourself. I can't recommend it enough; too bad our leaders aren't reading it also.

I have just invested the better part of a Sunday afternoon reading the new Peggy Noonan book, Patriotic Grace. Through the years I have enjoyed her gracious pen taken to topics, many of which I agreed and some which I felt she was far too gracious, only to find myself moderating my strident position. Since 9/11 it is apparent that things changed for Ms. Noonan and this has been reflected in her writing. Indeed, it appeared that everything had changed for all of us as Americans after 9/11. I remember well members of Congress standing on the steps of the Capitol affirming their love and support for America. I remember the flags, I remember the prayers, I remember the extraordinary efforts that ordinary Americans made to reach out to people whose roots extended to the Middle East. I was profoundly moved to see America find its soul when so many souls had perished. Of course there was and will always be a radical element that decides that it was an "inside job". There will always be those among us who represent the darker side of our family. I know it is impossible to win those people over to any sense of a greater good reality.

However, Ms. Noonan's call is for us to do the very thing that it seems it has become impossible to do today, have civil, if somewhat spirited, conversation. As the books unfolds, one cannot help but feel her anxiety, her sense of intuition that hard times are coming. Calling upon that great lion of the Democrat Party that we conservatives have loved to hate through the years, Teddy Kennedy (p.124) when he speaks in a moment of unguarded honesty among family, "I'm glad I'm not going to be around when you guys are my age."..."Because when you guys are my age, the whole thing is going to fall apart." Even the most cynical among us need to consider these words. Regardless what one may think about Sen. Kennedy, these are words of deep importance. "If I am right that we are facing a hard time, and if deep in your heart you believe we're going to face a bad time, why don't all of us think about it a lot?" "Because it is too big." (p. 138)

This is not about some Republican who senses that defeat is around the corner and there will be lynchings enough to go around beginning with Cheney and of course Bush. It is bigger than the small pea-brained intramural sport that politics has become. This is more than following your favorite college team. As Americans we must recognize that our elected representatives are men and women with clay feet and while insider information has the effect of making one seem wiser than citizens, it does not necessarily make anyone smarter or more capable to discern the complexity that we face as a people and as a nation. When we as citizens of this great nation abdicate to our hired representatives all decisions without hearing our voice we will get what we deserve. The beauty of our system of government is that government works for us, not us for it!

"We have been asking a great deal of the mere mortals who lead us. And while we ask too much of them we keep them from doing- we allow them to avoid doing-the primary thing we need them to do well, which is to know what time it is and act accordingly." (p. 135)

Without question Noonan's call for grace will fall on many deaf ears. As I survey the books on my shelf I see other books by theologians and sociologist calling for a renewed civility. If we fail to grasp the importance of this, we will kill ourselves from the inside out. I join Noonan in seeking to "try in a renewed way, each day, and within my abilities, to be fair." (p.40) If a leftist blogger thinks that is evidence of bad faith, I will extend grace and hope that they too will own their culpability in the disruption of civil conversation. This book will likely irritate the hardcore Republican who feel as though they are always the one being asked to moderate their deeply held convictions. Listen to the words, let them speak to your sensibilities. We can disagree and not be disagreeable. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.

Read this book.

Noonan states that the stresses and divisions of the Bush years have driven us apart - certainly an understatement, though still welcome from one otherwise expected to be more partisan. She continues, declaring it a mistake to make national security a partisan issue, putting Bush on stage for the "Mission Accomplished" declaration, emphasizing party-line thinking for what's best for the U.S., and implicitly admitting that there's some substance to other nations' current low opinion of the U.S. Finally, her prescription for calm thinking is also welcome and overdue.

The "bad news" about "Patriotic Grace" is that it does not go nearly far enough. A major part of how America got to where it is today is that so much of what we "know" ain't so, combined with cowboy diplomacy and a "Mad Magazine" approach ("What, Me Worry?") to reality.

