I have used this book as a ready reference since the first edition was published in 1997. This second edition reflects a major update to the original book in that the proposal management tools in the first edition were woefully out of date and the focus was not on some of the Government opportunities for small business, such as Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)that require a tailored proposal strategy. The second edition also addresses new Government initiatives for e-business and a plethora of other topics that were not present in the first edition.

If you are competing for Government business this is the most complete, accurate book I know of that covers the RFP-Proposal-Negotiation-Award process. Short of memorizing the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations), amassing years of proposal writing experience, and gaining the wisdom of knowing what works and what doesn't you will not find a more concise guide to the process. Also, you will benefit greatly from the wealth of tips and pointers that the author provides from his own extensive experience. If you are in the DoD contracting business, regardless of business size, I cannot overemphasize this book's value when it comes to cutting through the maze and providing a clear roadmap. If you are a proposal or capture manager I strongly recommend that you get a copy for every member of your team.

For the book's readers who are in the commercial sector the approach outlined in this book will add process and structure to your proposal writing efforts. The rigorous requirements imposed by the Government are too often lacking in the commercial process, which results in sloppy proposals that meander around issues and miss important client requirements. Also, because the proposal development process can be as large a task in the commercial sector, managing it can be a nightmare without a well thought out strategy for ensuring that all of the "t"s are crossed and "i"s dotted. The approach in this book practically hands you a ready-made process that you can apply to proposal development. This process will not only improve your ability to respond quickly and accurately to RFPs, but do so in an efficient manner. The result will be a significant competitive advantage.

For both sets of readers I think some of the advice, such as using the proposal as a marketing tool as well as a due-diligence instrument for responding to RFPs is excellent. For example, the author emphasizes backing up responses with examples to demonstrate claims. This is a powerful technique that I have used repeatedly to good advantage. It goes a long way towards assuaging client concerns about capabilities versus empty claims, and will turn a proposal that is merely responsive into one that is compelling.

Other things that make this book extremely valuable include the CD ROM of checklists and templates, and the numerous examples from the author's past proposals.

In my opinion this is the best book available for proposal development, and the only one that fully addresses every aspect of managing the proposal process for Government business. It should be on the shelf of anyone who responds to RFPs, and in the library of every company that does Government or commercial contracting.

I own many tarot decks, and sometimes I get a bit uncomfortable with the images on some of the cards, specially "The Tower", "The Devil" and "The Death"; why to these cards always have to show people dying or even being chopped to pieces?. However, when I met this deck, I just found it to be wonderful.

Who wouldn't remember the stories that we've heard and read so many times? (even now as adults). This cute deck helped me to get tuned with it immediately, the readings just pop into my mind because the messages that the stories enclose in every card are simple to understand, but at the same time they give you an image to focus into and lot of wise thoughts.

Remember that we learn about life (its dangers and rewards) when we were children because of these stories.

This deck makes it very easy on me! All the pictures have little stories behind them that make their meanings easy to recall. Especially the suit cards! My other tarot deck just has pictures of two swords or three cups and whatnot. It had nothing on them to help the beginner guess at what they meant.

The benefits of this deck are that it helps you remember the significance of each card, the pictures are colorfully and wonderfully drawn with much detail. It is an all around beautiful deck and the images are very light and happy.

The down sides to this deck are that it is almost TOO optimistic at times. The three little pigs having their house blown down just doesn't quite capture the essence of The Tower to me. Also, the cards have a thin width and long height which kind of makes for uncomfortable shuffling if you've got small hands.

This deck is wonderful for me though. I like it's optimistic outlook and it's innocence.

Parker's book is full of the usual indulgences - a preparedness for hyperbole, for speaking with absolute authority and for the general impression that the author is more important than the winemaker. The wines are afforded their status because he writes about them, alas; we would prefer, I suspect, a writer who realises the wines are his reason for being, rather than the other way around.

Nonetheless, the book is a solid effort of research and the tasting notes are a testament to an awful amount of time and care - and love - devoted to the subject. Parker knows the Rhone, and he conveys his enthusiasms well. Recommended.

I highly recommend this book to beginners, who want to understand the fundamentals of business planning, as well as to experienced professionals, who can benefit greatly by streamlining their planning processes.

Sure, Including this one. His work will inspire people in a mystical way as to move the deepest part of his heart. I did learn much from his works. I am suprised at that as well, and more confident in realizing this world. I do suggest you read this book. But I recommend you read his other works first. You have to know him more before you get to the great sayings he cherishes all his life.

