House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties
Written by Craig Unger
Narrated by James Naughton
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Why did the Bush administration approve the secret airlift of 140 Saudis, including two dozen relatives of Osama bin Laden, just after September 11? Did one of the Saudi royals on the planes have any advance knowledge of the attacks?
What specifically chosen words did George W. Bush say on national television during the 2000 election campaign to trigger Muslim support? How did the Saudi-funded Islamic groups propel Bush to victory in Florida, thus winning him the presidency?
The answers to these questions lie in a largely hidden relationship between the House of Bush and the House of Saud that began in the mid-1970s. An amazing weave of money, power and influence, it takes place all over the globe and involves war, covert operations and huge deals in the oil and defense industries. But, most horrifying of all, the secret liason between the two families helped trigger the Age of Terror and give rise to the tragedy of 9/11.
Craig Unger
Craig Unger is the author of the New York Times bestselling House of Bush, House of Saud. He appears frequently as an analyst on CNN, the ABC Radio Network, and other broadcast outlets. The former deputy editor of The New York Observer and editor-in-chief of Boston Magazine, he has written about George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush for The New Yorker, Esquire, and Vanity Fair. He lives in New York City.
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Reviews for House of Bush, House of Saud
76 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5In one sense, I wanted to read it to find out what the connections were/are. In another, I struggled to read it because it felt very dry and segued off into areas that didn't really interest me.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A good book about the relationship between many high-ups in the Republican party and the royal family of Saudi Arabia and the Bin Laden family who own a large construction company. An unexpected star in the book is actually Bluegrass Airport. On 9/11 many rich Saudis, members of the royal family, Bin Laden's family, etc. were in Lexington, KY buying horses. While the rest of national airspace was closed, someone high up in the U.S. gov't authorized the evacuation of Saudis from around the country. They flew first to Lexington, then got on a big 747 and flew away, eventually to Saudi Arabia. Some of these folks would have been worth interrogating, particularly those related to Bin Laden, and others who had ties to the bombers.
The book is sad because it shows how we're so tied into Saudi Arabia that we'll never be able to fully fight terrorism (see my previous posts on this subject). - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book both frightens and angers me. It also has further inspired me to watch the current Bush and do everything in my power to make sure that no further Bushes or friends of Bush win the presidency. The family is power hungry, greedy, and dangerous.