And having famous president (and Saddam!) making an appearance, dont help with immersion. At least, we dont see a "Megacomputer with more than 500 Mo of memory!" , that tend to appear in those settings written 20year ago. The story's not based in the future, though: it's an alternate history version of the 60's – 80's, which is also why Saddam or "old man Ruhollah" et al make appearances. Why'd period-accurate politicians break your immersion? I had some hard time getting through the beginning : I don't like 20 minutes into the future setting.
Because If a read sci-fi, and it talk about Kennedy, and Saddam, it doesn't quite feel like a fiction anymore... But as I said, I dont like all those alternate reality setting (or it's just the use of famous figure that despise me) nothing specific with these one, just personal taste I like my sci-fi being out there. And I like my James Ellroy books set in the 60' joking about the Kennedy.. I'm a simple mind