Where do I begin, since I am not gifted with the power of flowery speech. This book, among many other related books, is trying to warn us about a terrible situation which has over taken us with unspeakble evil intentions. In fact it is so evil to suggest that manny are offended that we even dare to think this could happen: These naysayers are so deeply brainwashed they're beyond the touch of reality. This is exactly what the evil, scheming oligarchy is betting on that you won't believe any of this could be true. Some of you are crticial of this author's presentation of his information. So let me warn those below a certain level of IQ intelect that this is not an easy to read book. The author of this book already presumes you're up to date with certain facts of history and names and roles of various actors in this plot. Was WW1 & WWII true? Was Nagasaki and Hiroshima true? Was the Holocaust true? Was WMD of Iraq true? is the WMD of Syria true? All of the preceding representation of the evil, plotting elites consolidating their gold and power at the expense of our lives. And you still say no it can't be true? Your children's future is at stake here folks...keep sleeping at at the risk of your own demise.

Webster Tarpley is the "Simon Cowell" of political critics: he minces no words, gets to the point, and tells it like it is. I loved the acerbic truth and the historical examples he used to prove his points. His views certainly dovetail all others on the subject and only reinforce their validity.

A book that grabs you. Apart from the 9/11 myth, which he calls the key to see the way our "leaders" deceive us, the author gives a global view of many other examples of massive deception in history. He explains how our criminal tax-spenders lie and kill us to wage wars and kill around the world.

I found this book alternately funny and sad. Funny for the outrageous manner in which the author writes. Sad that people (including some friends and colleagues of mine) actually believe this stuff. The author has major facts and suppositions key to his case with no sourcing what so ever. He jumps from one supposition to another all with absolute confidence. He considers anyone that doesn't agree with him, including some of the most respected people on the left such as Noam Chomsky and Amy Goodman to be agents of the government.

Just a few examples:

In discussing the fall of the Twin Towers he takes the statements from witnesses that there were explosions inside the Towers after they were hit as gospel. He dismisses alternative explanations with a few sentences:
"Proponents of the official version have attempted to explain some of these explosions as having been caused by gas escaping from leaks in gas mains, but this cannot account for the phenomena described by [a witness]. Nor can such other explanations as exploding transformers, etc." Really? Why not? Don't all explosions sound pretty much the same, especially when a sky scraper is on fire and coming down around you?

When discussing whether or not a hijacked airliner hit the pentagon he dismisses the fact that many eye witnesses SAW a commercial plane heading toward and hitting the pentagon by saying that since most people in Washington work for the government their testimony can't be trusted.

When discussing all the corrupt leftists who don't accept 9/11 conspiracy theories he says" Amy Goodman of the Democracy Now! radio program banned all criticism of the official 9/11 story while proclaiming her own superlative courage in tackling issues like East Timor. When she let the dignified academic David Ray Griffin come on her show, she insisted on balancing him with the billios character assassin Chip Berlet..." If she let David Ray Griffin on the show then obviously she has not banned all criticism of the official position. I watch her show almost every day and I've seen several discussions that critique the official position. I have also never heard her promote herself or her work in East Timor but I know for a fact that she was quite heroic. She imposed herself and her status as an American between the military and some activists who probably would have been killed otherwise and received a rifle [...] to the head for her efforts. As for having the billios character assassin Chip Berlet next to the dignified academic David Ray Griffin that is what Ms. Goodman does on her show. She tries to get people with conflicting opinions to have spirited debate. In fact hers is just about the only show that regularly has true debates between people on the right and the far left. Also Chip Berlett is a respected civil rights worker and author hardly a character assassin.

Here is an example of rampant speculation. He takes the fact that Air Force One circled for about a half hour after taking off with the president after he recieved the news about the Twin Towers and says: "What was being discussed on the secure phone [in Air Force One] at the time? Was Cheney communicating the demands of the coup faction to Bush? Was Cheney reporting the demands or was he urging Bush to accept them? At various points in the narrative, Cheney apears to be acting not just as a relayer of information but as a spokesman for the secret government." Because there was a reported rumor about a possible attack on Air Force One Tarpley concludes that 9/11 was really a military coup AGAINST George Bush!

I could go on but its too depressing. The thing I really hate about this and other books like it are that they distract people away from the real story about 9/11. I DO agree with Tarpley that we have never had a true investigation about what really happened that day and who was really responsible. I think the controlled demolition and DARPA remote controlled airplane scenarios that he outlines are nonsense but I do think that at a minimum the government was criminally negligent and ignored obvious warnings. People in the FBI should have been fired. Condoleeza Rice should have offered the president her resignation and he should have accepted it. We do need a 9/11 truth commission but people like this author make all of us that critique the official story look like loons and flakes.

Great book - one of the best. I read this after "Crossing the Rubicon" by M.Ruppert.

If you want the TRUTH that's not being told by Corporate controlled media, this is it!

I bought this book after meeting Tarpley in person and being completely intrigued by him. Let me say this first: I'm very much leaning towards believing that 911 was an inside job, but Tarpley's book, from a purely intellectual level, leaves a lot to be hoped for. His book is riddled with non-sequitors and false analogies. Don't get me wrong, I'm on his side. But not with a weak minded argument like the (might I add) cheap looking book he has here.

A true American is a Caucasian or African-American Christian that loves his country. That's all there is to it.

America was discovered by Caucasian Christians and settled as a land where they could practice Protestantism freely. The Catholic church had grown corrupt and was persecuting other Christians for not following their newly-proclaimed dogma.

Americans soon found they had neighbors whom they mistakenly yclept Indians, whom they shared the truth of Christ with. The two got along well, but began to make deals with each other and change their minds afterward which led them to get into squabbles. America generously agreed to give certain portions of America to the Indians and they happily accepted.

Over in Africa, the Arabs were capturing African-Americans and enslaving them. America took up a collection and bought all the slaves from the Arab invaders, with the agreement that the African-Americans work for them to pay off the debt. The African-Americans kindly accepted. The Americans then shared the truth of Christ with their new African-American friends.

The World saw how free and happy America was and sought to destroy it. Britain, an evil empire that encompassed half the world decided to invade. Even though America was greatly out-numbered, God gave her the power to fight off the evil invaders and keep America the bastion of freedom it was.

