1. Anonymous says:

    Congrats, EW, and in particular for getting it all down to 150 pages, for as we all know (or should know), it is easier to write too much rather than too little in a matter that is as factually complex as this one.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Paul

    It’s only slightly longer than my Anatomy series–though there’s a lot more profile.

    Luckily, I had a good editor.

  3. J. Thomason says:

    Fitz!! as they say. I know that this year wasn’t as hot with the suspense of the fall of 2005 when it appeared the hit of the Fitzgerald investigation would reach much further. But you were on this story early and I have enjoyed your acumen in unravelling the cynical use of the media by the current administration that was made clear by the outing of the classified status of Valerie Plame. Thank you for your commitment to this story.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I added a little bitty pic link in the Links to B&N, so after this particular post fades, the book can easily be found.

    I’m looking forward to a book club once it’s available. We write about it, and emptywheel shows up to comment.

  5. knut wicksell says:

    Congrats. It’s a lot of work to get a book into print (not to mention refereed articles). I can’t wait to order yours. The Plame business is like a Chinese puzzle. Your guide coming out just as Fitz opens the case is perfect (intended) timing. A reader’s guide to the Plame Case. Thanks for the work.

  6. Paula says:

    Congratulations, Marcy. I can’t wait to buy several copies to read and to share. Thanks for the excellent work.

  7. pdaly says:

    Congrats emptywheel,

    In a previous post I corrected myself and noted that the subtitle of your new book is â€16 words.†Nicely subliminal!

    I went back to the Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble sites to figure out how I had earlier miscounted the number in the subtitle as 15 words. Then it hit me: you changed the subtitle slightly.

    I like the revision even better: â€out a spy†(previously â€smear a criticâ€)

    previously: Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the War and Smear a Critic
    finally: Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy

    Is this correct?

  8. Anonymous says:

    pdaly

    You know, I don’t really know. I think so–there were some changes there at the end. I was secrety rooting for the Anatomy of Deceit to remain. I kind of blindly accepted the other changes. So the 16 words is just serendipity. A good sign, anyway.

  9. SaltinWound says:

    Congratulations! I think it’s been a year and a half since I’ve been reading all your Plame posts (since Judy Miller was forcibly called back to testify after the discovery of the notebook). I’m looking forward to seeing it all condensed into a single volume and giving it as a gift, of course.

  10. Jeff says:

    Completely awesome. I’ll be buying copies for all my relatives.

    And it was so nice of Libby’s defense to agree to boost book sales by declaring that they were going to call Cheney as a witness after Fitzgerald demurred, thereby guaranteeing that the trial gets way more media and national attention than it would otherwise. So nice of them.

  11. pdaly says:

    Yes, I agree.

    I think we are all hoping you were kidding earlier when you suggested you would seriously consider a coffee gathering to attending Libby’s trial. Civilians during the Civil War reportedly drove out to battle fields to have picnics while watching the progress of the war. The least you could do is encourage a coffee clatch to relocate to the courthouse lobby!

  12. Anonymous says:

    pdaly

    It’s with a rather important politician. If I can do both, it’s the thing to do. Otherwise, I’ll be in Bull Run where I should be (or was it Antietam?).

    And yes, I’m grateful to Dick for turning this into a real media event. About the only thing I have to be grateful to him for…

  13. pdaly says:

    â€Otherwise, I’ll be in Bull Run where I should beâ€

    Hooray!

    â€(or was it Antietam?)â€

    You know too many things. I’ll have to brush up on the Civil War later.

  14. TheOtherWA says:

    Woo hoo! I preordered my copy! Congratulations, Marcy. And thank you for doing all the hard work so we can follow the many games being played.

  15. Leslie in CA says:

    Congrats, Marcy! I love The Anatomy of Deceit; perfect title. I wish you many new, non-bloggy readers – for your sake and the country’s.

  16. Leslie in CA says:

    As of 9:42 PST, the cover image is still not up at either B&N or Amazon, and they are both still using the old title, with â€Smear a Critic.†Maybe by tomorrow? â€Out a Spy†is much better, btw – glad they made that change.

  17. vwcat says:

    I just pre ordered it. It looks really really good. I can’t wait.
    It better be as good as it looks to be or I’ll be here whining.

  18. Jodi says:

    Emptywheel,

    congratulations on your book.

    We like to compliment people sometimes by saying something like:

    â€they’re a beast for the work.â€

    That phrase certainly applies to you.

    What a monstrous amount of twisted, half submerged/buried data is out there!

