New Iraq books paint dismal picture for Americans

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060811/us_nm/iraq_books_dc_1

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With titles like "Fiasco" and "The End of Iraq," the latest books on the Iraq war make depressing reading for Americans. Even an author who supports the Bush administration likens the war to "a shotgun wedding."

"Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq" by Thomas E. Ricks debuted at the top of The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list last week. It argues there was no post-invasion plan and documents serious errors in U.S. military strategy.

"It's not a book of my opinions," said Ricks, senior Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Post, noting his book is based on numerous on-the-record interviews with military officers and U.S. officials and thousands of documents.

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"It obviously can't be the last word because there's more to come" in the war, West, a former Marine, told Reuters. "What I like is he names names and he names sources."

Ricks said of reactions so far, "I doubt that (Secretary of Defense Donald) Rumsfeld's office is happy but military people have been very warm."