When England was in rubble, the Americans got together and wrote down how their government worked so their descendants would never forget how it was done. They called it the Constitution. It said that Americans would be free to say anything they wanted, and practice any form of Christianity they wanted. They were kind enough to forgive the Catholic church for what it did and allowed people to be Catholic if they wanted as well. As well as a myriad of other wonderful things, it also stated that Americans' should be allowed to carry firearms.

Even though they would have been kicked out of the original America, there has arisen a new "false-American" that wants to destroy the country that has given him everything. They call themselves liberals, or sometimes progressives. They want to expand the Indians' territory to cover most if not all of America's territory, and they tell the African-Americans lies about how they were slaves. They burn American flags and claim the first Americans were devil worshippers. They also want to destroy the constitution because it gives people the freedom of religion and the right to bear firearms.

Yes, there is such as thing as true Americans, and unfortunately false Americans as well. The difference is obvious: one loves his country and wants to keep it like the original Americans had it, the other hates it and wants to destroy it.

to intelligence and to the memory of the 3000 innocent victims felled by Islamist fanaticism

This book is packed with information which probably means that if you are a beginning truth seeker, you would want to start out with something such as David Ray Griffins books as they are a little easier to read.

I love to devour books. I leave my local library with no less than two or three volumes after each visit. Sometimes I wonder if I ever race through literature too quickly. Occasionally a book crops up that can be sifted through within a few hours, depending on its type, although I always try to keep pages of notes on hand if I misplace or forget key facts or points. Webster Tarpley's "9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA" is not one of those books. Quite the contrary, I recommend this book to be studied ponderously, pored over hours at a time, critically dissected and examined, not to mention cross-referenced by numerous other sources, whether they be unauthorized or obscure. Supposedly, we live in the "Information Age", yet the most unverifiable of claims and propositions confuse and sway more efficiently than ever before, and the populace hardly diligently deciphers what is true. Partisan politics, not to mention rigid principles ("liberal" and "conservative") can dampen even the freshest and inquisitive of minds. That kind of reader will not enjoy Tarpley's book.

I personally do not subscribe to any one conspiracy theory, precisely because there are so many, and thus hundreds that follow sweeping conclusions based on the stretching of facts, outright absurdness, and lack of relevant evidence. I, however, cannot outright dismiss the conspiratorial views regarding the tragic day of September 11 because I so often come across pertinent points. The groups propagating such theories ask the correct questions most of the time, whether or not they embrace the correct conclusion. Rather, I believe piecing together the facts from a variety of authors and sources into a sound theoretical framework appears to be the only way to acquire the truth behind the 9/11 attacks that is free from dogma or ideology (although many of these authors and sources do just that).

What the book's author does is exactly this: combing the external facts, the puzzling discrepancies, historical evidences, public testimony, important documents, etc. and constructing each part into a plausible theoretical framework. From what I conducted during other research, I think Tarpley's essential thesis is correct. It is that the U.S. government secretly holds an elite oligarchy, or a "network or faction of like-minded plotters which cuts across the institutions transversally" (pg. 104). They hold influential positions as a hidden government inside the elected one. The group may not populate just the intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, or the White House, but also the privatized public sector, which acts as its center of gravity. The oligarchy deploys a select amount of "moles", which may not be everywhere, but are nonetheless strategically placed to carry out core objectives. The corporate media participates also, complicit with the magicians directing the show. These core objectives numerously appear throughout the course of history, especially the twentieth century, such as the many attempts to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle and Operation Northwoods, in which planned attacks on key U.S. targets would justify an invasion of Castro's Cuba.

How does this relate to 9/11? Tarpley himself dismisses the official media story as the ultimate conspiracy theory of them all, and unveils these facts:

+ Six of alleged 11 hijackers receive training at U.S. military bases (pg.179)

+ Mohammed Atta: Not a radical Islamist, but a promiscuous playboy and frequent cocaine user hooking up at topless bars and drinking vodka for three hours (pg. 178)

+ Could hijackers fly the planes? Atta and Marwan Al Shehhi had to receive supplemental lessons due to sub-par performance, according to an instructor associated with the Jones Aviation Flying Service (pg. 183)

+ Instructors at Maryland Freeway Airport acknowledged that, despite 600 log hours, Pentagon hijacker Hani Hanjour was incapable of finishing his flight training (pg. 183)

+ The hijackers, instead of choosing direct ways to their targets, flew long detours (pg. 188)

+ Training needed to pilot 757s or 767s required special precision and "super training" not offered at Huffman Aviation, where the Flight 11 and Flight 175 hijackers received lessons (pg. 191)

Although I do not recall whether Tarpley mentioned it in the book or not, but on September 10, 2001, then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that $2.3 TRILLION could not be accounted for in the Pentagon budget. Obviously, the story vanished the next day. Tarpley also discloses lesser-known factoids of equal importance, including the fact that live fly, NORAD exercises were conducted on 9/11, some that even resembled hijacked airliners (pg. 207). On page 213, Tarpley writes how blips and dummy hijacks occurred, thus confusing loyal air controllers on 9/11. Why, exactly? So government moles could carry out their ordered operations.

There is so much more to this work than I let on in this review. Suffice to say, whatever your political background, this is one of the most important books regarding current events that I ever read. A lot of the information, I admit, made my head swirl, even when I gasped and cringed throughout what I read. At the end of the book, I felt depressed and sorrowful. I expressed pity at the American people, of whom most this book will never find, and how so quickly we abandoned our Founding Fathers' dream of a constitutional republic of a well-informed and hardworking independent people. President Reagan, leaving all conceptions of this book behind about various government officials aside, said, "Trust but verify." We forgot. Will we be forgiven again?

I heard this guy speak. He gives a moderately entertaining romp through a lot of true information, and more. 95% of what he says is plausible (if questionable). Perhaps 50% of what I heard, I know to be true. But plenty of his stuff is a shotgun blast of information which only SEEMS convincing by its voluminousness, but in fact has no evidence. Take his (and Tex Marrs') claim about "angel is next". This refers to a threat supposedly delivered to Bush by moles in his staff, entailing a threat on air force 1, and nuclear war by compromised launch codes on 9/11. He gives a whole rapt story, with twists and turns and lots of insider details. It's not totally impossible, and could make fine fiction, but has no evidence whatsoever.

