Our illusions of grandeur driven by greed have caused us to reach beyond our grasp thus all the foreign policy disasters. The author urges Americans to a wake up and see reality as he and Reinhold Niebuhr see it and create a "nonimperial foreign policy" (assuming we have curbed our greed). This smaller more modest foreign policy would feature a "new" strategy of containment. It worked against communism. It will work against Islamic extremism. But will it? Old historic formulas many times do not work in a new world. Can't we just go back and fight the Cold War again history tells how to do it. But that could be an Andrew J. Bacevich illusion. The challenge from Islamic extremism is so vastly different. Contain what to where? Not even a page about that. Look to this book for hard hitting criticism from a Reinhold Niebuhr point-of-view but not for viable foreign policy alternatives. An unreasoned pull-back of our grasp could create a whole new set of unintended nasty consequences.

I purchased this book after seeing an interview with Dr. Bacevich on C-span.

The insight provided by the author reveals the devious and often incompetent strategies and actions of our leaders throughout our history.

Our propensity for using military might rather than diplomacy is outlined and has a much longer history than one might suspect.

It is compelling reading and I am about to buy more of the author's books which I will share with my grandsons.

Our illusions of grandeur driven by greed have caused us to reach beyond our grasp thus all the foreign policy disasters. The author urges Americans to a wake up and see reality as he and Reinhold Niebuhr see it and create a "nonimperial foreign policy" (assuming we have curbed our greed). This smaller more modest foreign policy would feature a "new" strategy of containment. It worked against communism. It will work against Islamic extremism. But will it? Old historic formulas many times do not work in a new world. Can't we just go back and fight the Cold War again history tells how to do it. But that could be an Andrew J. Bacevich illusion. The challenge from Islamic extremism is so vastly different. Contain what to where? Not even a page about that. Look to this book for hard hitting criticism from a Reinhold Niebuhr point-of-view but not for viable foreign policy alternatives. An unreasoned pull-back of our grasp could create a whole new set of unintended nasty consequences.

















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The facts are presented in a logical, well thought out manor. All facts have references to verify their accuracy. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to gain an understading of why our country is where we are today and how we got there.

Andrew Bacevich has written a thought-provoking and approachable analysis of America's expansionist policies and their consequences. The book makes the clear-headed case that the long-term solutions to America's (our) military misadventures in the Middle East and elsewhere will come from more cogent and integrated strategies and as importantly from addressing other domestic problems, such as our personal and public indebtedness (our dependence on foreign financing) and our use of energy (our dependence on foreign oil). The take-away message is that we must learn to live within our means, not only in terms of our budgets but also in terms of our foreign and military policy.

Far and away, the strength of the book is the way that it draws historical parallels to show that today's problems have antecedents in decisions made during more "successful" periods of U.S. history. Bacevich is a master at drawing on details of our foreign policy and military history; his insights on these key earlier decisions alone more than justify the price of the book.

The weakness of the analysis is its unremitting negative tone. The politicians and advisors with whom you disagree get skewered, but so do those whom you might admire. Bacevich succeeds in pointing out mistakes, advocates for more comprehensive and realistic analyses of threats and opportunities, but never shows how actual human beings or systems would necessarily come up with better solutions. His eventual message to live within our means and to approach the use of military force more cautiously are consistent with this implied low regard for political decision-making. However, he overlooks some of the risks of caution, which is itself a policy decision.

Hits the Nail squarely on the head. Will be difficult for the American public to swallow but the recent economic downturn proves his points. Interview with Bill Moyers excellent. A must read and see.

I appreciate the quick delivery of this book. It arrived in excellent condition. The book was a real eye-opener.

The book is excellent. Highly recommend it to everyone!! It was slightly bent upon arrival probably due to the postal service. Otherwise in very good condition.

First of all, this is a must read book for any historian, political scientist, or public servant. After having lived nine years in Germany and England myself, I arrived back in the U.S. in 2004 to "shock and awe" at how pedantic and manipulative the politcal process in the U.S. had become (perhaps it was me that had changed and not the political process?). For one thing, W. was elected by scaring people into voting for him. This most recent political debate has been no less frustrating for me. Despite what I consider to be a good result, I can only hope Obama didn't mean some of the promises he made in the election.

