House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties

by Craig Unger

Book Overview

Newsbreaking and controversial -- an award-winning investigative journalist uncovers the thirty-year relationship between the Bush family and the House of Saud and explains its impact on American... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074325337X
• ISBN13: 9780743253376
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The Author Replies

As the author of House of Bush, House of Saud, I am not sure if it is appropriate to respond here, but I did not want erroneous right wing criticism of my book to stand without a rebuttal. "Seeker of Truth" claims my figure of $860 billion invested by the Saudis in the US is "a factoid" which I invented. The source was Allan Gerson, an attorney representing the families of 9/11 victims. (...) Likewise, Seeker of Truth takes issue with the fact that I found more than $1.4 billion in investments and contracts going from the Saudis to companies with ties to the Bushes. He writes, "The main problem with this figure, according to Carlyle spokesman Chris Ullman, is that former president Bush didn't join the Carlyle advisory board until April, 1998-five months after Carlyle had already sold BDM to another defense firm." My critic uncritically accepts the explanation of Carlyle's publicist, leaving the reader with the impression that the Bush family and its allies had little or no relationship with the Carlyle Group until 1998. If that were true, he might have a point. But in fact, the Bush-Carlyle relationship began eight years earlier when the Carlyle Group put George W. Bush on the board of one of its subsidiaries, Caterair, in 1990. In 1993, after the Bush-Quayle administration left office and George H. W. Bush and James Baker were free to join the private sector, the Bush family's relationship with the Carlyle Group began to become substantive. By the end of that year, key figures at the Carlyle Group included such powerful Bush colleagues as James Baker, Frank Carlucci, and Richard Darman. Because George W. Bush's role at Carlyle had been marginal, the $1.4 billion figure includes no contracts that predated the arrival of Baker, Carlucci and Darman at Carlyle. (These figures are itemized in the appendix of House of Bush.) With former Secretary of Defense Carlucci guiding the acquisition of defense companies, Carlyle finally began making real money from the Saudis, both through investments from the royal family, the bin Ladens and other members of the Saudi elite, and through lucrative defense investments. Craig Unger

Best Non-Fiction Since "All the President's Men"

What a remarkable job Craig Unger does of pulling together disparate threads into what becomes the easily identifiable quilt that is the Bush-Saud relationship. I cannot think of a more important work of non-fiction written over the past thirty years.In part because of the conservative criticism they drew, my last three reads were Plan of Attack (Woodward), Against All Enemies (Clarke), and The Price of Loyalty (Suskind). I'd heard of House of Bush, but it didn't seem to be drawing much ire from the right. Now I see why: It's footnoted and chapter-noted to the extreme; its facts beyond reproach. There are simply precious few (if any) chinks in Unger's armor for the right to attack. I've yet to see any serious criticisms of Unger's work. (You can bet the book's been picked apart, yet I've not seen anyone publicizing factual inaccuracies. There's simply no spin to use against Unger's masterful marshalling of the facts.)This book -- and Michael Moore's movie -- should be made available free of charge to Republicans and Independents in battleground states. You can't read the one or see the other without being profoundly bothered (though I'll concede that Moore can be a tad over-the-top).In years to come, this book should be required reading in history classes worldwide. My thanks to Craig Unger for setting the record straight.

Why are Righties so up in arms over this book???

Because it looks at a KNOWN FACT and breaks it down for the average American. For the record, I am a Republican. In the eyes of some who gave this book 1 star, I might be termed a RINO. I voted for Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. I did NOT, however, vote for George Dubya Bush. Why? I don't like idiots. I don't like people who pander. I didn't like Bill Clinton for the same reasons. Why is it when the facts, which are clearly laid out brilliantly in this book, are always assailed by the FAR RIGHT WACKOS in my party? They complain about the PUBLIC SCHOOLS turning out idiots, but I wonder if people in my own party can even criticize it anymore?!?!?My liberal friends can criticize their party and I respect that. I never hear the Rush's and Hannity's EVER say one damaging word about our president of some of the Congress' most destructive members (Tom DeLay anyone?!?!?).READ THIS BOOK. IT OPENS SOME EYES. I, FOR ONE, CAN LIVE WITH JOHN KERRY AS PRESIDENT. SINCE MCCAIN WON'T RUN, MAYBE WE CAN SEE IN 2008.Real Republicans, like John McCain, Ronald Reagan and myself do not like the TRUE RINOs the ones who ignorantly poo poo any ideas or theories just because they don't fit into their rigidly small vision of the world. This partisan bull needs to stop now or books like this won't matter, our republic will have fallen and who knows what will happen.Read this book!

A page-turner and unfortunately a true story

This well-researched, well-written and intriguing book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Even details that in other books would come across as dry and indecipherable are presented in a way that makes you want to devour every word faster than you can you read. The facts are here... conjecture is rarely used, and when it is, it is qualified as such. We've heard bits and pieces of this story before, but it's great to have it researched in depth, and all in one place. The author clearly put a lot of work into this book, and the result is stunning.The thing that immediately comes to mind is that Richard Clarke's story is told pretty much exactly as it appears in his own book (which came out after this one). I suppose the partisan accusers will now have to start saying that Clarke's motivation in telling the truth here was to help Unger sell books...

Blows your mind

The author, using solid and extensive references, demonstrates year by year and step by step the evolution of the relationship between the Bush family and their associates with the House of Saud, and by extension, the house of bin Laden. The weight of the evidence that such an association exists is the sheer number of shared business endeavors, business associates (who are later appointed government officials) and mutual interests - too much for it to be coincidence. The consummation of this association is the outright courting (and winning) by the Bush campaign of the radical Muslim vote in Florida in 2000 and the subsequent loosening of immigration requirements for Saudi Arabians. The last chapter (I will not give it away) will sweep the reader into a dimension where the game of playing both sides by the rich and powerful (both Bush and Saud) comes suddenly crashing down in a deadly tragedy for thousands of Americans. Now we can see why Richard Clarke maintains the Bush administration did little pre-9/11 to pursue Al Qaida - what he doesn't say (but this book documents) is that Al Qaida is the stepchild of Saudi Arabian royalty, and that it is Saudi Arabian royalty that has helped propel the Bush family into power. A chilling read that explains so many questions we have. Read it, share it.