Examples include America's unqualified and unjustified support for Israel - needlessly antagonizing billions of Arabs and Muslims, an embarrassing political system that is forever distorted by lies and lobbyists, our imperial over-reach - somehow justifying military expenditures equal that of the rest of the world combined, and interventions that repeatedly roil other nations and build distrust, obnoxious and ill-reasoned failure to take action on global warming - putting the very future of Planet Earth at risk, risking our economic (and military) security over two words (Free Trade) that no successful nation has ever held fast to, debating minor changes to out health care system - ignoring the obvious fact that we already spend about 2X/citizen that of most industrialized nations while subjecting millions to the fear of lack of care and/or bankruptcy, annually adding more spending to an education system that has repeatedly show an inability to improve pupil outcomes or even match those of most industrialized nations - despite already spending about 2X/pupil vs. our "competitors," and a financial management system on Wall Street and in Washington contrary to what we espouse and that can only result in currency failure.

As readers of her weekly column in the Wall Street Journal already know, Peggy Noonan is perhaps the finest political thinker, analyst and writer of her time. She has an amazingly unique ability to capture the look and feel, the sensibility of events, then translate them into understandable context. It is not surprising, therefore, that "Patriotic Grace" is not only a great book, but an important book that hopefully will jump start a new dialogue about America, and what it means to be an American, and what it will take to lead Americans in the 21st Century.

It is not an insignificant note that the book is dedicated to Senators McCain and Obama (among others).

Noonan begins with two powerful metaphors. The first recounts the story of scared GIs, all huddled together in Higgins Boats headed accross the Channel to their unsought, but undenied, rendez-vous with destiny at Omaha Beach. The second is an accounting of a serious (but ultimately false) bomb scare that scattered dignitaries assembled in the White House for President Reagan's funeral. A wheel-chair bound older woman could not descend the stairs until she was quietly lifted up by others and carried to safety.

In both cases everyone knew that they needed to rely on the skills and strength, and bravery of one another for their mere survival. And so it is now, we must all learn, and expect, to carry one another - only more so - in a post 9/11 world that is more surly, more dangerous, and less accommodating of American arrogance and hubris than in the past.

Noonan spends much time translating the meaning of the Bush years into a series of common sense suggestions, and painful lessons, from which the next President, and coming generations can hopefully learn. They are too numerous to mention in a brief review, but, they clearly include comporting ourselves with a greater degree of grace and accommodation, both internally and internationally, to listen more to one other and to scream less at each other, and to work much harder at being a true beacon that other world communities strive to become.

And, all of this is written in a style as though the conversation were being held between the Author and her Reader. You read it. You understand it. You believe it. You want the new dialogue to begin.

Let's hope that our alleged leaders are listening. The world has changed and bad things have happened to the United States in this Millennium. Noonan predicts that even worse things are not only possible, but likely - which only accelerates the need to reduce and eliminate the noise and the bravado and the partisanship and the hubris, and to figuratively join together in a new, national Higgins boat in which people and politicians serve not with greed and corruption and partisanship, but with heartfelt grace and dignity and respect, to rediscover, to redevelop and to rejoice in real American solutions.

This is a must read!

Without a shadow of doubt, Peggy Noonan is the finest writer when it comes to describing politics, social conditions and personal attitudes of Americans.

She is a gem. This book is her eighth and finest yet. In addition to her facile intellect she presents a genuine cry from the heart about the tragedy of America today. After 9/11, Americans and the world united in support. Now, Noonan writes, "If we had a major terrorist attack tomorrow, half the country -- more than half -- would not completely trust the federal government to do what it has to do, would not trust it to tell the truth, would not trust it, period."

It's not surprising. Noonan was a speechwriter for President Reagan whose philosophy was, "Government is the problem." Now she seems utterly amazed that Americans think government is a problem, not a solution.

It leads me to wonder: What if Winston Churchill, after being named Prime Minister in May 1940 and with Panzers closing in on the British army at Dunquerque, had not said, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." Instead, citing his predecessors, what if he said government was the problem and advised, "Let's go down to the pub and have a Boddy or two."

True to her Reaganesque roots, Noonan still blames government. She's brilliant at this one-note song of sorrow, which makes her book very timely reading. She could be part of the solution if she'd go beyond her anti-government mood and think about how to make government effective and trustworthy again.

