The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff
by Martin & Lawrence Press

	The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff
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Book Description

Gary Chafetz is a liberal Boston journalist who set out to chronicle the scandal involving conservative gun-for-hire and super-lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Instead he uncovered a Shakespearean tragedy of deceit, betrayal and political vendetta in which the true villains are Presidential aspirant John McCain, the Washington Post newspaper and the U.S. Department of Justice--all of whom participated in the railroading of an innocent man. Chafetz benefited from exclusive and unconditional access to the jailed Abramoff and to many never-before-released documents. The blizzard of stories originating from the Washington political machine painted Abramoff as an implausibly greedy lobbyist who cheated Indian tribes, bribed politicians and corrupted the political process--a fascinating tale but, ultimately, untrue. The true story, as Chafetz recounts in The Perfect Villain, is even more riveting and compelling.

Reader Reviews

This book seems to be well researched and makes the point that selective, one-sided, political arguments--political propaganda actually--are the norm in Congress, the Executive Branch and the Justice Department. I think we thoughtful voters realize all that and find it despicable, but what can we do about it? More about this later.**

As you read the book, you realize how much lobbyists run the country and the majority of our politicians. Greed often seems to be the lobbyists' and the politicians' bottom line. I don't come away feeling sorry for Abramoff, though I do worry about how much lobbyists can greatly influence the direction of the country.

The discussion in the book does make me wonder how much we really need to know about McCain's POW days, though I don't agree with those who argue that if he became president in Jan. 2009, he could eventually, possibly, be blackmailed by those who know the whole truth about his so-called collaboration with the N. Vietnamese while he was their prisoner. Of course, the KGB archives could have additional negative info about McCain's days as a POW and could TRY to blackmail him, but at this stage in his life that might be a futile gesture on the part of the KGB. We would know their motivation and perhaps wonder how we ourselves would have withstood inhumane treatment.

**Our beloved country is a mess. I'm discouraged, and I sometimes wonder why anyone bothers to run for office any more. Campaigning is a dreadful system AND BORING for viewers. But as a registered independent, I would argue that we need to register and vote our concerns but first by (1) studying the issues and the politicians, (2) canceling out the many lies spewed out by the candidates and their staff members--who apparently think we voters are stupid--and (3) by daring to speak the truth ourselves since much of the MSM doesn't, as you note from daily readings and Mr. Chafetz' book.

I gave the book only three stars because of the appalling lack of editing throughout. I often had to read sentences three or four times to figure out which words were missing or incorrect, and there were a lot of those! Publishers used to hire proof readers to do such editing, but I guess those individuals are a dying breed who cost the publishers too much money? There's that bottom line again. Still, I think the book is worth reading and do recommend it.