Synopses & Reviews
It was supposed to be quick and easy. The Bush Administration even promised that it wouldn't cost American taxpayers a thing Iraqi oil revenues would pay for it all. But billions and billions of dollars, and thousands of lives, later, the Iraqi reconstruction is an undeniable failure. Iraq pumps out less oil now than it did under Saddam. At best, Iraqis average all of twelve hours a day of electricity. American soldiers lack body armor and adequate protection for their motor vehicles.
Increasingly worse off, Iraqis turn against us. Increasingly worse off, our troops are killed by a strengthening insurgency.
As T. Christian Miller reveals in this searing and timely book, the Bush Administration has fatally undermined the war effort and our soldiers by handing out mountains of cash not to the best companies for the reconstruction effort, but to buddies, cronies, relatives and political hacks some of whom have simply taken the money and run with it.
Blistering, brilliant and shocking, this will be the breakout title when it comes to Iraq books, and the catalyst for national debate.
Review
"Readers interested in understanding the political and economic dynamics behind the faltering campaign in Iraq will appreciate this investigation." Booklist
Review
"Another epitaph for Mr. Bush's War, and a book sure to fascinate and anger its readers." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[Miller's] compelling account...describes naiveté, incompetence, corruption and venality on a scale so colossal as to make it impossible to blame the results on any single figure....Above all, it raises questions about the seriousness of those who formulate U.S. policy." Los Angeles Times
Review
"[T]he book gives the names of those who are guilty of immoral or illegal behavior, rarely uses anonymous sources, recognizes the efforts of those trying to help in Iraq while working honestly." Boston Globe
Synopsis
It was supposed to be quick, easy, and cheap: the Bush administration promised American taxpayers that Iraqi oil revenues would pay for it all. But thousands of lives and billions of dollars later, the Iraqi reconstruction is an undeniable failure, overrun by staggering corruption, waste, and incompetence. In BLOOD MONEY, "top-flight
investigative reporter" (Mother Jones) T. Christian Miller reveals how the Bush administration failed to keep its promises and allowed a nation to tumble into chaos. Widely hailed as one of the most important books about the quagmire, BLOOD MONEY is essential reading for anyone who cares about the fate of Iraq, and about America's place in the world.
About the Author
T. Christian Miller is an investigative reporter who writes for the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. In his ten years as a professional journalist, he has covered four wars and a presidential campaign, and has reported from more than two dozen countries; he was once kidnapped by leftist guerillas in Bogotá. Miller is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two young children.