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NEW YORK — It isn't just politicians who want to read "The Iraq Study Group Report."
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Within hours of the report's release in book form Wednesday, it had soared to No. 18 on Amazon.com, after being at No. 4,101 on Tuesday. Anne Messitte of Vintage Books said the study was already in a second printing, although she declined to give any exact numbers.
"We are continuing to receive orders all the time and will work to keep up with demand," said Messitte, executive vice president and publisher of Vintage, a paperback imprint of Random House, Inc.
Government documents aren't usually big sellers, but two years ago W.W. Norton & Co.'s official version of "The 9-11 Commission Report" sold more than 1 million copies — even though the text could be downloaded for free — and received a National Book Award nomination.
The Iraq book has a suggested retail price of $10.95, and Vintage announced Wednesday that a "portion" of the proceeds would be given to the National Military Family Association, a nonprofit organization that assists members of the military and their families.
The Iraq report, 160 pages long, was posted Wednesday on the Web sites of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the James Baker Institute.
The study group, a 10-member, bipartisan commission led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, a Republican, and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., offered a blunt, bleak assessment that called for an urgent diplomatic attempt to stabilize Iraq and allow withdrawal of most combat troops by early 2008.
After nearly four years of war and the deaths of more than 2,900 U.S. troops, the situation is "grave and deteriorating" and America's ability "to influence events within Iraq is diminishing," the commission warned.
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