Let me just start by saying that while I'm certainly a Leftie, I'm actually no great fan of Rachel Maddow. The details aren't relevant here, but I don't find her show compelling or particularly informative. That said, I did appreciate this book. There is wide room for non-partisan agreement on the mission creep and bloat that have become such a prominent feature of America's military, and Maddow stays well within this common ground. Her analysis is solid, if not overly deep. I suppose I can't speak to whether it's balanced, because I'm as likely as she to ascribe pretty sinister motivations to Ronald Reagan and Dick Cheney. But her assertions are backed with verifiable facts, and she lays out quite an informed/informative case. She does seem to promise a prospective solution, however, and doesn't deliver on that. Still, well worth a read.