Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-303) and index.

In the sobering aftermath of America's invasion of Iraq, documentarian Jarecki launches a penetrating inquiry into how forces within the American political, economic, and military systems have come to undermine the carefully crafted structure of our republic--upsetting its balance of powers, vastly strengthening the hand of the president in taking the nation to war, and imperiling the workings of American democracy. Surveying a scorched landscape of America's military adventures and misadventures, Jarecki's account includes interviews with leading figures in the Bush administration, Congress, the military, academia, and the defense industry. Their insights expose the deepest roots of American war making. As Jarecki powerfully argues, only concerted action by the American people can, and must, compel the nation back on course.--From publisher description.

Introduction : Mission creep -- The tip of the spear -- The arsenal of democracy -- Fear in the night -- Big white men -- John Boyd, Donald Rumsfeld, and the meaning of transformation -- The missing "C" : an insider's guide to the complex -- Shock and awe at home -- Conclusion : If I ran the zoo.