    We might argue all day on what it all means, but there is no doubt that putting it all together in cogent form is a tremendous task.

    Again, congratulations for a great effort.

    And you now have a â€major media presence.†Looking forward to seeing you on Charlie Rose.

  19. John Casper says:

    CONGRATULATIONS emptywheel!
    I hope this is the first of many books you author which enrich our nation and your 401(k).

  20. Susan S says:

    Congratulations, Marcy!

    Any plans for a Plame panel redux at YearlyKos? Will you be doing a book signing?

  21. Anonymous says:

    congratulations, emptywheel!

    hope you will be doing a bit of a book tour? would be great to get my copies signed….

  22. Bay State Librul says:

    Marcy,
    Great job and love the title. Timing is ripe.
    Will you be live blogging at Libby’s hanging?

    Jack

  23. katie Jensen says:

    Amazing. I feel so priviledged to have been able to â€see†some parts of the process. And I am so grateful for this site. Remembering back to my daily google search every morning: â€impeach bushâ€, or â€bush impeachmentâ€, â€cia leakâ€. Everyday I look for something, anything on the topic because back then it was my only proof or validation for what I believed was a very evil regime.

    On those days, this blog, and a couple others were the only ones writing any news about the issue. Your command of the facts, and the law, made my daily readings a special treat. I feel that without these blogs, my mind might have gone numb watching this administration screw america!! Thank you for the serenity that your blogs brought me, and for that fact that today I may live to see this president finally held accountable. It may only be in a historical sense, but the facts are â€out there†and it is only a matter of time before the story comes together in a cohesive idea about this administration and the republican party.

    Thank you for your tireless effort in helping america to recognize how it has been deformed by this administration.

  24. William Ockham says:

    Marcy,

    Let me add my heart-felt congratulations to all the others. I certainly hope this book will bring your work to a wider audience. Shall we start the lobbying effort to get you on â€The Daily Show†and â€The Colbert Reportâ€?

    At time when we’re saddled with a government that seems determined to prove that Orwell suffered from a paucity of imagination, your work reminds that not only is the truth out there, it will set us free.

    Sincerely (and, for once, under my real name)

    John Cavnar-Johnson

  25. verplanck colvin says:

    EW,

    Congratulations! I can’t wait to get my hands on it. To be honest, I have got lost in the thicker weeds that you go into sometimes. Will the book give me the background to follow you as the trial goes forward?

    In any event, I will be heavily plugging it to all my acquaintances that are interested in this case…

  26. Anonymous says:

    EW, this is superb news! Congratulations! My power was out all day yesterday and last night and so me and my flashlight read US v Bush by Elizabeth de la Vega (from TomDispatch.com). A terrific piece to dovetail with yours – I can hardly wait for January. Will you do a book tour?

  27. Sly says:

    I looked at Peacecorps2 over at yahoo groups. Maybe you should see if they are interested? Weren’t you a Peace Corps trainer or is that the other blog?

  28. Slp says:

    Scholarly articles for anatomy of deceit wheeler

    The evolution of deception – Bond – Cited by 11
    Neocortex size predicts deception rate in primates – Byrne – Cited by 17
    Controversies in Psychotherapy and Counselling – Feltham – Cited by 9

    Too funny google search! Anatomy of a deceit wheeler?

    I’ll be ordering, but there are concerns that it’s too lawyer like, but, then again, that’s not my thinking.

  29. Slp says:

    One more search there!

    Lawyer connected to Plame Case falls to death at hotel19 minutes ago
    Lawyer who asked Scott McClellan whether the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame’s
    name might be considered an act of treason plunges to his death in apparent ’suicide’
    Lawyer falls to death at hotelSe…

  30. pow wow says:

    The overall effect of the book’s cover is very compelling, I think:

    The title forces the browser in the bookstore/on-line to read the very to-the-point subtitle, and I think the title itself captures the essence of the whole affair much better than â€16 Words†would have. It ends up being a somewhat understated, yet intriguing, cover, for what I’m sure will be a fascinating read.

    Well done, and congratulations, Published Author emptywheel.

  31. Anonymous says:

    Thanks pow wow–I’m quite happy with the cover. Every other book that tangentiall touches this issue simply has pictures of BushCo on the front of the book. I think this conveys the sense of the book much better than a bunch of mug shots.

    And the copy of the op-ed? Look closely … it’s Dick’s copy.

  32. looseheadprop says:

    Congratulations, and well done!

    How do I get an autographed copy?