The US government, with an ever growing demand for oil to fuel our plastic SUV world turned a blind eye to the serious political situation of our main suppier, Saudi Arabia, a country ruled by the most dysfunctional family ever. The royal family must contend with not only family members who spend them into oblivion, but also with various terrorist groups who must be appeased with new mosques, weapons, money, and a safe haven.

Baer goes into as much detail as he can to show how the mechanism has worked over the years. Some sections are blacked out as the CIA considers the information classified. Also, since Baer was not a high level agent, there are some connections that can be reasonably made, but not proven. You will need to see how this unfolds in the coming years to get the complete story.

Bottom line: Read this book to fill in the background on the current Middle East situation.

Former spy Robert Baer, author of SEE NO EVIL: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism, makes the leap from intelligence reformist to national mentor with his new book, "SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude." Indeed, his last sentence has the White House laying in the moonlight with its legs spread, lustfully eyeing the Saudi wallet on the bureau.

This is an extraordinary compelling work, not least because it provides detailed and documented discovery not previously available, of how the U.S. government has over the course of several administrations made a deliberate decision to a) not spy on the Arab countries, b) not collect and read open sources in Arabic, c) not attempt to understand the sub-state actors such as the Muslim brotherhood, despite a long history in which these groups commit suicide to achieve their objectives, including the murder of several heads of state.

Baer's most brutal points should make every American shudder: it is America itself that is subsidizing terrorism, as well as the corruption of the Saudi royal family. Baer's documented estimate is that $1 dollar from every barrel of petroleum is spent on Saudi royal family sexual misbehavior, and $1.50 of every barrel of petroleum bought by America ultimately ends up funding extremist schools, foundations, and terrorist groups.

Baer has "gone back in time" to document how all of this terrorism began in the 1970's, but despite its terrible local consequences (including the assassination of heads of state), was ignored by Washington as "a local problem."

In one lovely real-life account, Baer, then duty officer at CIA while Iraq poised to invade Kuwait, found that the $35 billion per year system was useless, impotent. It came down to his calling the chief of station in Kuwait, who called a border guard, who lifted his binoculars and described the Iraqi tanks stopped for lunch. Baer says: "As I waited, I wondered: Is this what all that money for intelligence is buying us? A pair of binoculars?"

Baer joins with Robert Kaplan in concluding that democracy in Arabia would be an out and out disaster. The decades of Islamic extremism and anti-Americanism run amok cannot be resolved by democratic elections because the very people who most hate America will be elected. Baer observes that "strongman tactics" such as used by Saddam Hussein and by the Syrian leadership--including a "scorched earth" campaign against the internal terrorist groups--are a more stable "rule of law". One can conclude that the US has made a mistake in destabilizing Iraq, and that the imposition of a democratic solution in Iraq will turn out to be vastly more difficult, and vastly more expensive, than the naive neo-conservatives understood when they set forth without bothering to establish who was in the majority within the population being "liberated."

Saudi Arabia has bought and paid for all the White House and Congressional influence it needs. This is why the recently released 9-11 report contains no mention of the secret documentation of Saudi Arabian complicity in the terrorism that took 3,000 American lives. As Senator Shelby noted on PBS NewsHour recently (he has read the secret report), 93% of the blanked out pages, and specifically those on Saudi sponsorship of terrorism against America and other nations, is a "con man's" effort to avoid "embarrassment." As the families of the 9-11 victims have said, "we need to know."

Baer is extraordinary. He was a success as a case officer (a clandestine representive of America dealing with traitors and terrorists under conditions of extreme risk), and he has now become a sort of "Patrick Henry" of the modern era, warning us in clear and compelling terms that White House corruption (a non-partisan recurring corruption) and Saudi Arabia are the twin swords upon which this great Nation may yet impale itself.

All of the self-righteous discourse out of Washington portrays the fight of good versus evil in our latest "War" against the latest "something." It's a new war with a new myriad of contradictions and nonsensical alliances.

The KSA may be enemy number one, while at the same time powerful congressional leaders, defense contractors, and corporations do business with one of the most dangerous enemies to the United States: the power of crude. Feeding the fix. In addition to oil, Washington nor the west in general wants to see what would likely replace the current corrupt and venal royal ruling family in the KSA. The Kingdom has been simmering with dissatisfaction for over 15 years. With the burgeoning birth rate, and the once impervious cultural dike revealing some cracks resulting from global economic interdependence, the next basket-case of the world in the near future will be Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. royal Saudi relationship goes back decades with the black gold, regional geo-politics, and sites of Mecca and Medina, which elevate KSA's status above a well-deserved butt-kicking. There are so many powerfully vested American interests in Saudi that the kingdom is safe from American reactions, no matter what they do. Saudi Arabia knows it, America knows it.