Lendle

"Read this book. Twice." -- BILL MOYERS“Worthy of shelving alongside the best of the Iraq books.”-- KIRKUS REVIEWSWith a new Introduction and lengthy Afterword, updated to March 26, 2013. Preface by Bruce Springsteen. In early 2003, Greg Mitchell was one of the few mainstream journalists to seriously question the stated reasons for invading Iraq. In the years since, he has repeatedly challenged the media to probe its conduct and misconduct in covering the war.Now, he traces the conflict -- from the "run-up" to the "surge" and beyond -- and the many media, and political failures, in this updated edition. In a new Introduction and Afterword he traces the debate and the tragedies right up to the end of March 2013 and controversies surrounding the 10th anniversary of the start of the war. The author outlines the many lessons for today, amid new concerns about the current "drone war" and the alleged Iranian nuclear.threat. Greg Mitchell served as the editor of the influential magazine Editor & Publisher from 2001 to 2009, and now writes daily for The Nation. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including "The Campaign of the Century," winner of the Goldsmith Book Prize. As the Iraq war spun out of control, Mitchell was repeatedly ahead of the curve in intensely scrutinizing both the president and the press--and the controversies swirling around Judith Miller, Donald Rumsfeld, Pat Tillman, Valerie Plame, Bradley Manning, and numerous other figures.His book is a unique history of the entire war. From writing early warnings that anticipated a long and bloody war, to analyzing Stephen Colbert's in-his-face mockery of George W. Bush, Greg Mitchell explores how we got into the war in Iraq--and why it took so long for us to get out. Against this backdrop, Mitchell is the rare journalist who has seen it all with clear eyes. In the new edition of "So Wrong for So Long, " he tells the whole story for the first time.“Greg Mitchell has given us a razor-sharp critique of how the media and the government connived in one of the great blunders of American foreign policy. Every aspiring journalist, every veteran, every pundit—and every citizen who cares about the difference between illusion and reality, propaganda and the truth, and looked to the press to help keep them separate—should read this book. Twice.”—BILL MOYERS“The profound failure of the American press with regard to the Iraq War may very well be the most significant political story of this generation. Greg Mitchell has established himself as one of our country's most perceptive media critics, and here he provides invaluable insight into how massive journalistic failures enabled the greatest strategic disaster in the nation's history.”—GLENN GREENWALD, author of "How Would a Patriot Act?""Excellent book!" -- BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN"Greg Mitchell makes it clear that Iraq is a case study in bad judgment, from the misguided moves of an administration blinded by its zealotry to a complacent media that too often acted as an extension of the White House press office. Read it and weep; read it and get enraged; read it and make sure it doesn't happen again."—ARIANNA HUFFINGTON "Anyone who cares about the integrity of the American media should read this book. Greg Mitchell asks tough questions about the Iraq war that should have been asked long ago, in a poignant, patriotic, and thoughtful dissection of our war in Iraq. Mitchell names names and places blame on those who’ve blundered. Examining the most complex issue of our time, he connects the dots like no one else has."—PAUL RIECKHOFF, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America