    Will B&N have it in their bricks and morter stores, or is it only for sale on line?

    If I can get my copy beforehand I intend to use it for my airplane reading on the trip down to the trial.

    A total immersion Fitzmas!

  33. Anonymous says:

    LHP

    If all goes according to plan, they’ll ship from the printers to the distributors on January 12. So you’re probably not going to get it before your plane ride. I have no idea how long Amazon and B&N take to process these things. And brick and mortar shops? Probably later that week, I guess.

    What say I give you a copy as we pop the first batch of popcorn in DC?

  34. irene says:

    more congratulations for you, ew! you must be feeling great to have this about to be released. i’m really looking forward to reading it. and it’s a really beautiful cover. the first thing you see is ’deceit.’ just perfect. it’s the first thing some of us saw a long time ago.

  35. looseheadprop says:

    I hope to see you in DC. Since I won’t know till the last minute what day they will open (unless Walton sets a date certain) it could be the 18th or the 22nd (unless jury selection gets really fubar and runs long. In which case, who knows?)so, I hope I won’t have trouble booking my flight at the last minute.

    The 18th is tight for me in terms of sneaking away from my desk, so I am praying for the 22nd. It’s after a weekend and the orators will be better rested then. It’ll make for higher quality openings.

    You know it’s a damn shame they don’t allow popcorn in the courtrooms! It would add so much to the experience. I used to hide all manner of water bottles and diet coke under counsel table when I was on trial and every time the judge left the court room slug a little refreshment. A spectator caught doing that would probaly be ejected by the marhslls though.

  36. Anonymous says:

    Good on ye, EW!

    I have been a fan of your work on this site for a while and I hope your book is more of the same.

    Cheers, DR

  37. KevinNYC says:

    Marcy,

    Congrats! Is there a book tour? If you are hitting NYC or Brooklyn and need a tour guide let me know. Are you practicing your media training? I could see you being an in-demand chat show guest when the Libby trials heats up.

  38. KevinNYC says:

    This series and eriposte’s series on uranium and alumminum tubes are the two best journalistic series in the blogosphere.

    Anyone else have a candidate? It has to be something where the blogger advanced the knowledge of the story.

  39. readerOfTeaLeaves says:

    EW, looking very much forward to your book.

    Publisher –> Distributors (Ingram, Baker & Taylor, etc.) –> Bookshops –> Readers.
    Depending on weather and driving conditions, electronic ordering infrastructure, inventory processing, and shelving, the timelines vary from weeks to months. I have every confidence that booksellers will do their utmost to get â€Anatomy of Deceit†into our eager hands before the trial begins.

    The amount of work required to get a book written, edited, reserve press times, get the artwork, get it catalogued, box it up, get it to the distributors, get it through the order and inventory process, get it on trucks to the shops, do some marketing… etc, etc, etc requires tremendous coordination and effort. The fact that your book is actually being published and headed for bookstores borders on the miraculous.

    Hearty congratulations to you, and also a hat tip to all the truck drivers, FedEx pilots, packaging plants, printing press operators, typesetting operators, marketing minds, accountants, font designers, paper industry chemists, bookshop owners, and sales clerks… it’s really phenomenal what goes into a book.

    I hope yours has a very, very, v-e-r-y ’Long Tail.’
    (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html)

  40. hauksdottir says:

    VERRRRRY nice cover design and verbiage! The noir look is fitting, given the elements of suspicion and betrayal. The book shows well, and ought to leap into buyers’ hands. No matter how good the product, the packaging must get it off the shelf.

    Many congratulations for months and months of wrestling hydras in the swamp and tieing their heads together for examination… we can hope that they spend the trial biting each other!

    I’m looking forward to being able to scribble notes in the margins and stick post-its on the references. Computers are quick to provide new information, but not comfortable for cogitating. For this much entwined data, a real book is needed.

  41. pdaly says:

    I like the image huaksdottir creates above (at 10:12) with this:
    â€Many congratulations for months and months of wrestling hydras in the swamp and tying their heads together for examination…â€

    Nearly a perfect description. It is also great, because DC once was(and still remains?)a swamp.

    I would only substitute â€months and months†with â€years and years.â€

    And maybe I would add this new vocab word: centicipitous hydras.

  42. DanM says:

    Is it going to be on Powell’s soon? So that we can read about the selling of the Iraq war and make nice to workers at online bookstores at the same time?

  43. John Lopresti says:

    It is amazing the people I speak to are very interested in your book and research. I hope Fitzgerald appreciates the strength of your fine work, ew. Best regards for New Year to all.