There's too much crucial, true, and verifiable information out there to waste your time on this in-depth far-out fantasy garbage. I wouldn't trust this man to give me a weather report.

Tarpley provides a thorough analysis of the 9/11 and how the tragedies could have happened. This book is a must read for those interested in the 9/11 truth issues.

The book goes into great detail about logistics of the attacks. Tarpley shows his experience as a historian and the amount of time he used to research into the issues.

If you've recently become aware of the 911-truth movement and were lucky enough to stumble upon Webster Griffin Tarpley's book "Synthetic Terror", then let me say that there is no finer book or video on the subject. Mr. Tarpley is virtually uniquely insightful in matters of transgressions against the body politic by the Oligarchy(s) and to say his research is exhaustive is an understatement. I only wish that he had more works available and was more visible in the media. To those who thirst for more Webster Tarpley like myself, you must read his essays on the history of the Venetian Oligarchy and it's post Cambrai war transplantation to Great Britain and the Netherlands. I would love to hear him address the connection of this group to the creation of the stock corporation, which along with private banks and intelligence agencies have become the chief tool of control and oppression of the ruling class in modern times.

I have to be completely honest here: If the book were somewhat easier to read, I could have justified 5 stars for it. As it is it's still one of the greatest of the 9/11 books just on the meaty and thick amount of facts and info that the author puts together to help us get the "Big Picture".
I got through it in a reasonable amount of time and my head was still swimming from absorbing so much data. Reading this book is like downloading 9/11 truth directly to your brain (ala The Matrix). You find yourself exhausted but when they ask if you want more, you say "Hell yes."

One of the best things readers of this book can do is to try and find some of Mr. Tarpley's video presentations (lots available on the web), some of which are fantastic.

Overall, great book, especially for understanding intelligence agencies and their connections to the agents and plans they set in motion.

I have been recomended this book as connecting the dots between the sinking of the kursk by the u.s.s. memphis and the towers coming down as a failsafe type of appeasement brokered by the cia's Tenet. Before I bother to read this I havent seen it in the reviews.

Want to understand how some people get into terrorism and giving their lives for this supposed cause.

I can't imagine a more complete and well researched book on the subject than "9/11: Synthetic Terror". The author is a distinguished historian who weaves togther threads of state sponsored terror from the Gunpowder Plot to the present day. He examines the physical evidence of the attacks to conclude they were a false flag op and he presents a convincing scenario of how they were executed. Having read several other books on the subject, I recommend this one highly.

We'll never know what really happened, but this casts a lot of doubt on what we might think we know from the mainstream media. If you doubt that big conspiracies are possible in America, you should also read The Plot to Seize the White House by Jules Archer about a plot to oust FDR and install a fascist government. It nearly worked!

Outstanding summary and pioneering probes further into the MIHOP view of 9/11 and its geopolitical and policy significance for the tactics of the US in the New World Order. (MIHOP = "made it happen on purpose"; LIHOP = "let it happen..." a la Michael Ruppert, "Crossing the Rubicon", also bristling with starling information.)

Recommended for those convinced that the thoroughgoing pattern of deception from the top of this administration, dating back into the '90s if not two generations, bespeaks more than just a self-serving aim to grab political power and then hold onto it; for those conversant with the stated aims of PNAC and less than starry-eyed about the whole development.

Tarpley lapses here and there into a patting-self-on-back posture, but less often and less obnoxiously than many writers; does not obscure his points. EYE-OPENING STUFF.

We'll never know what really happened, but this casts a lot of doubt on what we might think we know from the mainstream media. If you doubt that big conspiracies are possible in America, you should also read The Plot to Seize the White House by Jules Archer about a plot to oust FDR and install a fascist government. It nearly worked!

Decades ago, to the average person living in America, terrorism was a distant word--something that happened on hijacked airliners. Today, in this post 9/11, 21st century, we are living in a different world. But the current so-called 'War on Terror' hasn't exactly made everyone feel safer. According to a 2006 CBS/New York Times poll, 46% of Americans stated that they feel "somewhat uneasy or in danger." Given the horror and the boldness of the 9/11 attack and the 7-7 London bombing, it's not surprising that we are jittery. According to another recent study conducted by the Centre on Law and Security, terrorist attacks around the world have increased 60% since 9/11 (obviously a huge chunk of this is in Iraq), but even outside of Iraq, worldwide terrorist attacks have jumped 265%. Terrorism has become a fact of everyday life.

Author Webster Tarpley's book "9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in the USA" takes a hard look at the events that caused this new, heightened awareness of terrorism, and argues that this creation of a Strategy of Tension within the U.S is manufactured--hence the term 'synthetic terror' and that 9/11 was a "deliberate provocation manufactured by an outlaw network of high officials." In other words, 9/11 was made-to-happen-on-purpose (MTHOP)--a term that appears throughout this meaty, intense book. Tarpley argues that as a "state-sponsored" "false flag" event, 9/11 was used to manipulate domestic policy and public opinion in order to justify and excuse the invasion of Iraq. Tarpley attacks the official 9/11 story and quotes Labour Politician Michael Meacher's questioning of the 9/11 "myth."

Tarpley presents his case by taking us through a history of state sponsored terrorism--including: Operation Northwoods, the U.S.S. Maine, the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, and Operation Gladio. He argues that synthetic terror is a strategy "used by oligarchs" and that terrorist groups such as the Red Brigades, are just tools of the state manipulated for political gain. Tarpley's chapter "Theory and Practice of Synthetic Terrorism" analyzes the roles and the symbiotic relationships between "Patsies" "Moles" and professional killers, and delineates exactly how synthetic terrorist situations are created. One example is given of how anarchists were blamed for the bombing of the Piazza Fontana whereas years later it was discovered that Gladio operatives were actually to blame.

Tarpley spends a considerable amount of time analyzing the events of 9/11, the 'failures' of the security systems within the U.S., warnings received and buried, the military drills occurring on 9/11, Israeli Intelligence activities, and then focuses on the hijackers. Then there's the collapse of the Twin Towers and Building 7. This is followed by the aftermath--the collective debacle that took place after 9/11, bizarre insider trading patterns, and the rapid emergence of the official story.