Harry Truman did it, when America faced much wider and far more dangerous challenges. Perhaps she's at her limit as a journalist -- defining problems but trusting others to maturely find solutions.

"The greatest generation" of journalists always had quick and ready solutions; journalists today are stuck with whining about problems but never offering solutions. They seem to fear perhaps being wrong. Noonan is as astute as any at such whining; that alone makes her book one of the best and most relevant for today's America.

Noonan writes, "It's beyond 'The president is overwhelmed.' The entire government is overwhelmed." Nonsense. If the government is truly overwhelmed, then America is finished. The answer is to make it work, not to whine about difficulties. Did Churchill whine? Former Sen. Phil Gramm, a McCain advisor, is absolutely right about America becoming a nation of whiners. It's time to stop whining and start working.

This book is a vital start. Buy it. Read it. Loan it to friends. Discuss it. Praise it. Condmen it. It will launch an intelligent conversation among caring people about the nature of America tomorrow.

Noonan offers a magnificent portrait of America today. However, instead of the feel-good "It's morning in America" complacency, the next president must offer some blood, toil, tears and sweat. It's a challenge Americans always respond to with magnificent courage, determination, effort and patriotism.

Noonan is brilliant. America is even better.

Peggy Noonan is the writer I'd most like to talk with, to respond to her insights and listen to her straightforward opinions. Since we aren't acquainted, the next best thing is reading her new book. Her writing exudes innate decency, old fashioned virtues and enduring values. She decries the extremes on both sides of the political spectrum, and the degeneration of the level of national discourse. She describes the indignity of going through airline security as a middle aged woman, and although I do not travel by plane (since 9/11!), I am a middle aged woman, and I exist on dignity, so can well understand her silent outrage at what our nation has come to. Patriotic Grace is inspiring, uplifting, but also profoundly pessimistic about the future of our nation. I also deeply feel our country has descended to terrible depths of degradation, we have accustomed ourselves to vulgarity and ugliness, both verbal and visual, in the public sphere. That Noonan is aware of this is to her great credit. I hope many people read this small book and identify with its message.

It was so true and so funny and should be required reading for anyone boarding a plane to England. I loved it.

I was looking for a light, entertaining book discussing the foibles of our friends across the pond but instead many of the chapters exude an undeserved cruel twist about the British people as a whole. I pity her poor English husband who must live with someone who feels so superior! Granted, there is much to laugh about in this book but some of the humor feels forced. I have traveled to England many times in my lifetime and have many good friends there so I feel qualified to say that I wish Sarah had written this book with more love in her heart and less outright criticism.

Sarah Lyall is an American journalist married to a British journalist. The Anglo Files is part memoir, part traveler's advisory, part hate mail, and part love affair. If that seems like a lot to pack into a 263 page book not including index, it would be in the hands of a less gifted writer. Lyall's gift for sardonic observation and wry commentary is ably displayed here.

There are 14 chapters with snicker inducing titles like "Honorable Members" and "Invasion of the Hedgehog People", each examining a different foible easily encountered in present day Great Britain. Sometimes Lyall discusses subjects, like British class structure, that have been endlessly dissected by other writers, but her observations are still fresh and enjoyable. At other times Lyall tackles British traits which are less familiar to most Americans, such as the appalling lack of dental care and hygiene. While these chapters have a tendency to discomfit the reader (I stopped halfway through the chapter on teeth to floss thoroughly), they are nevertheless highly amusing. I suppose my favorite chapter has to be "More Than A Game", about cricket, because it recalled a bewildering afternoon I once spent at Lord's, accompanied by a British friend who did his best to explain what was going on, to no avail. And in light of current economic events Lyall's examination of the recent British boom, driven by inflated housing prices and disreputable lending practices, have a fresh clarity and significance.

I've been a rabid Anglophile (some say Anglomane) for many years, and while some of the material about drinking and chavs and yobs made me wince, I'll treasure The Anglo Files because because beneath the caustic commentary and wry comparisons Lyall's deep appreciation for that still green and pleasant land (in between rain showers)shines through.

I not only enjoyed the book but was totally surprised by the level of professionalism from the dealer.

