THE WRONG STUFF The Extraordinary Saga of Randy MARCUS STERN, JERRY KAMMER, DEAN CALBREATH, AND GEORGE E. CONDON, JR.

"'Unfortunately,' the authors write midway through the book, 'it may be years -- if ever -- before anyone knows how much damage Cunningham, Wade and Wilkes did to national security, how many lives were put at risk or lost on the streets of Iraq, how much money was diverted to their pockets instead of going toward achieving the victory over terrorism that all three men said they desired.'

Indeed, that is, at root, what makes the subject important and the book worth reading. It isn't merely the profile of a public servant who brazenly traded his position for money and extravagant (and often tawdry) gifts. It also suggests that such misdeeds have consequences that go far beyond one former hero's ethical collapse -- consequences in risked lives that have yet, if ever, to be revealed."
--Politico.com

"The book paints a vivid picture of Cunningham as a fundamentally flawed individual, with an oversized ego, an insatiable appetite for material wealth and a complete lack of ethical standards….Scholars, reporters and reformers have for decades been highlighting the corrupt practices used to divvy up the federal budget. But despite treading on well-worn ground, this book is insightful in its close examination of the process of earmarking for intelligence contracts, and the game played by defense contractors to enrich themselves at government expense."
—San Diego Union Tribune

"The book is the Cunningham scandal from A to Z -- following from Duke's childhood to his guilty plea, and following the (alleged) bribes from Brent Wilkes' or Mitchell Wade's pocket to the harassed contracting officer in the Pentagon who was to make sure that the contractors got their money. And the book is bursting with details, a number of them new and unforgettable."
—Talking Points Memo