9/11 will arguably become one of the most significant events of this century, so for those who want to seriously dig into 9/11 theory, this book is the place to start. While I do not agree with Tarpley on every issue in this book, nonetheless, that does not stop me from giving the book 5 stars for making me think beyond my usual perimeters. The chapters on the history of state-sponsored terrorism, and Anthrax were particularly interesting. On somewhat lesser points, I would also add here that although the book spends some time discussing Putin and the question of Chechnya (in particular--the Beslan school massacre) when considering synthetic terror, one should consider the 1999 bombing of a Moscow apartment building that was blamed on Chechen rebels and led to a Russian assault on Chechnya (see documentary "Disbelief" which is not, unfortunately, commercially available at this time). I would argue that the Red Army Faction was not infiltrated at their genesis but during later manifestations (Fassbinder makes this clear in his film "The Third Generation."). There's a lot of interesting material here--even if I don't agree with everything. I don't, for example, agree with the author on the subject of Ward Churchill, and just a bit of research debunks those theories. And also, there is no such thing as an anarchist group called Black Bloc. Black Bloc is not an organization. It is a tactic--displacedhuman

Decades ago, to the average person living in America, terrorism was a distant word--something that happened on hijacked airliners. Today, in this post 9/11, 21st century, we are living in a different world. But the current so-called 'War on Terror' hasn't exactly made everyone feel safer. According to a 2006 CBS/New York Times poll, 46% of Americans stated that they feel "somewhat uneasy or in danger." Given the horror and the boldness of the 9/11 attack and the 7-7 London bombing, it's not surprising that we are jittery. According to another recent study conducted by the Centre on Law and Security, terrorist attacks around the world have increased 60% since 9/11 (obviously a huge chunk of this is in Iraq), but even outside of Iraq, worldwide terrorist attacks have jumped 265%. Terrorism has become a fact of everyday life.

Author Webster Tarpley's book "9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in the USA" takes a hard look at the events that caused this new, heightened awareness of terrorism, and argues that this creation of a Strategy of Tension within the U.S is manufactured--hence the term 'synthetic terror' and that 9/11 was a "deliberate provocation manufactured by an outlaw network of high officials." In other words, 9/11 was made-to-happen-on-purpose (MTHOP)--a term that appears throughout this meaty, intense book. Tarpley argues that as a "state-sponsored" "false flag" event, 9/11 was used to manipulate domestic policy and public opinion in order to justify and excuse the invasion of Iraq. Tarpley attacks the official 9/11 story and quotes Labour Politician Michael Meacher's questioning of the 9/11 "myth."

Tarpley presents his case by taking us through a history of state sponsored terrorism--including: Operation Northwoods, the U.S.S. Maine, the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, and Operation Gladio. He argues that synthetic terror is a strategy "used by oligarchs" and that terrorist groups such as the Red Brigades, are just tools of the state manipulated for political gain. Tarpley's chapter "Theory and Practice of Synthetic Terrorism" analyzes the roles and the symbiotic relationships between "Patsies" "Moles" and professional killers, and delineates exactly how synthetic terrorist situations are created. One example is given of how anarchists were blamed for the bombing of the Piazza Fontana whereas years later it was discovered that Gladio operatives were actually to blame.

Tarpley spends a considerable amount of time analyzing the events of 9/11, the 'failures' of the security systems within the U.S., warnings received and buried, the military drills occurring on 9/11, Israeli Intelligence activities, and then focuses on the hijackers. Then there's the collapse of the Twin Towers and Building 7. This is followed by the aftermath--the collective debacle that took place after 9/11, bizarre insider trading patterns, and the rapid emergence of the official story.

9/11 will arguably become one of the most significant events of this century, so for those who want to seriously dig into 9/11 theory, this book is the place to start. While I do not agree with Tarpley on every issue in this book, nonetheless, that does not stop me from giving the book 5 stars for making me think beyond my usual perimeters. The chapters on the history of state-sponsored terrorism, and Anthrax were particularly interesting. On somewhat lesser points, I would also add here that although the book spends some time discussing Putin and the question of Chechnya (in particular--the Beslan school massacre) when considering synthetic terror, one should consider the 1999 bombing of a Moscow apartment building that was blamed on Chechen rebels and led to a Russian assault on Chechnya (see documentary "Disbelief" which is not, unfortunately, commercially available at this time). I would argue that the Red Army Faction was not infiltrated at their genesis but during later manifestations (Fassbinder makes this clear in his film "The Third Generation."). And also, there is no such thing as an anarchist group called Black Bloc. Black Bloc is not an organization. It is a tactic--displacedhuman

Webster Tarpley has a long background of service in international journalism. His lengthy record of service in the field has provided him with many contacts, which he uses judiciously, as well as an international perspective, enabling him to see well beyond the smoke and mirrors generated by governments functioning as self-serving mechanisms.

Tarpley, who received richly deserved praise for an earlier unauthorized biography of George Bush the Elder, which exposed the family's involvement in providing funding for Hitler's Third Reich, has delivered a prolifically researched and dramatic work detailing the real causes of 9/11.

He makes the case for continuing investigation into the series of tragedies that transformed the entire world amid the plumes of smoke surfacing from New York's burning Twin Towers.

9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in U.S.A., now in its third edition, is an indispensable work in that it tackles the number one issue that America and the world needs to currently confront.

While many might state that issues such as affordable jobs and medical care surpass all other issues in importance, the one concerning which Tarpley has devoted this informative volume - that of state-sponsored, false flag synthetic terror - surpasses in overall importance everything else within both national and international boundaries.

If you are one of the many skeptics of the pat explanation provided by the government and the 9/11 Commission that the attacks on that fateful day were all interlinked with the terrorist network of Osama bin Laden, a genius of mythical proportions controlling the world from an Afghanistan cave, this book will loom as a welcome and illuminating volume of reason and penetrating insight.

Tarpley debunks this prevailing myth with precise insight.

The reason why this issue exceeds all others in importance is that, until the network behind the Cheney-Bush Junta is fully exposed, a group or groups representing the same line of thought will remain in Washington.

As Tarpley points out, evicting the ruling Junta from office is imperative to eliminate the dire and imminent threat of nuclear war, as evidenced by the truculent stands of neoconservatives in the Middle East, with Syria looming close on the prospective nuclear radar screen.

Tarpley makes the same basic points that have been consistently made here regarding who is actually in charge and how the ruling Junta developed.

