Anyone read "Unfit for Command"?

[fencesitter]

I haven't, I won't. I was in our local bookstore last night, and all the political books are out on a rack, there are sooo many, from Coulter to Moore. I pulled up "Unfit for Command" on Amazon out of curiousity and read a few dozen glowing reader reviews (there were over 2000 posted). My point is, does anyone read these books outside of those who agree with their points? Why is everyone so excited about Kitty Kelly's new book? Who will it really sway? The right will dismiss it as drivel, the left will be outraged her points aren't front page news. My cynicism is getting worse as we get closer to November, sorry.

[Vickers]

1. There's gonna be a lot of folks who buy "gossipy" (sic) books anyway

and I feel that it WILL sway some of them.

Hey, as long as it keeps Georgie's stupidity in the news shows, on the front page, and in areas where it normally isn't seen (talk shows, morning shows), it's a good thing.

GO KITTY KELLY!

[underpants]

2. I won't read either

The "Unfit.." book has been so thouroughly discredited that it isn't worth the time to read it. THe Kelley book..no I won't read that either-I will see enough of it on the internet and here at DU to get the gist of it.

[Frodo]

3. Nope.

Because it doesn't matter to me whether someone lied in his twenties in a war he didn't support. It would have bearing to me on his qualifications to be president, but it wouldn't outweign party differences. So I might pick another Democrat in a Primary (and did), but not Bush. Even if every allegation reported so far is true (and I suspect many of them are).

And no, Nader is not an option.

[Skittles]

4. no, because it is unfit to read

it's been thoroughly discredited

[wurzel]

5. No. If I wanted to read fiction I'd read "My Pet Goat".

Kelly's book is about SEX. They will all read it cover to cover. Believing it is something else.

[Fleshdancer]

6. I didn't have to...I just watched the network news channels

I would be very surprised if there was anything in that book that wasn't talked about already.

[wtmusic]

7. What's to agree with?

Lies?

[sofa king]

8. Is it true that it has fake footnotes and no page numbers?

Read that on some blog site and took it as a sarcastic statement, but then I thought about Zell Miller's speech being based on an Internet chain mail and I said, "yeah, these guys might really be that stupid."

[sofa king]

13. Nope, there's endnotes and page numbers.

A quick run-through at the book store indicates that about a quarter of all the notes cite e-mail correspondence between the authors and individuals. I'm tempted to ask the authors if I can see them, just to hear 'em say "no."

Perhaps one out of ten notes are citations to Douglas Brinkley's Tour of Duty. There's a wisp of humor in that because Brinkley is a genuine historian who was given unrestricted access to all of John Kerry's private materials on the war. I trust statements backed up with a citation to Brinkley's book, but then again if I really wanted to know every detail of Kerry's service I'd go read Brinkley's book instead of the smear job.

[demnan]

9. Hey I'm going to read it

and I'll provide a book report. I need something light and entertaining to read, I moved this summer so I really missed the entire summer reading season.

[LTR]

10. I'll throw in some 'Devil's advocate' stuff in here

A thought that crossed my mind as I ran across this thread.

Likely, freepers reading this thread will come back with "Well, what about us criticizing Michael Moore?" You lashed out at us for bashing him without seeing the movie!

Well, the SwiftNuts thing was beyond their book. The book was a mere afterthought. Much of the SwiftNuts activity revolved around their TV ads and their pushing of this through the media. Most of the media attention has been due to the TV ads. Michael Moore's main schtick is not TV ads.

Michael Moore is a filmmaker, and to criticize the movie withough seeing it is ridiculous. Don't believe me? Ask David Drier or John McCain. Much of the attacks on Moore have been about 'lies in the movie', pushed by people who had not seen it. I have yet to see a SBVT critic attack what's in their book. Only their methods and GOP connections. If a person appears in a political ad claiming something that is false, that person deserves to be called on it, provided the critic had actually seen the commercial.

The SwiftNuts pushed their agenda not solely through their book, but through their actions and attack methods as a 527 group. The book was just another media stream. I think this makes them fair game, even for people who haven't read the book. Therefore, comparing SBVT critics to MM critics is a comparison of apples and oranges.

[Township75]

11. I wouldn't call you cynical...

I havent read the SBVs' book nor will I read the KK book. Let's face it people, most of us are partisens and we want to hear our own views in the media and the news. That is why Moore is God and Limbaugh is the devil at DU and vice versa at Free Republic.

Personally, I think political reporting and analysis has gone straight down hill for the short time I have been following it. This field draws in people interested in politics and as a result, the field only consists of partisians. Because of this, I tend to look at all the books, movies, mags and such with a great deal of skepticism, and consider most of it garbage.

People are going to believe what they want to believe. As a result, when there is a conflict or scandel, and conflicting reports and facts are reported all over the media, your political bias picks which ones you will choose to believe and support. So I likely agree with you in that the new KK book will sway no one, much like a new Hannity book wouldn't sway anyone.

[Mizmoon]

12. no, but I'll read Kelly's book

I love to read trash. My life is full of complicated documents, deadlines, and pressure. When I read recreationally, I like sci fi, gossip, and other assorted trashy crap ... cracker jacks for the brain.

[gospelized]

14. i read unfit for command

but when i read it the title was "The 9/11 Commission Report"

[K-W]

15. Kitty Kelly books are tabloid they have a wide appeal, very differenent.

We really shouldnt be comparing the two they are utterly different things.