In December, New York Times reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau broke the news that the Bush administration had authorized a domestic spying program.
Risen's new book is State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. While it describes the National Security Agency's practices of monitoring communication in the United States, the book also delves into the deeper relationship between the president and the CIA -- particularly in terms of his aspirations in Iraq.
In his account, Risen describes President Bush as being bent on war in Iraq, not least because he sought to do the job better than the United States -- and his father -- had done in 1991.
From the controversial "Downing Street Memo" that described military action in Iraq as a foregone conclusion months before the war to power struggles among the CIA the Defense Department and other entities, State of War provides a detailed context for looking at American policies in Iraq.
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