The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception

“George W. Bush is a liar. He has lied large and small, directly and by omission. He has mugged the truth—not merely in honest error, but deliberately, consistently, and repeatedly.” —from the Introduction

All American presidents have lied, but George W. Bush has relentlessly abused the truth. In this scathing indictment of the president and his inner circle, David Corn, the Washington editor of The Nation, reveals and examines the deceptions at the heart of the Bush presidency. In a stunning work of journalism, he details and substantiates the many times the Bush administration has knowingly and intentionally misled the American public to advance its own interests and agenda, including:

* Brazenly mischaracterizing intelligence and resorting to deceptive arguments to whip up public support for war with Iraq
* Misrepresenting the provisions and effects of the president’s supersized tax cuts
* Offering misleading explanations— instead of telling the full truth — about the 9/11 attacks
* Lying about connections to corporate crooks
* Presenting deceptive and disingenuous claims to sell controversial policies on the environment, stem cell research, missile defense, Social Security, white-collar crime, abortion, energy, and other crucial issues
* Running a truth-defying, down-and-dirty campaign during the 2000 presidential contest and recount drama

The Lies of George W. Bush is not a partisan whine—it is instead a carefully constructed, fact-based account that clearly denotes how Bush has relied on deception—from the campaign trail to the Oval Office—to win political and policy battles. With wit and style, Corn explains how Bush has managed to get away with it and explores the dangerous consequences of such presidential deceit in a perilous age.

David Corn is the Washington editor of The Nation and a Fox News Channel contributor. He has written for the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Los Angeles Times, Harper’s, The New Republic, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, Slate, Salon, and many other publications. He has long been a political commentator on television and radio and has appeared on a number of political news shows, including The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes, Crossfire, Washington Week in Review, and Hardball, and is a regular on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show. He is the author of the novel Deep Background and the biography Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA’s Crusade.