He notes that a shadow government would never entrust strategic decision making to a "moron" such as George W. Bush. He sees the sage of Halliburton and the oil-military axis, Dick Cheney, as a major spokesperson but takes one significant step beyond this perspective.

In tracing the events of 9/11, Tarpley naturally covers the bizarre and fearful behavior of George W. Bush in Sarasota, where America could have been facing a nuclear threat or coup, only to see the putative chief executive continue a photo opportunity session with an elementary school girl reading "My Pet Goat." He probes the reader's mind, however, with where he proceeds from there.

Tarpley drops a bombshell as he recounts the message received by Cheney and communicated to him from Washington to Bush aboard Air Force One. According to no less an insider than Bob Woodward the message communicated was "Angel is next." In White House jargon Angel represents Air Force One.

A case is built beginning with this reference of a bloodless coup in progress. Tarpley's explanation resonates with reason based on what we saw and were told at the time. There was Bush's long absence from Washington and his engaging in what to outside observers could represent wandering flight missions to nowhere.

There was also the period where Air Force One zigzagged and flew at low altitude. Such activity is consistent with seeking to become a more difficult target for an attacker.

Tarpley's contention that any power takeover involved some of the highest sources in government was buttressed by the fact that the planes involved in the 9/11 crash disasters were never scrambled, when such a response is automatic under Federal Aviation Administration rules whenever aircraft display erratic behavior.

He also focuses on unanswered questions regarding the crashed plane in a Pennsylvania field and the holes left in the Pentagon following what was described as an attack by a plane. According to aeronautical engineering experts, it appeared from the size and shape of the holes that the damage more likely resulted from a missile attack.

Another fascinating area of Tarpley exploration is that of the scene at the Twin Towers. The author minces no words in his denunciation of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's decision, clearly at the behest of Cheney and Bush, to remove all of the charred steel following the crashes and subsequent fires.

In one particularly telling ring of irony, the company hired to clear away what could have represented vital evidence was the same one used after the Oklahoma City bombing for the same purpose.

While Rudolph Giuliani, through mainstream media post-9/11 spin, was exalted almost to the level of sainthood, Tarpley is to be admired for seeing through the smoke and mirrors. He reveals that it is a felony to remove potential evidence from a crime scene, which Guiliani did to a marked degree. The question is why?

Tarpley's disclosures concerning the response of the Cheney-Bush Junta to the tragedy and the ultimate appointment of an investigating commission, only after prolonged pressure was applied, are some of the best of a work filled with crucial information.

Tarpley provides brief background sketches of the 9/11 Commission members, proving conclusively that, with the exception of the group's single "wild card," former Vietnam War hero and U.S. Senator, Max Cleland, the group consisted of Washington Beltway insiders more conducive to holding the line and not making waves than probing for fresh answers.

It is particularly significant that Colleen Rowley, a Time "Person of the Year" and foremost 9/11 whistle blower, was never called to testify.

Tarpley's main scorn reserved for the 9/11 Commission process is directed toward John Lehman. Tarpley reveals that Lehman, a former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration, was a signer of the September 20, 2001 letter from the Project for the New American Century calling for a "war on terror" against Iraq.

He also discloses that, rather than probing for new information pertaining to the Twin Towers scene, Lehman instead unfairly scapegoated valiant New York City firefighters, contending that they had not done enough. Naturally nothing was said about removing potential evidence from the crime scene over the protests of those same firefighters.

Another significant point covered by Tarpley was the overlooked evidence that the 9/11 Commission ignored. Scores of experts have insisted that it is impossible to generate fires of the nature that occurred at the Twin Towers, as well as another building nearby that caught fire without being hit by aircraft, based on the official explanation.

Past experiences reveal that buildings remain standing after being hit by aircraft. It requires explosive devices to trigger the fiery destruction and collapses that reeked havoc in New York's financial district on 9/11.

Prominent Indian author Arundhati Roy uttered my favorite quote from 9/11 Synthetic Terror. On August 16, 2004, Roy told the American Sociological Association in San Francisco: "Terrorism is the privatization of war" and that "terrorists are the free marketers of war."

Webster Tarpley has a long background of service in international journalism. His lengthy record of service in the field has provided him with many contacts, which he uses judiciously, as well as an international perspective, enabling him to see well beyond the smoke and mirrors generated by governments functioning as self-serving mechanisms.

Tarpley, who received richly deserved praise for an earlier unauthorized biography of George Bush the Elder, which exposed the family's involvement in providing funding for Hitler's Third Reich, has delivered a prolifically researched and dramatic work detailing the real causes of 9/11.

He makes the case for continuing investigation into the series of tragedies that transformed the entire world amid the plumes of smoke surfacing from New York's burning Twin Towers.

9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in U.S.A., now in its third edition, is an indispensable work in that it tackles the number one issue that America and the world needs to currently confront.

While many might state that issues such as affordable jobs and medical care surpass all other issues in importance, the one concerning which Tarpley has devoted this informative volume - that of state-sponsored, false flag synthetic terror - surpasses in overall importance everything else within both national and international boundaries.

If you are one of the many skeptics of the pat explanation provided by the government and the 9/11 Commission that the attacks on that fateful day were all interlinked with the terrorist network of Osama bin Laden, a genius of mythical proportions controlling the world from an Afghanistan cave, this book will loom as a welcome and illuminating volume of reason and penetrating insight.

Tarpley debunks this prevailing myth with precise insight.

The reason why this issue exceeds all others in importance is that, until the network behind the Cheney-Bush Junta is fully exposed, a group or groups representing the same line of thought will remain in Washington.

As Tarpley points out, evicting the ruling Junta from office is imperative to eliminate the dire and imminent threat of nuclear war, as evidenced by the truculent stands of neoconservatives in the Middle East, with Syria looming close on the prospective nuclear radar screen.

Tarpley makes the same basic points that have been consistently made here regarding who is actually in charge and how the ruling Junta developed. He notes that a shadow government would never entrust strategic decision making to a "moron" such as George W. Bush. He sees the sage of Halliburton and the oil-military axis, Dick Cheney, as a major spokesperson but takes one significant step beyond this perspective.

In tracing the events of 9/11, Tarpley naturally covers the bizarre and fearful behavior of George W. Bush in Sarasota, where America could have been facing a nuclear threat or coup, only to see the putative chief executive continue a photo opportunity session with an elementary school girl reading "My Pet Goat." He probes the reader's mind, however, with where he proceeds from there.