I fail to see how any one can compare this book to anything written by Garrison Keillor - he of the real talent to enthrall his readers with wit and gentle fun-making! Not only are there factual errors but it is completely devoid of real humor. I picked up the book expecting a little bit of mud-slinging but did not expect a continual, nauseating barrage of snide uppity comments. I'm surprised the author still wants to live in the UK. I understand this is her first book on the subject. One can only hope it is her last.

After reading this book it has become very clear that we are truly entering a crisis in American Democracy. It is our patriotic duty to educate our friends and neighbors about Democracy and what it means to "fight for our freedoms". If we, the people who are aware of what is happening, don't spread the word to others we may wake up one day and the last tipping point will have been reached and it will be too late. This important book should be read, as the subtitle reads, as "A handbook for American revolutionaries". Now is the time to stand up and strongly defend the Rule of law and the Constitution of the United States. This book will give you everything you need to know, as well as the confidence, to boldly be a true American Patriot. Naoimi Wolf is the modern day Paul Revere.

I've read "End of America" and "Give Me Liberty." Naomi Wolf never disappoints my intellectual curiosity. She is a daring, passionate writer who defends the very foundation of "freedom of speech", especially at a time where rights are being hacked away for political benefit. Those who are avid readers or even remotely observant, already know the concern. To remind everyone, she duplicates the Declaration of Independence, the single most important historical document ever created, in my opinion, and establishes thought about what it really means, something a majority of people take for granted. She creates a much needed urgency for the public to change their mentality of how they think of those rights. She also calls for the protection of what it truly means to be an American. I absolutely enjoyed this book.

I'm gonna go out on a line and say that this book isn't quite as journalistic as the last one, though it is very thought provoking and informative.

What this book is more like is a call to action followed by some really useful information on how to take action.

It's a call to get involved with your nation's politics beyond just voting, and their are sections of the book which really show you specifics. Like the "how to stage a protest" section.

Good stuff. Very useful.

"Give me Liberty" is Naomi Wolf at her best. She brings her usual vigor and eloquence to an increasingly urgent subject -- how to effect change in our country. This book is a very real part of the change we've been waiting for.

The economic structure of the United States on the brink of collapse, the Iraqi war continues, the Patriot Act is still in force, our politicians are talking about earmarks, bridges and roads to nowhere, the rhetoric is flying without concrete solutions being proposed. What is a common citizen to do? We holler at the TV, and get into heated discussions with our friends. Neither helps to create positive change.

After Naomi Wolf clearly outlines so many of the issues that threaten our way of life, she supplies clear concrete information and suggestions that every citizen can take to help change our course. While I am usually not the type to protest or register voters or start petitions, I just may follow her advice and start doing something about the situation, now, before it is too late.

I thought I'd heard all I could of the political, military and social commentary of our time, but I gave this book a chance.
What an excellent book, compelling, well-voiced and the most concise presentation of the socio-pilitical ills brought about by our current administration. Scary and provoking.

This is a thoroughly goofy book. For someone who likes to preach about the sins of inaccurate public commentary these days, Wolf gets quite a bit wrong. Adam Gaddahn was not charged in a sealed indictment - his indictment was very public, He was not indicted for exercising his First Amendment rights. It was for joining Al Qaida and working to kill Americans. Ward Churchill was not fired for his post-9/11 statements, but for plagiarism. If James Yee is threatened with prosecution for discussing his experiences, that has not deterred him from writing a book. Brandon Mayfield was never charged with a crime. Wrong again.

The hardest thing for me to understand is how Naomi can defend the rights of people like Gaddahn and Churchill yet argue that Presidential signing statements are wrongheaded. These statements merely provide the public with the current Chief Executive's view of legislation, and they are the Executive Branch's equivalent of legislative history. If more verbal content is always good, why does she view Presidential signing statements with such hostility? It's undoubtedly because the current occupant of the White House is a Republican. When Jimmy Carter was pontificating about human rights, his Presidential statements were welcomed. In other words, Wolf's complaints amount to content discrimination.