In any case, without oversimplifying the message of this book, I find Andrew Bacevich has articulated much of a sound rejection of American "conventional wisdom" in his look at U.S. policy. It's a different and refreshing take on "absolute power corrupts absolutely". I find that in his sound critical thinking, the author points out the link between U.S. policy and the human tendency to delude.

The most interesting thing I take from this book is how this is not a uniquely American phenomenon, but one common to all superpowers throughout history. This book is important.

Couldn't set this down. Three things make it special:

1) The biography and credentials of the author: West Point grad; retired Army Colonel; Boston University professor; father of a Lieutenant killed in Iraq.
2) The compact and lively writing: no point is made without facts and examples, but no point is flogged to death.
3) The observations about America's culture, politics, history, ideology, that are woven into judgements on the state of our nation.

The anti-Bush crowd loves this book, but it is more than a rant. Much here to think about.

I could not set this book down. Three things made it special:

1) The biography and credentials of the author: a West Point grad; retired Army Colonel; Boston College professor; and father of an Army Lieutenant recently killed in Iraq.
2) The writing, which is compact and lively. No point is made without many facts and examples, but no point is flogged to death.
3) The author's underlying ambivalence about America's culture, politics, history, ideology. He does not hate America but struggles to understand it. He weaves observations about America's foundational values into powerful conclusions about the state of our country.

The anti-Bush crowd loves this book, but it is much more than a rant against the current administration. It gave me plenty to think about.

I could not set this book down. Three things made it special:

1) The biography and credentials of the author: a West Point grad; retired Army Colonel; Boston College professor; and father of an Army Lieutenant recently killed in Iraq. I listen to someone like that.
2) The writing, which is compact and lively. No point is made without many facts and examples, but no point is flogged to death.
3) The author's underlying ambivalence about America's culture, politics, history, ideology. He does not hate America but struggles to understand it. He weaves observations about America's foundational values into powerful conclusions about the state of our country.

The anti-Bush crowd loves this book, but it is much more than a rant against the current administration. It gave me plenty to think about.

I could not set this book down. Three things made it special:

1) The biography and credentials of the author: a West Point grad; retired Army Colonel; Boston College professor; and father of an Army Lieutenant recently killed in Iraq. I listen to someone like that.
2) The writing, which is compact and lively. No point is made without many facts and examples, but no point is flogged to death.
3) The author's underlying ambivalence about America's culture, politics, history, ideology. He seems to believe these must be understood if one is to understand America's foreign policy, and I think he is correct. He weaves his observations about America's values into powerful conclusions about the state of our country.

The anti-Bush crowd loves this book, but it is much more than a rant against the current administration. It gave me plenty to think about.

This book is a profound analysis of the shenanigans the outgoing administration played on the American public. As well as an honest criticism of our own shortcomings as citizens when we let policy makers lead us astray.

An insightful look at the direction of the US political & military machine. A short and quick read yet doesn't skimp on detail.

Col. Bacevich has written a tour de force that speaks the truth to power. Regardless your political leanings (I'm a moderate Democrat and military veteran), all American citizens should read this book. It will open your eyes.

Fascinating book - and I'm not generally into politics. A must-read for all U.S. leaders. I only hope President Elect Obama has read it!