Tarpley drops a bombshell as he recounts the message received by Cheney and communicated to him from Washington to Bush aboard Air Force One. According to no less an insider than Bob Woodward the message communicated was "Angel is next." In White House jargon Angel represents Air Force One.

A case is built beginning with this reference of a bloodless coup in progress. Tarpley's explanation resonates with reason based on what we saw and were told at the time. There was Bush's long absence from Washington and his engaging in what to outside observers could represent wandering flight missions to nowhere.

There was also the period where Air Force One zigzagged and flew at low altitude. Such activity is consistent with seeking to become a more difficult target for an attacker.

Tarpley's contention that any power takeover involved some of the highest sources in government was buttressed by the fact that the planes involved in the 9/11 crash disasters were never scrambled, when such a response is automatic under Federal Aviation Administration rules whenever aircraft display erratic behavior.

He also focuses on unanswered questions regarding the crashed plane in a Pennsylvania field and the holes left in the Pentagon following what was described as an attack by a plane. According to aeronautical engineering experts, it appeared from the size and shape of the holes that the damage more likely resulted from a missile attack.

Another fascinating area of Tarpley exploration is that of the scene at the Twin Towers. The author minces no words in his denunciation of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's decision, clearly at the behest of Cheney and Bush, to remove all of the charred steel following the crashes and subsequent fires.

In one particularly telling ring of irony, the company hired to clear away what could have represented vital evidence was the same one used after the Oklahoma City bombing for the same purpose.

While Rudolph Giuliani, through mainstream media post-9/11 spin, was exalted almost to the level of sainthood, Tarpley is to be admired for seeing through the smoke and mirrors. He reveals that it is a felony to remove potential evidence from a crime scene, which Guiliani did to a marked degree. The question is why?

Tarpley's disclosures concerning the response of the Cheney-Bush Junta to the tragedy and the ultimate appointment of an investigating commission, only after prolonged pressure was applied, are some of the best of a work filled with crucial information.

Tarpley provides brief background sketches of the 9/11 Commission members, proving conclusively that, with the exception of the group's single "wild card," former Vietnam War hero and U.S. Senator, Max Cleland, the group consisted of Washington Beltway insiders more conducive to holding the line and not making waves than probing for fresh answers.

It is particularly significant that Colleen Rowley, a Time "Person of the Year" and foremost 9/11 whistle blower, was never called to testify.

Tarpley's main scorn reserved for the 9/11 Commission process is directed toward John Lehman. Tarpley reveals that Lehman, a former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration, was a signer of the September 20, 2001 letter from the Project for the New American Century calling for a "war on terror" against Iraq.

He also discloses that, rather than probing for new information pertaining to the Twin Towers scene, Lehman instead unfairly scapegoated valiant New York City firefighters, contending that they had not done enough. Naturally nothing was said about removing potential evidence from the crime scene over the protests of those same firefighters.

Another significant point covered by Tarpley was the overlooked evidence that the 9/11 Commission ignored. Scores of experts have insisted that it is impossible to generate fires of the nature that occurred at the Twin Towers, as well as another building nearby that caught fire without being hit by aircraft, based on the official explanation.

Past experiences reveal that buildings remain standing after being hit by aircraft. It requires explosive devices to trigger the fiery destruction and collapses that reeked havoc in New York's financial district on 9/11.

Prominent Indian author Arundhati Roy uttered my favorite quote from 9/11 Synthetic Terror. On August 16, 2004, Roy told the American Sociological Association in San Francisco: "Terrorism is the privatization of war" and that "terrorists are the free marketers of war."

Webster Tarpley has extended his efforts beyond the research and writing of this comprehensive work on 9/11 to the realm of cohesive action. He is currently interacting with others to seek answers to questions being dodged rather than investigated.

Tarpley is a prominent member of the 9/11 Commission for Truth. He urges those reading his book to join in that effort. The Commission met recently in Chicago, listening to an address from Tarpley as well as a speech from Dr. Bob Bowman.

The book contains such a breadth of research that to fully review it would require space commensurate with the length of the work itself. Tarpley's ambitious undertaking demolishes the accepted mainstream media and political explanation of events in the same manner that Mark Lane in the sixties demolished the official Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

As Tarpley indicates, it is time to remove the "nuclear football" from the clutches of the ruling Junta in the same way that, in the final days of the Nixon Administration in 1974, Alexander Haig and Henry Kissinger removed that deadly option from a highly disturbed, paranoiac American leader.

The current bloodthirsty, power mad Washington neocons need to be stopped before it is too late. Americans need to vigilantly demand answers to important questions that have heretofore been swept under the rug.

An encouraging outgrowth concerning Tarpley's work and others in the 9/11 pursuit of truth sphere is that, as in the case of the JFK assassination, as time elapses increasing numbers of Americans and within the global citizenry have had time to examine the official government account of what transpired that fateful day.

The response on the part of so many has been outrage and a demand that an independent commission be put in charge to investigate the root causes of 9/11.

The fact that so many of my fellow citizens believe this nonsense and trash is more scary than any external threat. Shame on all of you!

This book is the most clear and rational analysis of the 9-11 events.
I highly recomend reading also "treason:the new world order" by Gurudas.
The last time i searched for this book on amazon the customer reviews were no longer there... Get this one before all copies are destroyed.

Other reviewers have made it clear that this is an excellent book. I simply want to add that it is very well written; you can literally spend hours reading it without awareness of the time passing. It's engrossing.

The vast majority of Americans don't believe the official US government conspiracy theory about 9/11, but a controlled mass media is all but devoid of critical analysis of what did happen. Tarpley not only effectively destroys the official story beyond a doubt, but goes on to make one of the better cases for high treason in our highest offices.

One cannot possibly understand the fascist grip that the neoCons have on the United States without discovering that 9/11 was an inside job. It was the most dramatic in a series of false flag events over history of the nation that were intended to deceive the American public into wars that were unpopular and anti-democratic -- but for the few behind the ruse -- quite profitable.

While there are a myriad of crimes against humaninty and violations of US laws that should bring down the evil neoCon regime, I believe that absent a public awareness of what really happened on 9/11, we will continue to be susceptable to similar manipulations.

Buy it, read it, share it.

