Before you right wingers start giving me a hard time about reading this book, keep in mind that this stealth commie has read Paul Wolfowitz and Newt Gingrich. And by the way, this book just debuted at the top of the NY Times Bestseller List, in the first week after it was released, so I am not the only one reading it. Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power is a fascinating study of the relative disenfranchisement of most American citizens from what the military is doing. The people who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts represent only 1% of the American population, and most of us do not even know someone who has done so, and it is more unlikely that we know someone who was injured there. First, there was the professionalization of the army with the abolition of the draft by Nixon, followed by the imperialization of the presidency which began under Reagan and continued since then, the privatization of many military functions which really took off under Clinton, and the President’s growing ability to pursue war without the approval of Congress. Our war machine has grown to unprecedented levels, and our defense budget now equals what the rest of the world is spending on defense. Maddow explores the ramifications of these changes throughout our society. I found it to be a compelling read, and anyone who is interested in the workings of our government and the erosion of the balance of power among the branches of government as envisioned by our founding fathers, ought to find this book and Maddow’s take on the issues to be intriguing. Drift gets my highest recommendation. An Amazon reviewer wrote, “Regardless of whether or not you like Rachel Maddow or agree with her politics, and I'm not generally much of a fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It should be required reading for anyone who cares about the U.S., our heritage, military policy, and future. You don't have to agree with her but you should at least consider what she has to say on the topic.”
Ok, I admit I don't like Rachel Maddow because on her show she is always so extreme (I don't appreiate that from either side.) Plus her sarcasic attitude projects how smart she thinks she is and how stupid you are. In my household she is known as Miss Smarty Pants. But I happen to hear her on an NPR interview about this book and she struck a cord. On nonpartisan issues (and this is one) she is very well versed, makes a lot of sense, and yes is smarter than I am. I probably still won't read her book but it makes me think the attitude is more about TV ratings than intolerance.
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