Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq Paperback – January 1, 2004

Let me start by stating that I am no fan of the Bush family or the Republican party. But I will also state that I am no fan of the Democratic party or the Clinton family. This is the second book by Robert Parry that I have read; the first being the far superior book, Lost History. In Secrecy & Privilege Parry exposes the widely known currupt and power hungry nature of the Bush family but does not go all the way. He displays a fondness for the Democratic party and Bill Clinton in particular that borders on religious. Everything any Republican or the Republican party does is evil and intended to undermine the Democratic party. In contrast the angelic Democrats and Democratic party can do no wrong and are continuously victimized by the evil Republicans. Ironically Mr. Parry goes as far as covering up any and all connections between the Bush and Clinton family and even tries to dispute (without any evidence) the Mena connection. On top of the nauseating bias the book is somewhat dry in reading and at other times a chore to read. There are some good facts compiled in this book but they are intertwined with opinions and misleading information. Most of the information in this book is either widely known or readily available on the internet with no bombshells uncovered. In fact some bombshells are covered up to avoid exposing the false left-right paradigm that the narrative requires or any wrong doing by Clinton and the Democratic party. I would recommend this book to liberals who are looking to strengthen their arguments against the Bush family and Republican party or like to prop up their own party no matter what. I would also recommend it to any conservative who still believes that the Bush family is a role model for patriotic Americans.

The subtitle discloses the content of the 23 chapters in this book -- the "Rise of the Bush Dynasty FROM WATERGATE TO IRAQ." Though I lived through these important years, the events of the time were a big murky mystery to me. I have been stunned to learn from this book about the back channel relationships of our government that BEGAN, not with the Obama administration, but with the Reagan administration. I haven't finished the book yet, but I am looking forward to reading the chapters on Sun Myung Moon, and his clandestine influence on American foreign policy during the George H. W. Bush years.

This is a carefully researched book by an independent investigative journalist about how George H.W. Bush was involved in the Hostage crisis which ended with the election of a Republican president because of the deal the Republicans made with Iranians not to release the U.S. Hostages until after the presidential election. It also shows how George H.W. Bush was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal. Bush undeservedly had a clean image which helped in the election of his son, George W. Bush to the presidency of the United States. It is a very good real, interesting and painstakingly researched. I enjoyed the book very much. Gretel Munroe

I wanted to understand what went on at that time.people really need to see the real inside story. Highly recommend Robert Parry - all books

Met expectations.

Robert Parry is more than a chronicler of events in "Secrecy & Privilege"; he is a player as well, and in one of the most significant dramas of the post-World War Two era. It was Parry who uncovered significant evidence pertaining to the October Surprise incident. His efforts ultimately reached the nation's viewers with a heralded Public Broadcasting System documentary produced by his organization, Consortium News, which has emerged as one of the Internet's leading sources of information not generally available from mainstream media sources.Parry covers the emergence of the Bush dynasty from a different perspective than those previously traversed. Parry stresses the necessity of George H. W. Bush, the first of two Bushes to sit in the White House, in clearing away potential mine fields of disaster to his son and the Republican Party in general. Parry reveals how Bush the Elder's concerted efforts resulted in the dodging of a political bullet in the form of the October Surprise allegations that could have seriously undercut Republican influence in the future and cost them dearly at the polls.In addition to Bush the Elder's efforts, Republicans were bolstered by the fact that influential Democrats such as Congressman Lee Hamilton of Indiana agreed to scuttle the October Surprise investigation after earlier hearings had been held. Parry cites this result as comparable to the termination of efforts to learn more about the Watergate tragedy after Robert Strauss, the closest friend of Democrat-turned-Republican and Nixon Cabinet member John Connally. When Strauss became Chairman of the Democratic National Committee following Senator George McGovern's loss to Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election, he used his influence to ultimately tamp down the flames of Watergate, as did George H. W. Bush, who had been appointed Chairman of the Republican National Committee by Nixon.Crack researcher Parry covers the pivotal Iran-Contra period with insightful diligence. Once more Congressman Lee Hamilton was there to coalesce with Republicans to blunt the efforts to learn the basics of the Iran-Contra scandal. Bush insisted that he was "out of the loop" and uninvolved in the grimy details of the arms for hostages swap culminating in arms for the rebel Nicaraguan Contras. It was eventually learned that Bush was lying, but the truth did not come out until after he defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election.Much of this informative work provides vital information on how the CIA has become a major political tool in providing cover-ups for Republicans while destroying those who seek to uncover corruption. By the time the Republicans resorted to dirty tricks to secure victory for George W. Bush in 2000 after he had lost the presidential popular vote to Al Gore, cronies of the elder Bush, spearheaded by his former Secretary of State James Baker, were in place to perform duties.It was also interesting to observe how son emulated father in keeping a lid on information that could prove damaging to the administrations of Bush the Elder and Ronald Reagan. George W. Bush issued an executive order denying the National Archives from continuing its traditional function of placing information from past presidential administrations in the public domain.A central thesis of Parry's book is that these cover-up efforts by the CIA, which the elder Bush once headed, could not have been successful without the tacit cooperation of a national media that has become submissive to Republican authority. He demonstrates how tremendously one-sided the mainstream media was in the 2000 election in leveling repeated charges at Al Gore for failing to tell the truth, using statements taken out of context to achieve this purpose, while essentially looking the other way in the face of evidence of corruption and deception by George W. Bush and his running mate, Dick Cheney.

This book is a must read for every American. It is very informative and I do believe that Robert Parry did his research using every source possible. Everything is well written and factual, even though it is disturbing to know the truth about what is kept from the American people.I could not recommend it more highly and I congratulate Mr. Parry on writing this incredible book. I must find out what others he has written on similar topics. Thank you.