For anyone wishing to ponder the fabric upon which the complex events of 9/11 were based, one would be remiss in not also considering `Taking the Risk Out of Democracy - Corporate Propaganda Versus Freedom and Liberty' by Alex Carey and `Propaganda - The Formation of Men's Attitudes' by Jacques Ellul. ..., or how we lost truth and our reality.

In what appears to be a nation of complacent sheeple, who are our real shepherds? Republican / Democrat / Conservative / Liberal ideologies are simply the shepherd's tools. These tools are now used to divert, divide, control and maintain power through the manipulation of our people.

Consider for a moment the prospect: The American people, via sudden revelation, come to fully accept as reality that 9/11 was a clandestine operation of our own government and the elected officials of both the Republican and Democratic parties share equal responsibility for 9/11, Afghanistan war, Iraq war, the termination of our Bill of Rights and the slaughter of innocents... Aware or unaware, either way, the carnal consequences for what has already been sown may be unavoidable.

Regretfully, these lines may once again be appropriate:
"The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed, for the vast masses of a nation are in the depths of their hearts more easily deceived than they are consciously and intentionally bad. The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them a more easy prey to a big lie than a small one, for they themselves often tell little lies, but would be ashamed to tell big lies." Adolf Hitler - `Mein Kampf'

I AM TALKING ABOUT BUSH/CHENEY, NOT TARPLEY. MANY AMERICANS REFUSE TO HEAR THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT THE NEO-CONS HAVE DONE AND CONTINUE TO DO TO THIS COUNTRY AND THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND THOSE WHO DO EITHER SUPPORT THE FURTHER EXPLOITATION OF WEAKER RESOURCE RICH COUNTRIES OR WANT A MORE MORAL ALTERNATIVE. THE NEO-CONS CONSIDER LYING AND KILLING A MEANS TO AN END, AND HAVE NO REGARD FOR MORALITY, TRUTH OR GOD. THEY WANT TOTAL CLASS SEPARATION AND WORLD DOMINATION. THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU SUPPORT THEM?

911 Synthetic Terror Made in the USA is voluminous, scholarly and fascinating. It may well go down in history as the document of record exposing the lies told by officials about the events 911.

Page after page is completely filled with verifiable facts that refute the official story that 19 hijackers with box cutters led by Bin Laden in a cave hijacked jets and flew them into THREE not TWO buildings at the WTC complex in NYC and into the Pentagon. There is so much evidence refuting the official lie published by the 911 Commission (Hereafter known as the "Omission Commission"), that every page of the 512 page book contains some startling evidence and expert analysis as well.

Webster Tarpley is the strongest voice of reason on 911truth. Anyone who reads this book from cover to cover and still believes the official myth may want to seek professional help for their cognitive dissonance problem.

Um. If "two or more people cannot keep a secret," then how did 19 hijackers supposedly take four planes from two airports and fly them into three prime targets without the government's knowledge? By your logic, someone outside of the 19 "terrorists" would have known of their conspiracy. And if that's true, those people obviously allowed 9.11 to happen. Essentially, you agree with most of us that the government knew and did nothing to stop them. Many of us simply look at the events of the day, the surrounding obfuscation and the laws of nature and take it one logical step further -- that our government used their foreknowledge to compound the scenario and manufacture their necessary New Pearl Harbor. So, you're right. Two or more people can't keep a secret. Thanks for seeing it our way.

Oh yeah, the book is fantastic.

Pure pulp fiction. Appeals to the paranoiac and hate filled conspiracy minded (I use that word loosely) among us. The fact is two or more people cannot keep a secret, so if more than one person knows, it isn't a secret. How some can think so little of their fellow man, is beyond me.

Webster Griffin Tarpley is a proponent of the so-called `MIHOP' (Make It Happen On Purpose) 9/11 theory. His book `9/11 Synthetic Terror' is an attempt to prove that rogue elements within the US government planned and executed the 9/11 attacks in order to further their own global strategic goals. In Tarpley's theory, figures like Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Atta are simply patsies for an Anglo-American global fascist plot.

Although the author does succeed in exposing the rampant corruption and subversion in the American political establishment, too many of his accusations rely on hearsay and speculation. The few sources he does use seem suspect to me, and he constantly makes sensationalist or damning statements without the least bit of proof to back it up. For instance, when he claims that Pakistan sent money to 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta, he claims this was "almost certainly at the behest of the CIA." That's it, no footnote, no source, nothing. This is a consistent practice throughout the book. Another annoying habit of the author is that he constantly makes definitive judgments in cases where the evidence presented is strictly circumstantial. The entire book is filled with sentences like: "This happened, so the only explanation can be that."

The author completely whitewashes and underestimates radical Islamists and claims that poor and oppressed Muslims do not form terrorist organizations on their own. He derides the view of terrorism being a result of poverty and oppression as naïve-perhaps forgetting that many terrorists are from wealthy or middle-class backgrounds-and argues that all major terrorist attacks are really covert, state-sponsored (primarily American) operations that are used to deceive the public into supporting wars. Tarpley argues that real terrorists are either incapable of or unwilling to pull off major terrorist attacks without the support and/or encouragement of intelligence services like the CIA, KGB, MI6, and Mossad. In other words, these people are stupid, complacent, or morally above such activities. I personally found this theory to be ridiculous. The author smears and lambastes anybody who shows a semblance of belief for the "official version" of the 9/11 attacks. Words like warmonger, xenophobe, bully, and fascist are used often and unscrupulously. His constant personal attacks and self-righteous attitude get old very quick.

The author does detail some very interesting and frightening aspects that he says led to the planning of 9/11. He argues that the devaluation of the US dollar would bring an end to Anglo-American dominance and describes how the oligarchs would not let this happen. The author also describes the so-called "shadow government" that works behind the scenes, secretly influencing global events. This is essentially the "Illuminati" argument with the Anglo-American neocons as the culprits. While I believe this to an extent, I think the author attributes way too much power to this enigmatic group. Where the author is most convincing is his argument regarding the collapse of the World Trade Center, and other events of that day such as the Pentagon crash. While I don't agree with his assessment that the official version of the WTC collapse was "physically impossible," I do concede that it seems highly questionable, and that the controlled demolition theory does seem plausible.

