<DIV>A series of actions by Washington and Wall Street over decades have systematically dismantled the economic foundation of America's middle class. In <i>The Betrayal</i>, two of the country's finest investigative reporters reveal the extent of the ruination and the people and agencies most culpable.<p>Barlett and Steele's 1992 bestseller about Washington's assault on the middle class?<i>America: What Went Wrong</i>?was controversial in its day. But when the authors reexamined it, their conclusions then seemed quaint in the light of today's realities. For this new book they document a fundamental betrayal of the American promise, through peerless reportorial investigation and through the perspectives of workers and businessmen across the country. One former factory manager said: ?If we keep up as we are now, within twenty to thirty years will there even be a middle class?” Barlett and Steele show why Americans are rightfully fearful about the future, and warn that greater economic pain lies ahead unless we make fundamental changes now.</DIV>