Mad Man in Waco

Mad Man In Waco makes it painstakingly clear that just about everybody involved in the debacle at Waco was round-the-bend ego-tripping in a veritable orgy of self-serving agendas and sub-rosa purposes: It's hard to "spot the real loony" amid such a cast of characters. There was of course the sexually and religiously insane Vernon Howell (aka David Koresh) with his need to salve his childhood feelings of inconsequentiality with his self-adopted "messiahship." But equally dotty was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, willing to bend its authority and its might in order to attract headlines during a budget crisis. And there was no shortage of bats in the belfry among the leadership of the FBI as it attempted to establish a level of authority that bordered upon undeclared martial law -- and a level of "command and control" and "psychological operations" that could only lead inexorably and inevitably to the fiery final conflagration. The book also documents that "force" which may be the most dangerous of all: A sensationalistic media with a 24-7 "need to feed" and thus bringing to bear the pressure of a "watching world" on all participants. Still something of a cipher, though: The followers of Koresh. The book does an excellent job, in the first half, of documenting the history of these offshoots of Christianity (Millerites, Adventists, Davidians and then "Branch Davidians") but must be excused for being unable to answer the one compelling question: Why? What impels otherwise rational people to follow charismatic leaders like Howell/Koresh to such a tragic ending? The book does not quite answer that -- but it certainly frames the question, and provides a compelling look at the national mindset in the late 20th Century.

This is the most balanced treatise I have seen on the topic. The authors explore the facts thoroughly, and come to the cnclusion that both sides blew it. Most people seem to have an agenda, and want to place blame on one side or the other. This book provides insight into the lives of Koresh and his followers, as well as the government personnel involved, and discusses all the agendas, all the mistakes, and the few failed attempts to straighten things out. If we *really* want to learn from the tragedy at Waco, this book is a great starting point.

"Mad Man" is a hybrid fact/op-ed piece in which media, law enforcement, and religious lunatics are playing a deadly, unconscious game of hot-potato with a stick of dynamite and not quitting until the fuse burns down to the charge.By the end of the book, media, feds, and all believers in religion throughout history are charred beyond recognition. When asked what slant he put on his book, Brad Bailey said, "Oh, I tried to be balanced."Boy, he wasn't kidding. This book is scorched earth, and it is hard to disagree with his conclusions."Mad Man" has several stylistic anchor points. It is hard fact reporting, it is a sort of a reporter's diary, it's a Tom Wolfe-ish cultural documentary and commentary, a critique of religion, and a hard-core, make-you-sick grisly Police gazzette story, all laced with Bailey's trademark stunned, outraged, and eloquent rants.The reader develops a sense of awe at the work that went into getting "Mad Man" out. You can feel Bailey killing himself banging out a thick book under a deadline more appropriate for a newspaper article. You sense two take-out cheeseburgers and a carton of smokes a day, seven days a week; you imagine the man turning in the manuscript, crawling into bed, and sleeping for four days. Bob Darden's summary of Davidian history is comprehensive and factual, delivering essential background on the people and philosophy which led to the Waco debacle.Many books have been written about the standoff, from all kinds of angles -- pro-law, anti-law, pro religion anti Koresh, pro-Koresh, media critiques, etc., but this is a book that lights the flame thrower and spins it freely in all directions, roasting the entire event and all participants, including every one of us in front of our TVs. And for that reason, this is perhaps the definitive book on Waco.

The book is *brilliantly* written. And it points out that *everyone* involved was at fault. Koresh. The FBI and ATF. The media. Yes, Koresh was somewhere between lunatic and demon in human clothing. But that in no way absolves the feds for their thorough mishandling of the case. I don't presume to judge from God's view, but from the jury box, the feds were Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! The book isn't perfect. The authors consistently confuse the terminology of M16 (fully automatic weapon, incredibly difficult for most of us to ever own legally) and AR15 (the semi-automatic version, legal for anyone without a felony conviction), but otherwise they seem to have their facts nailed down pretty tightly. (Yes, I was familiar with a great deal of this long before I found this book!) About all that's missing is the pathetic showing of the state at the trial, but they finished the book before that, and it wasn't their focus, anyway.