I found myself in a sort of mental tug-of-war while reading this book. I didn't want to believe any of it, but before I knew it, I found myself seriously questioning everything I had previously believed. Then I would read something ridiculous and I would revert back to my default thinking, only to repeat this process again and again. I think the author argues his case very cleverly-albeit unscrupulously-and does a good job of exposing the many inconsistencies in the official version of 9/11 as well as some of the deceitful practices of certain governmental agencies. But concerning the question of whether 9/11 was an inside job; Tarpley's case is based on too much speculation and circumstantial evidence. And while he offers some very plausible-and frightening-theories, almost all of them have an equally reasonable, counter-argument. With that said, I will grudgingly admit that 9/11 could have possibly been an "inside job." There are many glaring inconsistencies and unlikelihoods in the official version of events that merit further investigation. So I would urge anyone interested in the subject to read the book and come to their own conclusions. 3.5 stars.

When you venture down the rabbit hole deeper and deeper, exploring all the information you can find about what really happened on September 11, 2001, your concern with the official story of 9/11 should transcend politics, religion, race, and ideology. It should have everything to do with truth, constitutional law, ethics, corruption, deception, blatant disregard for human health and human life, and morality beyond any personal choices most of us will make.

The events of 9/11 were pivotal points in the lives of my generation, if not those of our children and grandchildren. They marked a turning point in history where we, as a nation, sanctioned unprecedented preemptive military acts, record-shattering spending on defense, and mass propaganda of the Goebbel's variety.

Of all the books available about 9/11, Tarpleys is the most comprehensive and disturbing. It's not for the faint of heart. The bitter pill that must be swallowed is the fact that false flag terror operations have been part of our government's modus operandi for the last hundred years, and these operations are still being planned and deployed today for an agenda that has nothing to do with securing our nation and everything to do with global imperialism.

Don't take my word for it, read this book. Your perspective will be forever altered and you will view all future events with a jaundiced eye. In some ways, it is a relief to know that the so-called crazy "Islamofascists" are not planning new terror operations in cold caves; however, it is frightening beyond words that the neocons running the secret government behind the scenes are playing with our lives, our resources, and our futures like chess pieces.

With the scarcity of good, reliable information available to keep track of this geopolitical nightmare, it's good to know that Webster Tarpley is vigilant and accessible. Listen to his radio show on World Crisis Radio on RBN Live dot com.

Synthetic Terror - Made in USA - remains the most definitive study of 9/11, the motives of its perpetrators, and the analysis of the crime of century.

Webster Tarpley has been writing exposes for a long time now. His earliest work of note was in the late 70s called "Chi ha ucciso Aldo Moro?" which was on the murder of an Italian Prime minister. He is also known for his studies on the Bush family.

9/11 Synthetic Terror is a work that can be described as an answer to those who would ask why anyone would believe that elements of a government would perform dastardly deeds on it's own citizens. Mr. Tarpley's response might be succienctly put, "they've done it before."

The book sets the tone with an introductory quote from the Iran-Contra era from Senator Daniel K. Inouye, "There exists a shadowy government with its own Air Force, its own navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of the national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself."

The book repudiates those parts of the official 9/11 story that Tarpley (and many others) call physically impossible as well as the networks of interests that came into play that fateful day. Cui bono?

It is with great sadness that I conclude that this book is the strongest of the 770+ books I have reviewed here at Amazon, almost all non-fiction. I am forced to conclude that 9/11 was at a minimum allowed to happen as a pretext for war (see my review of Jim Bamford's "Pretext for War"), and I am forced to conclude that there is sufficient evidence to indict (not necessarily convict) Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and others of a neo-conservative neo-Nazi coup d'etat and kick-off of the clash of civilizations (see my review of "Crossing the Rubicon" as well as "State of Denial"). Most fascinatingly, the author links Samuel Huntington, author of "Clash of Civilizations" with Leo Strauss, the connecting rod between Nazi fascists and the neo-cons.

This is, without question, the most important modern reference on state-sponsored terrorism, and also the reference that most pointedly suggests that select rogue elements within the US Government, most likely led by Dick Cheney with the assistance of George Tenet, Buzzy Kronguard, and others close to the Wall Street gangs, are the most guilty of state-sponsored terrorism.

The author draws on historical examples of US fabrication of threats (e.g. the bombing of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor) and many others (Jim Bamford publicized Operation Northwoods). It is an undeniable fact that the U.S. Government has been willing to kill its own citizens and fabricate attacks as part of moving the public.

The author suggests that there is no conclusive evidence that 9/11 was of foreign origin, and to the contrary, quite a bit of evidence that the hijackers had been trained at US military bases, protected by the CIA and FBI, and that the end result of their actions--including controlled flying into buildings and controlled demolitions bringing down three towers, one of which was not hit at all, all suggest a US-based conspiracy.

The author is compelling in his review of the conflicts of interest for each of the 9/11 Commissioners and key staff; he is conclusive in his damnation of their performance and their refusal to be tough with NORAD, the FAA, and many other Executive organizations that refused to cooperate; and he is conclusive on his suggestion that all actual evidence points to the Pentagon being hit by a missile rather than an airplane.

The author is especially compelling in condemning Rudy Guilliani as part of the conspiracy, and as the "bud" of the extreme right charged with cleaning up the crime scene. Instead of making the area off-limits, Gulliani moved aggressively to "scoop and dump" to the point that firefighters rioted.

I sit here, a 54-year old, liberally educated, two graduate degrees, war college, a life overseas, 150 IQ or so, the number #1 Amazon reviewer for non-fiction, a former Marine Corps infantry officer, a former CIA clandestine case officer, founder of the Marine Corps Intelligence Center, and I have to tell anyone who cares to read this: I believe it. I believe it enough to want a full investigation that passes the smell test of the 9/11 families as well as objective outside observers. I believe it sufficient to indict Dick Cheney and other neo-cons. Sadly, the Executive is now in the service of corporations that benefit from high crimes and misdemeanors, rather than in the service of the American people who suffer great ill from these terrible mis-deeds.

My bottom line: justice has NOT been done, and this book, together with Crossing the Rubicon, is a major reason why I believe that eventually, Dick Cheney and others will be brought to justice. The people now have a digital memory and collective intelligence. Bin Laden Dead or Alive? Mission Accomplished? Civil liberties at home, democracy abroad? Just who are we kidding? More to the point, who are we betraying if not ourselves?