Robert Parry - A real-life who-done-it, Neck Deep unravels what may become one of history's great mysteries: Who killed the American Republic?

How did plutocrat George W. Bush come to lead the United States at the start of the 21st century - and how did he get away with using the 9/11 tragedy to overwhelm the constitutional safeguards that had protected the nation's liberties for more than two centuries?


Neck Deep's remarkable narrative goes on to reveal how the American Republic, even at that moment, was undergoing decay that would accelerate dangerously after the 9/11 attacks.

Neck Deep shows how this crime was committed and then lines up the suspects - aggressive Republicans, accommodating Democrats, abrasive pundits, careerist journalists - for an assessment of collective guilt.

Tracking the investigative work of the Web site Consortiumnews.com, Neck Deep also reveals that the mystery's secrets often were in plain view in real time. Much of the damage could have been avoided, the book shows, except that the Washington establishment itself was implicated.

An extraordinary contribution to the history of the Bush era - and a must-read for Americans who are fighting to save the Republic - Neck Deep is written by three of the Consortiumnews.com's editors: Robert Parry (who broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s) and two of his sons, Sam and Nat Parry.

The book opens with a first-person account of the cold, rainy, dreary winter day - January 20, 2001 - when George W. Bush was sworn in as President of the United States.

Neck Deep's remarkable narrative goes on to reveal how the American Republic, even at that moment, was undergoing decay that would accelerate dangerously after the 9/11 attacks.

The Bush administration soon was hollowing out many of America's most treasured principles, including the nation's founding belief in the "unalienable rights" of all mankind.

But Neck Deep does more than critique Bush's presidency. The book explains how - across the board - the Washington political/media elite failed the country.

The book also strips away the public myths surrounding leaders - from Colin Powell to John Kerry - and reintroduces them as real people with strengths and weaknesses.

Neck Deep weaves in, too, historical perspective that gives context to the extraordinary events in the six years since Bush became President, including revelations about his father's secret dealings in the Middle East.

As work on Neck Deep came to a close in June 2007, the authors observed:

The United States was still at a dangerous crossroads - or perhaps a better image would be that the nation was at a stoplight that permits U-turns. Ahead lay the route that the country had followed for almost six years since 9/11. It was a road toward a future in which a frightened people would rely on a powerful Executive who promised them safety in exchange for their liberties.

It was unclear whether the American people would make the U-turn away from fear and authoritarianism and back toward a Republic with 'unalienable rights' restored for 'posterity,' as the Founders intended. Yet, even as Americans wondered whether to go forward or turn back, many remained confused over how they had gotten to that place on that dark road.

Neck Deep is the first comprehensive historical work to track the twists and turns of that troubling journey.

Neck Deep
Consortium News
To place your order today, please click here.