Andrew Baceich is a West Point graduate, who teaches at Boston University. He has a straight forward, lucid style that comes form a militarily informed perspective, but guided by history, and in this case, personal tragedy. Our book club just handled another of his books, "The Rise of American Militarism" when this book was released, and Bill Moyers interviewed Mr Bacevich on public television. Unlike the Pentagon-aware "news analysts" common to both Fox news and CNN, Bacevich knows, teaches and enlightens recent history, but refuses to peddle Pentagon propaganda or toe an ideologic line, right or left. He shines a light on American Exceptionalism, as a doctrine naturally following Manifest Destiny. He pin-points when we transformed from a "creditor nation to a debtor nation; a nation of producers to a nation of consumers living beyond our means and needs. He revisits the Presidencies from Kennedy to Bush II without the ideologic slant of either Fox News or MSNBC, no hagiography or ax-grinding here, simple truths historically validated - he's a straight shooter with dead aim at the unlikely and oft missed political target ...the truth. He slaps Congress with the indictment that they have abandoned their "Constitutional mandate" to check the growing, unchecked power of the White House. He clearly outlines some courageous styands by some presdients held in ignominy, and shows the clay feet of others that are widely adored, but in fact spoke one way telling the people what they wanted to hear, and acted another. The book is dedicated to his son, who was killed in Iraq, a fact not given much discussion in his hour long interview with Bill Moyers on Public television, but even this military hardened veteran could not hide the emotion of a child lost in an inglorious war. This is a masterful view of America present and past, with blunders in the military revealed, gutting the concept of pre-emptive war, including the memorable quote from Norman Mailer: "Trying to solve a problem with war is like trying to cure the clap by going to a whore house." This is quick, punchy, clever read for non-fiction readers that want to clarify their minds about history and where the USA is going. This is an enjoyable, erudite, thoughtful book.

In The Limits of Power Professor Andrew J. Bacevich states that the United States is in peril because of three historical developments which have largely occurred since the end of the Second World War: the profligacy (greed and self-interest) of the American people, the concentration of political power into the hands of the president and selected political advisors and the excessive reliance on the military to solve problems. These conditions reached a new height with the Bush administration, but Bacevich demonstrates that that administration was merely following a well-worn path rather than going off in an entirely different direction. Because of the pervasive nature of these problems no president or group of individuals can correct them. He devotes one chapter of this short volume (less than 200 pages) to each problem and concludes that American exceptionalism has come to an end and that there are limits to the usefulness of power.

The book is certainly timely given the recent economic crisis and presidential election. What Bacevich seems to be saying is that the chickens have come home to roost and Barak Obama will not make much of a difference no matter what his intentions or efforts may be.

There is much to be said for each of Bacevich's premises. The first may be obvious to most people given the increasing dependence on foreign oil, the ever-rising national debt and budget deficits, as well as the now huge trade imbalance. The American Dream, Bacevich says, is having more and more without a sense of responsibility for who pays the cost. Bacevich states that "the true pivot of contemporary American history lies between two dates: July, 1979 and March, 1983. The first is President Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech, in which he stated "We are at a turning point in our history." America, Carter said, could go down one of two paths, one of self interest and the other a path of common purpose to restore American values. The talk was not well received, and of course Carter was not re-elected. The second is a speech by then President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 in which Reagan provided his alternative to Carter. This talk is noted for Reagan's "Star Wars" plan, but Bacevich states that two important ideas were imbedded in the talk. The first is that America could only be safe if it achieved something like permanent global military supremacy. The second is that technology could solve all our problems. This talk, Bacevich asserts, provides the basis for future presidential actions, especially those of George W. Bush.

The second and three points receive the brunt of Bacevich's invective--and the book is full of ad hominum attacks. Bacevich traces the problem of the imperial presidency to the development of "Wise Men," presidential advisors, distinguished citizens who claim special expertise and are immune from voter sanctions. Colonel Edward House, a special advisor to Woodrow Wilson and Dean Acheson and a whole host of members of the "Eastern Establishment" in the administration of FDR are cited as examples for the likes of Karl Rove and Paul Wolfowitz in the Bush administration. Just as critical has been the growth and ever increasing concentration of power in the executive branch and especially in the office of the president. By contrast, the Founding Fathers envisoned a republic vesting most political power in the respective states and a more limited role for the national government.

But it is on the third point that Bacevich seems to vent most of his invective. As a former colonel in the army perhaps he has a more personal and emotional reaction to America's descent into never ending war. Bacevich faults Rumsfeld and others for believing that America could master war saying that the only sure thing about war is its uncertainty and unintended consequences. General Tommy Franks comes in for special criticism because of statements he makes in his book, American Soldier. Civilians such as Douglas Feith also are excoriated.