To write this book, Wolf had to go back and read about all the things she ignored at Yale, when she was too busy getting arrested protesting American efforts to prevent Salvadorans from falling under Communism to truly understand the perils that existed in the 1980s. She interweaves her narrative with a bunch of observations about the rise of Nazism in Germany and Mussolini in Italy, but her analogies - like how the Nazis used the term "homeland" - are odd. To analogize the current American leadership to Soviet leaders is ironic, given which side so many of the necons of the 1980s were on (compared to the author)

It seems that Wolf should stick with what she knows - beauty, lifestyle, and what colors Al Gore should wear to appeal to women like her. When she gets into the national security sandbox, her arguments are not convincing. Are Americans truly at risk at being swept off the streets and held incommunicado at the say-so of the President, with no right to legally challenge their detention? How many Americans have suffered this fate? ZERO. Hamdi? Padilla? Al Masri? There are legal opinions discussing their detention. Lindh? He was prosecuted in the American criminal justice system. Oh, and Padilla was as well.

I agree that things are not good right now, but I disagree with Wolf on the identification of the problems. That books like this one can generate so many positive reviews shows that we indeed live in dangerous times.

Here is a book on preserving liberty which can be appreciated by both right and left. The common view is that the fearful populist 'center' is the majority and the mainstream -- between right and left extremes. But what if the political map is incorrectly drawn? What if the more important dimension has been intentionally ignored by populist fear-mongering media?

If the more important dimension has fear and fascism at the bottom and courage and liberty at the top, then Naimi Wolf and Ron Paul are at the top and George Bush and Nancy Pelosi are at the bottom.

This excellent book will appeal to those who value courage and liberty.

Rex Fowler

This is a wake-up call to all patriotic Americans, which we all owe it to our country to read and heed!

Naomi Wolf lists ten steps to converting a democracy to a fascist dictatorship. In chapter 1, she writes: "Both Italian and German fascisms came to power legally and incrementally in functioning democracies; both used legislation, cultural pressure, and baseless imprisonment and torture to subordinate and control the individual, whether the individual supported the regime inwardly or not. Both were rabidly antidemocratic, not as a side sentiment but as the basis of their ideologies; and yet both aggressively used the law to pervert and subvert the law." In chapters 2 thru 11 Wolf describes in detail how the G.W. Bush administration has nearly completed the ten steps:

2. Invoke an External and Internal Threat
3. Establish Secret Prisons
4. Develop a Paramilitary Force
5. Surveil Ordinart Citizens
6. Infiltrate Citizens Groups
7. Arbitrarily Detain and Release Citizens
8. Target Key Individuals
9. Restrict the Press
10. Cast Criticism as "Espionage" and Dissent as "Treason"
11. Subvert the Rule of Law

THIS BOOK SHOULD BE IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND PUBLIC LIBRARY, along with Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch's Assault on America's Fundamental Rights, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, all of which cover further aspects of the same subject, and The Army of the Republic: A Novel, a rousing good story which gives a more graphic illustration of what the Bush administration is trying to do to America.

watziznaym@gmail.com

Can't wait to get the book. Last night I watch the you tube video about this book. I was really impressed with what she had to say. The message at the end, about how it took all of us to turn our heads while getting to this day; and it will take all of us to now get involved to make any difference. This gets to the heart of the problem. We are all to blame.

Here is a link to the 48 minute video by Naomi Wolf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjALf12PAWc

So, organize and fill the streets with protest. Call your congressman, have the criminals dragged out by the hair, and prosecute. Run an election in your area against your representative if they do not listen. Then go after all the ones who helped them, and drag them out by the hair. When you hear someone repeat the rhetoric from these criminals or the news, drag them out by the hair. Now, we can build something for all to look forward to. And when the world sees that we are taking inventory of all the bad seeds, we may just get some help from others. Until then; it is you, and me dear.

Other good sources: Amy Goodman, David Swanson, Bill Moyers, Howard Zinn.

First, I'm an independent. I do have 3 decades experiences as a federal worker working government programs with exposure to our elected officials. I'm familiar with the capabilities and limitations on both sides of the aisle. This includes energy. Mr. Gingrich...tho well meaning shows a lack of understanding of the complexity of the issue.

He does provide an adequate overview though slanted toward his political view. The strength of his case is the increasing daily power of special interests...does he acknowledge those he follows and in his party?