  44. JoshA says:

    One thing: the book page at Amazon has it as â€Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the War and Smear a Critic.†(Jane Hamsher calls it that too). But the book cover has â€Out a Spy†not â€Smear a Critic.â€

    Either’s good, but you definitely should have the book cover and what the book is called match up.

  45. Somethingsrotten says:

    Congratulations, Marcy! I just booked a cheap flight from Copenhagen to Seattle for the last weekend in January so I can get a copy of your book- just kidding – but I’ll be leaving Seattle on the 29th. I called a Barnes and Noble at University Village to see if they could reserve a copy for me. They assured me that they will be ordering the book, as they have already had many requests! That sounds promising. Hope you get some well deservered r&r, and I’m looking forward to your play by play disection of the judical games. You make it so simple for us functionally judical illiterate.

  46. Anonymous says:

    If you want to get the book from an Indie, instead of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., you can get it from my store, Common Language. Why us? We are an Independent GLBT/Feminist bookstore, and (as a result) have a strong political left niche, as well. I’ve known Marcy since the Dean campaign, and we’ll be having an author event with her in February.

    We are expecting the book on or about 1/18. We are currently taking pre-orders. The direct URL is:

    http://www.glbtbooks.com/xcart…..038;page=1

    (Maybe we can work out a â€virtual signing†with Marcy)

    Thanks for any support!

  47. vachon says:

    Wow! Congrats! Please tell me we Plame addicts were your literary guinea pigs. It would make me feel so Algonquin and everything. Ohhhh, I need a cigarette holder with rhinestones…

  48. Anne Holliday says:

    Woo Whoo Marcy – can’t wait for my copy to arrive. Congratulations and heart felt thanks for your hard work and commitment. Crossing my fingers you’ll be doing a book tour for we’d love to feature you and the book for a reading and Q&A and book signing at the fine arts museum in Pacific Grove (on the Monterey Peninsula) where I serve as curator of paintings. The Friends of the Museum’s special guests last spring were Markos and Jermone for their CTG book. It was standing room only and our local bookseller set up a table of CTG books which sold out immediately. Haven’t a doubt your book will be a huge success. We’ll contact the publisher right away with a formal invitation. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment to truth and justic.

  49. Anonymous says:

    Thanks for exposing deceit in the media. Here is another example of which you and your supporters might be unaware due to media cover-ups: The Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the stiff-arm salute that was adopted later by the National Socialist German Workers Party. The early Pledge used a straight arm salute, not the modern hand over the heart.
    http://rexcurry.net/book1a1contents-pledge.html

    Francis Bellamy was the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, and he was the cousin and cohort of Edward Bellamy (the Pledge was intended to express the ideas of Edward Bellamy’s socialist utopian novels). Both cousins were self-proclaimed socialists and members of the â€Nationalism†movement and its socialist auxiliary group, whose members touted Military Socialism and wanted the federal government to nationalize most of the American economy. They saw government schools as a means to their socialist â€Nationalism.†Francis wrote the Pledge of Allegiance to promote socialism in the most socialistic institution -government schools.

    In addition to the notorious salute, American socialists (e.g. Edward Bellamy and Francis Bellamy teamed with the Theosophical Society and Freemasons) also bear some blame for the notorious symbol usd by the National Socialist German Workers Party. The same symbol was used by the Theosophical Society during the time when the Bellamys, Freemasons and the Theosophical Society worked together. They also helped spread the stiff arm salute via the Pledge at their meetings.

    The symbol was used as alphabetical symbolism for socialism, and adopted later by German socialists as their flag symbol. Although an ancient symbol, was altered for use as overlapping S-letters for ’socialism.’ It was deliberately turned 45 degrees counter clockwise and always oriented in the S-direction. Similar alphabetic symbolism is still visible as Volkswagen logos. People were persecuted for refusing to perform robotic chanting to the national flag at the same time in the USA and Germany (to the American flag, and to the German symbol flag). All of the above are modern discoveries by America’s leading authority on the Pledge of Allegiance, the historian Dr. Rex Curry (author of â€Pledge of Allegiance Secretsâ€).
    http://rexcurry.net/book1a1contents-swastika.html

    Francis Bellamy lived long enough to see the Pledge’s salute and a similar philosophy espoused by the National Socialist German Workers Party. The ominous parallels in Edward Bellamy’s book to today’s growing police state are terrifying. The media report only the vaguest propaganda about the Pledge’s poisonous past.