Bacevich also makes numerous references to Reinhold Niebuhr, who taught at Union Theological Seminary and was an influential writer during the period from 1930 to 1960.

But when it comes to the final chapter Bacevich has little to say beyond the idea that America has gone wrong. Apparently there is little hope of fixing these problems other than realizing that there are limits to everything, even America. All in all the book is interesting and somewhat enlightening reading, but fall far short of providing insight on how to solve the nation's problems. I have given it three stars, but could just as easily give it four. The book is short and the issues are not discussed in great depth. Worth reading for the idea that our current problems are not due just to the machinations of an administration that has perverted Americn values.

This is one of the finest books I have read. All Americans should understand the importance of the views Bracevich presents to our future as a nation. We cannot continue the way we are. This book does not provide a solution to the problems we face but rather an understanding. Without that we can never develop the solutions. Absolutely a must read!!!

I am buying this for those I love and respect.

An excellent and thought provoking analysis of how America got to the present low point. Highly recommended!

A call to arms to the majority of Americans who pay their bills, and everyone else's, through taxes and higher prices for insurance and bailouts. Neither candidate has called for significant sacrifice, or true reflection on how we have diminished as a country, as we waste our material and cultural wealth. IF Obama cites Bacevich in his Inaugural address, he can truly unite us. We can't afford not to follow Bacevich's lead.

One of the best books on current affairs I have read.Should be a requirement for high school seniors.

The limits of power by Andrew Bacevich is indeed a fine book and makes an X-ray of the current American administration and its military. It is written in a truly sincere fashion that calls for the need to have a doubl take towards its policy failures, especially of the Bush administration and his book utterly exposes the arrogant and corrupt motives of the American military.

Bacevich advocates the need on the part of America's policy makers to have a softer and considerate approach towards the outside world instead of degrading the lofty American values propunded by its founding fathers.

However, it is easy to write in a somewhat holistic fashion than to place oneself in the role of the president and the policy makers. Nevertheless, he is justified in demanding a reconsideration of America's hawkish and imperialist political perceptions.

This is a marvellous book in which historical accounts are so well narrated that would definitely help general readers, too. This book is extremely interesting and justifies the views of the author who has sacrificed a lot for his country and whose opinion is not those of an arm-chair politcian. It is a must read book.

Gautam Maitra
Author of 'Tracing the Eagle's Orbit: Illuminating Insights into Major US Foreign Policies since Independence.'

In no uncertain terms Andrew Bacevitch describes our two political parties as having similar motivations and similar goals. He exposes our political leader's desires to participate within the power structure of the wealthiest campaign contributors, and move our country in a direction that benefits those who possess the most power. It's a must read for those who desire to understand the forces at work that determine our countries future.

Andrew Bacevich presents an engrossing and compelling historical analysis of causative factors in the development of the current profligacy of unsustainable consumption besetting the United States today. This irresponsible and pervasive quest for the good life has wreaked havoc on the country's economic, social, and political institutions, leaving its democracy is serious jeopardy. He did all this most profoundly in less than 200 pages.

Enjoyed the history. Great that he addressed the issue of consumption. Think everyone who cares about our country would benefit by reading this book. A Big Thank You to Andrew!

The book gives a well though out perspective on the state of our country; its citizens and leaders. It is an objective and well documented look at our nation and its policies, its people and agenda from 1945 to the present. It is a must read for any thinking American regardless of political persuasion.

Andrew Bacevich has been critical of all sides when it comes to the use of power from a military prespective dating back to WWII. He provides a very effective explaination of his major point; military power has its limits and the US policy over the last decade begins with a foundation built on an all powerful military. Both civilian and military leadership has been at fault with idealogy replacing strategy as the main driver. His prescription is to limit foreign policy that requires military intervention especially as a first resort. I for one hope the next president has or will read this book!

