“How did we get here?” is a good question to start a story off, piquing the
reader’s interest in what twists and turns brought these characters to this
(usually strange) point. It is this question that Rachel Maddow uses to start
off her exploration of the American military complex in her book Drift.
Beginning with a description of our current situation, with a military that is
overbudgeted, undermonitored, and out of control, Maddow traces our “drift” away
from a traditional, controlled military. Her history starts at the beginning of
Vietnam and the introduction of secrecy to the president’s use of the military
forces. Then, she leads us through the Reagan years with the explosion in
military budget and undercutting of military oversight, before finally dropping
us into the current age of intelligence monitoring, drone strikes, and
democracy-by-force tactics.
Maddow is an unabashedly left-wing commentator. She makes no efforts to hide
her political leanings. Her sense of humor can also be quite caustic, meaning
this may be an aggravating book if you’re highly conservative. However,
Maddow’s research is extensive and her commentary spot-on. She stays objective
in her analysis of the developments in our military establishment and our drift
away from openness, constraint, and rational planning. Regardless of party
affiliation, all readers can find this book a very useful, and very affecting,
lesson on what has become of our military since Vietnam.
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