• Hubris

  • The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War
  • By: Michael Isikoff, David Corn
  • Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
  • Length: 18 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (339 ratings)

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Hubris  By  cover art

Hubris

By: Michael Isikoff, David Corn
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Publisher's summary

What was really behind the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq? As George W. Bush steered the nation to war, who spoke the truth and who tried to hide it?

This fast-paced, behind-the-scenes narrative tells the inside story of how the Bush administration used bad intelligence to sell and then justify the Iraq war. Veteran reporters Michael Isikoff and David Corn take the reader behind the scenes at the White House, the CIA, the Pentagon, the State Department, and in Congress, where controversial decisions and turf battles were fought in and with the highest circles of the Bush administration.

Hubris connects the dots between George W. Bush's determination to get rid of Saddam Hussein, the role of neoconservatives in pushing the case for war, and the outing of a CIA officer, which led to the indictment of a top White House official. It's a news-making account of conspiracy, backstabbing, ineptitude, and, perhaps most especially, arrogance.

©2006 Michael Isikoff and David Corn (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

  • Audie Award Finalist, Judges' Award: Politics, 2007

"Many critics of the Iraq War have highlighted the ideological drive behind the invasion. Fewer have grappled with the more complex question of why it was impossible for skeptics, doubters, and more scrupulous analysts to stop it. Isikoff and Corn enable us to understand better how this devastating policy tragedy played out." (The Washington Post's Book World)

What listeners say about Hubris

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Hubris

If you want to learn the truth about Iraq and enjoy a book at the same time. Read this. It's excellent and gives the truth to what happened over there.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

GW's Hoax

As I read more about the Iraq War and how President Bush and his administration tried to sell the public that we needed to go to war, "Hubris" was a upsetting read. It is not because the book was poorly written, but it just made me upset how much false advertising there was at supporting this war.

The White House made us all gullible at supporting something that wasn't there in the first place. It just makes you wonder on how many other wars wasn't necessary to march to.

It is illegal to shout out fire in a crowded theater as a joke. George W. Bush pretty much hoaxed the entire world on the Iraq War.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Presentation

Having just listened to "Legacy Of Ashes", I was quite pleased to see that narrator Stefan Rudnicki had a part in this new work.

Starting from the reference point of the history of the CIA as described in "Legacy", this book is a fascinating look at how the work of the men and women of the CIA is handled at the top levels of government.

I must most strongly recommend that both of these books be studied together, as the problems of the intelligence-gathering process preface the events as depicted in this book.

The information as presented is vital to understand the events of the last ten years; whether one is liberal or conservative is or no consequence when it comes to enjoying this book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Essential reading on Iraq

The powerfully written account of the behind-the-scenes decision making leading up to and controlling the Iraq war is essential reading for anyone wishing to get a better understanding of the issues around Iraq.
The authors are incredibly comprehensive in the fact finding and explanation of the intelligence data provided to the key players within the White House and the decisions made with this information.
In addition, the narrator is as always, excellent.
I would highly recommend this book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not really fair to the narrator...

What made the experience of listening to Hubris the most enjoyable?

The narrator was really very good. He took what is a very touchy subject for many people and made it, not necessarily enjoyable, but at least possible to listen to.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The most compelling part was the fact that even though I lived through this, watched high school friends go to war (some of them not coming back) and followed the news with a fair amount of regularity, there was so much I did not know. There was so much of the story of intelligence errors, redundancy, and secrecy (even between allies) that we were able to go to war on facts the intelligence community KNEW was wrong. It is disheartening to hear from an ethical standpoint, this was the first war we were engaged in where we were not attacked first (Vietnam still technically being considered a conflict), and from the viewpoint of someone who has always respected the intelligence forces of our country.

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stefan Rudnicki was able to get me through the book. I had purchased it for my Kindle and was unable to even get into the third chapter because I would get so angry.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Better than most

This isn't bad for those who haven't read/heard "State of Denial" or that book written by Richard Clark, (and one or two others), but for those who have, this will read like an amalgamation of all the other 9/11 and Iraq books. Currently listening to Tenet's book, and so far, Tenet's writing is pedestrian at best, sloppy at worst.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Reads like a thriller

This book is very well written and very disturbing. I wish that both conservatives and liberals would read this. But I think that people mostly read things they agree with.

I was mostly, but not totally, against the war in Iraq, because at the time I didn't think Bush and his people were outright lying to us. So, one had to wonder.

But after reading this, I am madder than ever. It seems that Bush wasn't just lying to us, but that he seems to have believed his own lies. Which is even scarier.

This is a very disturbing, compelling, and well-researched book. And it holds your interest like a good work of fiction. It's a shame it's all true.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must read

Meticulously researched, this should be a "must read" for every American voter. It absolutely underlined the idea that power must be questioned and held accountable.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Still a Great Book

This book reminds why I thought GW Bush was the worst President in over 100 years, until Donald Trump of course. But beyond politics it’s an important book for all Americans to read to avoid letting our government get us into another self-inflicted tragedy.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting story - very average narration.

If you could sum up Hubris in three words, what would they be?

Can't! Great piece of history, well told.

What aspect of Stefan Rudnicki’s performance would you have changed?

The narrator's voice is too calm, has a great tone, but puts you to sleep.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I enjoyed the book despite the average narration.

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1 person found this helpful