Well crafted and historical perspective give understanding to how we got to this point in history of American politics. Jam packed and frequent trips to the dictionary make a second read almost necessary

Surprisingly non-biased thoughts on why the US is in the pickle it's in, both on the home-front and as viewed from beyond our borders. Thought-provoking, well-written, very much worth reading.

This author is a credentialed historian, unquestionably a patriot, and a self-proclaimed conservative. In The Limits of Power, he has articulated clearly an understanding of the forces and attitudes which have led to our abandonment of moral responsibility as individuals, as a government of checks and balances, and as a nation within the community of all nations. The book deserves wide attention, particularly among elected officials, even though the author's remedies are less than novel or inspiring.

This is a remarkable book that is prophetic in its expectation that the United States would suffer the economic collapse that occurred in Oct., 2008 (the book was published shortly before that event). The author castigates America for its "more" mentality and its conspicuous consumption. While citing his predecessor critics, including as far back as de Tocqueville, the author makes his own argument that American culture needs to find some sense of self-sacrifice to replace a persistent drive for self-satisfaction. He speaks of reliance on shattered myths, willful blindness to the state of the world, and extraordinary naivete. His writing is very readable -- great use of language in a concise and relatively short treatise.

It made me re-think some of the events of our nation's history which
I remember from my own lifetime. Inspired me to be more aware of
those things which are happening and evaluate them with a rather
different perspective.
Presidents Carter, Reagan, Nixon, Kennedy: just what were they up to?
A.J. Bacevich gives ideas about those and other leaders which have
helped me understand the news more clearly.

...then read this one. Mr Bacevich has written an incredibly thought-provoking book on where the US lies currently in it's trek along the "great experiment." I like to fancy myself a student of history, especially US history and have been troubled for quite some time about where my country is on its time line. I try to be optimistic and hope we are still on the rise but its difficult not to compare us with the fall of previous empires. Mr Bacevich has cleared up my thoughts considerably.

This book will appeal to people of all political parties. The author spares nobody in uncovering reasons for our current predicaments. He doesn't lay all the blame on GW Bush like so many authors do (but still plenty) but rather traces our current situation all the way back to the beginnings of the Cold War, JFK, Carter, Reagan, etc. Everybody has leant a hand in putting us on the current path. But at the same time he offers clear clues on how to extricate ourselves from that path. He examines the economic, political, and military aspects of history since the end of WWII and charts the rise of American Exceptionalism to the detriment of our actual desired identity.

The book is relatively short (less than 300 pages) but sure packs a whallop. Every sentence focused my mind and it seemed like every page offered a eureka moment as it brought yet another aspect into focus. If you are like me and have scratched your head at finding the US in the predicament we are, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. Enjoy!

An insightful, thought-provoking book that should be required reading not only for the presidential nominees, but for every American citizen who cares deeply about our country.

This book should be read by anyone in politics and anyone who votes. The author details his analysis about why the United States is in trouble now.
In short, we don't listen to what we don't want to hear.
Americans were told by Jimmy Carter that we must conserve and restrain our consumption (especially of oil) otherwise we will be spending all of our resources making sure (militarily) that we can get it, which ends up reducing our freedom as a nation.
We have gone from a nation of producers to a nation of consumers, and this onesidedness of our relationship to the rest of the world has hurt this country and left it to the mercy of others.
Which means we need more military intervention, just to keep our standard of living as it is, and as it is demanded by our people. Politicians, (except for the all to honest and henceforth unelectable Jimmy Carter) lull us into thinking we can have it all. Reagan started this and it has evolved with the help of presidents, and congress, both republican and democrat, into a mess we have today.

Highly recommended book. BTW it is a non partisan analysis, something hard to find nowadays.

If you're wondering where, why and how America went off the rails, start here. The Limits of Power lays it out in accessible and rich form. This is a careful distillation of the underlying forces and actions that led to our current situation (two seemingly endless wars, economic decline, national and personal debt, etc.)

I'm reading the rest of Andrew Bacevich's books in reverse chronological order and sending this one to friends to read, too.

