Hubris

The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War

By: Michael Isikoff, David Corn

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

What was really behind the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq? As George W. Bush steered the nation to war, who spoke the truth and who tried to hide it?

This fast-paced, behind-the-scenes narrative tells the inside story of how the Bush administration used bad intelligence to sell and then justify the Iraq war. Veteran reporters Michael Isikoff and David Corn take the reader behind the scenes at the White House, the CIA, the Pentagon, the State Department, and in Congress, where controversial decisions and turf battles were fought in and with the highest circles of the Bush administration.

Hubris connects the dots between George W. Bush's determination to get rid of Saddam Hussein, the role of neoconservatives in pushing the case for war, and the outing of a CIA officer, which led to the indictment of a top White House official. It's a news-making account of conspiracy, backstabbing, ineptitude, and, perhaps most especially, arrogance.

©2006 Michael Isikoff and David Corn (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Judges' Award: Politics, 2007

"Many critics of the Iraq War have highlighted the ideological drive behind the invasion. Fewer have grappled with the more complex question of why it was impossible for skeptics, doubters, and more scrupulous analysts to stop it. Isikoff and Corn enable us to understand better how this devastating policy tragedy played out." (The Washington Post's Book World)

I enjoyed it

Would you consider the audio edition of Hubris to be better than the print version?

I am a fan of audio books.

What other book might you compare Hubris to and why?

Drift

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought out my imagination.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The entire affair seemed to be a giant tangled web of lies, covering up what was going on, and revenge.

Any additional comments?

None.

Reads like a thriller

This book is very well written and very disturbing. I wish that both conservatives and liberals would read this. But I think that people mostly read things they agree with.

I was mostly, but not totally, against the war in Iraq, because at the time I didn't think Bush and his people were outright lying to us. So, one had to wonder.

But after reading this, I am madder than ever. It seems that Bush wasn't just lying to us, but that he seems to have believed his own lies. Which is even scarier.

This is a very disturbing, compelling, and well-researched book. And it holds your interest like a good work of fiction. It's a shame it's all true.

A must read

Meticulously researched, this should be a "must read" for every American voter. It absolutely underlined the idea that power must be questioned and held accountable.

A captivating and thorough analysis of the Bush administration’s selling of the Iraq war

Thorough but not dry at all. This is the best book I’ve read on this topic to date. No stone left unturned. Offered insightful analysis without letting anyone off the hook. Every minute was interesting and infuriating.

Still a Great Book

This book reminds why I thought GW Bush was the worst President in over 100 years, until Donald Trump of course. But beyond politics it’s an important book for all Americans to read to avoid letting our government get us into another self-inflicted tragedy.