west believes that "the overthrow of saddam hussein's ugly totalitarian regime was desirable," but that the war in iraq was the result of "dishonest manipulation" on the part of the bush administration. he asserts that bush administration hawks "are not simply conservative elites and right-wing ideologues", but rather are "evangelical nihilists — drunk with power and driven by grand delusions of american domination of the world". he adds, "we are experiencing the sad gangsterization of america, an unbridled grasp at power, wealth, and status." viewing capitalism as the root cause of these alleged american lusts, west warns, "free-market fundamentalism trivializes the concern for public interest. it puts fear and insecurity in the hearts of anxiety-ridden workers. it also makes money-driven, poll-obsessed elected officials deferential to corporate goals of profit — often at the cost of the common good."