I have highly recommended this book to many of my friends. If you want a good synopsis, listen to the author's interview with Bill Moyers on the Sept 26 episode of his Journal. Mr Bacevich shows us skillfully where the system is broken and why it has gone unfixed. Here's hoping that our leaders gill give ear to his words.

I first heard of Bacevich on Charlie Rose interview show (PBS) and was impressed. The author references Reinhold Niebuhr throughout the book, a very impressive tie to the greatest American theologian of the last hundred years, and in doing so, he demonstrates his grasp of events in a broad context. If you want to know why things are the way they are, and what can be done about it- or more accurately, what will be done about it,read the book. It is well-documented and reasoned. He explains the effect "Americanism" has on the world, how events are leading toward an end to what we do not call but what has become the "American Empire." It is a disquieting book but also one the shows a path ahead.

...damned depressing truth.... the word "Profligacy" and banana republic will bubble up to the top of the next election rhetoric.

"The Limits of Power" is essesntial reading for every American. It's time we all recognized the inherent constraints on the expansion of empire which recent Presidents have attempted. The author makes it clear that military might is not the answer to problems of international relations, and demonstrates emphatically that the US cannot afford to continue its present course as dictator to the rest of the world. It's a small book, but loaded with clear and concise thinking.

I ordered this book because I had seen the author on Bill Moyers PBS program and I was so impressed with his ideas. I have not finished reading it yet (you can't rush through it) but I thoroughly enjoy it and have learned a lot about our recent history and American politics.
This is a book that will make you think!!

I received the book in a timely fashion and in excellent condition. Thank you!

This book is a must read for all Americans. If you have any concerns about the directions our society and government are going, you must read this enlightening indictment of us all. An easy read for subject matter that so often gets bogged down. Bacevich supports his argument with history and intelligence, not spin!

Andrew Bacevich's book

Andrew Bacevich's "The Limits of Power"alerts his readers to the crisis in America today as a result of an imperial presidency which has led to endless wars and a troubled economy that have become the focus of our 2008 candidates for presidency.





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The seller forwarded the book promptly and it is in excellent condition. This, after dealing with a prior vendor, who after two weeks decided he was out of stock.Sorry,I can't remember that vendor's name and don't want to.

I discovered Andrew Bacevich by reading The New American Militarism; How Americans Are Seduced By War (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), a book in which he describes how our culture's normalization and even romanticization of war "pervades our national consciousness and perverts our national policies." A veteran of Vietnam and subsequently a career officer, a graduate of West Point and later Princeton where he earned a PhD in history, director of Boston University's Center for International Relations, Bacevich has described himself as a cultural conservative who views mainstream liberalism with skepticism, but who also is a person whose "disenchantment with what passes for mainstream conservatism, embodied in the present Bush administration and its groupies, is just about absolute." He's also identified himself as a "conservative Catholic."

His newest book is an unapologetic polemic that laments how badly broken America is today. Its prophetic ire finds some vindication in that it was published just a few months before Wall Street imploded. You might argue that he doesn't say much that's new, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone who says it with such passion, erudition, eloquence and, sometimes, sarcasm. The end of the Cold War was thought to have ushered in a Long Peace, with the sole superpower arrogating itself to the task of reshaping the world in its own image. In reality, in the aftermath of 9/11, the Bush administration initiated a Long War against global terrorism that is a "permanent condition." This is a war, says Bacevich "of no exits and no deadlines." This Long War in general, and the Iraq War in particular, have laid bare deep contradictions and dysfunctions in America.

