Seven stars
I have once again decided to embark on a mission to read a number of books on subjects that will be of great importance to the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Election. This was a great success as I prepared for 2020, with an outcome at the polls (and antics by both candidates up to Inauguration Day) that only a fiction writer might have come up with at the time! Many of these will focus on actors and events intricately involved in the US political system over the last few years, in hopes that I can understand them better and, perhaps, educate others with the power to cast a ballot. I am, as always, open to serious recommendations from anyone who has a book I might like to include in the process.
With the events of July 21, 2024, when Joe Biden chose not to seek re-election, the challenge has become harder to properly reflect the Democratic side. I will do the best I can to properly prepare and offer up books that can explore the Biden Administration, as well as whomever takes the helm into November.
This is Book #13 in my 2024 US Election Preparation Challenge.
As I seek to get a well-rounded view of the political landscape, I accepted this book as a recommendation. Kash Patel presents this book to reveal the struggles to govern during the Trump Administration by a sinister entity known as the Deep State. What it ends up being is yet another means of complaining about the shortcomings of the Administration and an attempt to stir the pot. Less eager to provide solid examples than speaking of redacted documents, Patel whinges for chapters and tries to make this an anti-Democrat book while being patted on the head by former president Trump. Sycophantic and only somewhat intriguing in its delivery, Patel does what he was asked by Trump and little else. Here's a blurb from the Liar in Chief: "A brilliant roadmap highlighting every corrupt actor, to ultimately return our agencies and departments to work for the American People…" Pardon me as I insert an eye roll here.
As Kash Patel explains in the opening pages of this book, there is apparently "a sinister cabal of corrupt law enforcement personnel, intelligence agents, and military officials at the highest levels of government plotted to overthrow a president." While this would be a great dust jacket blurb for a piece of fiction, Patel would have the reader believe it is true. Alas, his fantastic ability to drum up a scary system that sits in the shadows of Washington only got worse the more I read. He feels as though this left-wing Deep State seeks to block effective government and governing, while pointing out ways to keep the country from moving forward. As Patel would have the reader believe, this was a system that could not be stopped, but the election of Donald Trump saved the day. The dramatic, vomit-inducing views only build on that.
The book seeks to make things out as though this Deep State was responsible for lies about Russia, tying the country to the events, while the country was on a good path. There were battles to neutralise Super Trump, which failed and only added gasoline to their fire. Patel explains how he had to work within the Trump Administration and fight to quell the swamp, better known as the Deep State. He tossed out a brief summary of his projects and successes working within the Administration, before wingeing that Trump lost in 2020 and he was out of a job. He denials of any insurrection by painting Trump as the peace seeking pushed this book over the edge for me.
If there is anything redeeming in the book, it is that Patel sought to offer some ideas to better government and the agencies in which he worked during the one term. These are well-paced and serve as interesting ideas, though he can expect that they would work both ways, against the left and right in equal measure. His attacks on the left diluted their effectiveness repeatedly, which is disappointing for any reader.
Patel sought to drum up support and stir the pot. He did that, but only served to make himself look the fool. The chapters are dripping with sycophantic views and leave the reader to roll their eyes as each page turn adds to the mess. He bemoans the need for redaction to finish his book, but explains that Trump had the power to declassify anything he wanted. So, why not declassify the documents needed to show everything Patel needed? It does not add up and Patel dodges this. The attentive reader will see that there are many other disconnects, proving that this was meant only to be a book to complain, creating a
fictional Deep State to create an enemy. The only evil in America was the recklessness of Trump and his leading an insurrection to cover his complaints about losing. While not a waste of time, perhaps useful as a coaster for a drink as I read something better written and less dramatic.
Kudos, Mr. Patel, for something highly entertaining that helped me get some stiffness out of my neck as I shook my head from side to side.
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