Two points illustrate his limitations. First, he never addresses that 35% of oil is used for crucial non-transportation aspects. These range from agriculture to plastics plus hundreds of more vital applications. He could include financial models showing the gravity of the consequences of losing this capability to better make his point of why we need to drill. Second, he should research EROEI...or energy return on energy energy invested...it frames how and why we can and should change based on scientific...managerial efficiency and effectiveness. It also will reveal the flaws on his too optimistic view of additional oil...buttressed by actual data (i.e. depletion rates, on line rates, etc.).

Yes...we are going to have an energy revolution...but it will be painful and take decades. His almost blind adherence to his sources without auditing and questioning them is a key example of why our government is broke IMO. His recommendations...though some noteworthy...are mainly 1 dimensional to a 3 dimensional problem.

The serious reader should explore other books on Amazon that more completely describe this issue to understand the importance, difficulty and gravity of this situation. I also suggest the Oil Drum...ASPO plus Solar...Wind...other alternative energy web sites. One caution...working closely with numerous leading edge technologies...they seldom come on line as quickly as the proponents say. This is why EROEI...management and decision systems are vital. IMO...concepts nearly foreign to Congress and White House as evidenced in hearings.

You should read this book and get yourself up to speed on how the enviro-lobby (yes, they ARE special interests, too) has worked their agenda to box up oil, gas, coal, and nuclear. The point is these forms of energy are lower cost than their "clean" methods of "renewable" energy. So, they had to raise the costs of the traditional fuels to make their preferred methods cost competitive.

The problem is that these "clean" energies are not only not as clean as you are led to believe, they are so costly that developing countries refuse to use them. That means that our energy intensive industries will follow not only cheaper labor, but cheaper energy, less costly regulation, and lower taxes. And you wonder why the factories where your dad and grand-dad worked are gone.

Speaker Gingrich lays out how producing more energy, our own energy, and using it to bridge to a time when the wind, solar, and hydrogen become more cost effective makes sense. The book reads very easily and is a call for us to take back our government and provide common sense balance to the enviro-lobby. No one wants to destroy the environment, but we also don't want to destroy our economy. Market prices reflect not only the current demand, but factor in a sense of future demand and supply, as well. When we show real determination to produce more of our own energy, oil and gas prices will fall around the world. This is explained in chapters one and two.

Chapter three explains why America has the energy in our domestic resources to make a profound difference in our balance of payments, our industrial and economic might, and the price of we pay for our energy. Chapters four and five provide a sensible roadmap to getting more and less costly energy ASAP while also protecting the environment.

Chapter six lays out the choice by describing a future scenario where America does drill here, drill now, pay less. You will understand the difference between what the enviro-lobby has in mind for you and what we can make for ourselves if we have the gumption to take political action and make it stick. Chapter seven and the conclusion tell you how to take that political action.

There are five appendices that lay out the political platform for energy independence, facts and figures about American energy, how to counter the arguments of the enviro-lobby, and some tables showing how our current gas prices are impacting your family budget.

Fine book, timely, needed. Get it, read it, and put pressure on your elected officials from your town all the way to Washington. Don't let them force you into an impoverished future where their costly enviro-dream becomes our nightmare reality.

Heck, they even provide you with a bumper sticker!

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Book Review: Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less--A Handbook For Slashing Gas Prices And Solving Our Energy Crisis (Regnery Pub., 2008) by Newt Gingrich

From: www.BasilAndSpice.com

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich follows up his American Solutions project, founded 2007, with a hot new book, Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less. He hopes to stem the tide of partisan politics and create a unified country stance on energy solutions.

Gingrich begins with main points:

* We have more energy sources than any other country in the world. Out shale resources in the Rocky Mountains alone are three times the size of Saudi Arabia's oil reserves (world's largest).
* We have 27% of the world's coal.
* We have huge potential in harnessing wind power.
* We have enormous opportunities in solar power.
* We have the largest number of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs of any country in the world.

Gingrich also supports next generation incentives for biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol, a competition to contract out at least four experimental next generation clean coal plants with virtually no carbon emissions, McCain's proposal of