The root of this crisis rests in a facile notion of freedom, defined as the sacred right to consume, and manifested in "three interlocking crises" -- economic and cultural, political, and military. After a brief introduction, Bacevich devotes a chapter to each crisis. The cultural-economic crisis expresses itself in wholesale profligacy, "a relentless personal quest to acquire, to consume, to indulge, and to shed whatever constraints might interfere with those endeavors." Our profound addiction to cheap oil, easy personal credit, massive trade imbalances between what we export and import, and the runaway federal debt characterize this profound profligacy. In politics, we've witnessed the concentration of power in the executive branch, the deterioration of meaningful checks and balances, a feckless and dysfunctional congress, and appalling incompetence in overall government (cf. Katrina, health care, social security, immigration). Aggravating this political crisis is an overall "national security ideology" which specializes in disinformation and marginalizing dissent. Bush, says Bacevich, is not to blame; he merely inherited and expanded this tendency, and it's a tendency that successive presidents will surely follow. In his analysis of our military crisis, Bacevich details our illusions about war mongering and the lessons, real and imagined, that we ought to learn from Afghanistan and Iraq (where "we are playing a losing hand").

Will a new president or congress make a difference? Wipe the slate clean and put the nation back on track? Bacevich dismisses this as "the grandest delusion of all," for it turns a blind eye to decades of dysfunction, whether under Reagan and Bush or Carter and Clinton. "There is something touching about these expectations," says Bacevich, "but also something pathetic, like the battered wife who expects that this time her husband will actually keep his oft-repeated vow never again to raise his hand against her" (172-173). The abused wife, of course, is co-dependent, and only when she assumes control of her own life will conditions change. "Something of the same can be said of the American people." As I write, The Limits of Power sits at #10 on the New York Times best seller list.

This slim tome ought to be required reading in every high school American government or civics class.

On my blog, I have repeatedly excoriated "American exceptionalism" in BOTH its Republican and Democratic forms.

And now, Bacevich gives a professional historical take on this. Building on historians such as Paul Kennedy and his "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers," Bacevich notes we also transitioned from an empire of industry (and yes, we're an empire) to an empire of consumption, more than 30 years ago. (Kennedy speaks of the move from industry to finance as the mainstay of an economy as what has been a sure sign of decline in previous post-Renaissance great powers.)

Bacevich uses as a fulcrum Jimmy Carter's famous -- and famously misquoted and distorted -- 1980 "crisis of confidence" speech.

At the same time, Carter, through the "Carter Doctrine" declaring the Persian Gulf a vital American interest furthered the problems with the "empire of consumption," Bacevich notes.

And, what Carter said, and what Bacevich says, is that the problem lies not just in Washington, but in Austin, Albany and county seats. It lies not just on Wall Street, but on Main Streets.

The third main section of the book, on military policy, is the most interesting. Unlike "citizen reader" critics on places like Amazon, what Bacevich said in this section is certainly not dry, nor difficult to follow.

Some of it, though, sounds exactly like he accuses Tommy Franks of doing -- settling scores. Perhaps we should be thankful that Bacevich just got his bird and not any stars. Of course, his unwillingness to play Army politics may explain that in the first place. And that, in turn, although Bacevich kindly doesn't say so, is why we've had what he also kindly does not call "detritus" to generally lead our armed forces in the last generation or so. (Colin Powell was widely seen as a political officer already in Vietnam.)

Some critics claim the book doesn't offer solutions, but that's quite untrue. The solutions include:
* Stop believing we're more enlightened abroad than we actually are;
* Actually do something serious to cut our oil consumption;
* Live m ore within our means otherwise;
* Practice Cold War-type containment, not regime change, in the Muslim world.

Those are simple solutions, but Nos. 2 and 3 rely in large part on Main Streets and individual Americans, not Wall Street or Washington.

And, that's probably why negative critics claim it doesn't offer solutions. The truth is, it doesn't offer either "magic bullet" or NIMBY-type solutions.

Informed American voters and readers call this book a screed, and ignore its warnings about their own behavior, at the peril of themselves and the nation.

That said, the book, like "The New American Militarism," has one shortcoming. While Bacevich talks a lot about oil supply, he never discusses Peak Oil.

This is a fantastic and fascinating book. It should be required reading for everyone in government and politics. If you're trying to make sense of the mess this country is in, this book will help you understand much about the causes. But be warned: Bacevich says it's really up to us if there's going to be any changes made. We Americans can no longer afford to be complacent about the state of our precarious union. Buy this book. Read it. Pass it on.