Rating: 
Summary: Invaluable Glimpse of Recent History
Review: Books on terrorism are too often dry or pedantic, on the one hand, or sensational or hysterical on the other, but Murray Weiss' new book on FBI super-agent John O'Neill is the rare exception: It's a highly readable page-turner, loaded with telling detail, that will alter the way any reader sees world terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism. Recent events in Iraq - especially the attack against U.N. headquarters there - remind us how intractable both problems are, and the riveting, complex story that Weiss tells equips us to look beyond current headlines to take a longer view. O'Neill was in many ways a strange character (with an inability to be honest with the women in his life), but he was also a visionary. He was among the first to identify the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and understood, as too few White House officials do now, that any successful effort to defeat this enemy had to start with a serious attempt to understand his world and the impulses that fueled his extremism.
Rating: 
Summary: Puzzled
Review: I read this book and am puzzled. How does an FBI agent live the lifestyle John O'Neil lived? A double life, abandoning his wife and childred while carrying on affairs with several other women. Meanwhile traveling throughtout the country and the world. Do we want to put our trust in this type of individual. No wonder many of those who worked with him found him to be egotistical and overbearing, he was constantly trying to hide something. Something is fishy here. I think probably Ambassador Bodine saw through the man.
Rating: 
Summary: Incorrect Cause and Effect for Terrorism
Review: In Chapter 5, Weiss claims that "Reagan ordered multiple air strikes on the Libyan capital of Tripoli in retaliation for Pan Am 103 and the West Berlin disco bombing, which killed two U.S (period missing in original) servicemen. Several of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi's family members were hurt in the attacks, and a chastened Qaddafi moved away from sponsoring terrorism."
Weiss is incorrect. While the US did bomb Libya shortly after the German disco was bombed in 1996, the U.S. did not bomb Libya again after the Pan Am flight. Libya probably bombed Pan Am 103 in retaliation for the bombings on Libya in 1996.
Considering that the topic of this book is terrorism, Weiss is either incompetent or deliberately misleading. Understanding cause and effect is critical when dealing with enemies.
Rating:
Summary: Politicians chose to Ignore the Messenger
Review: John O'Neill was a complex human being. Yet, he was completely dedicated to his profession, an FBI Agent. He loved his work and took it to heart. Unfortunately, he was the first to draw the lines from all of the terrorist attacks abroad to bin Ladin. Unfortunately, no one listened. While he understood and accomplished the need for Washington's bureaucy to work together and even recommended it to a panel of "bureaucrats" headed by J.Bremmer....he was largely ignored. During the Clinton years where Clinton displayed open animosity not only toward our military but also toward the FBI for doing their job....O'Neill did his best to get the attention to international terrorism that it would eventually get after 9/11...it was of course, too late. When one considers the political posturing of the 9/11 Commission that made the actions of that commission politcal and dishonorable....this book will create a deep sadness within from the knowledge that the bureaucrats were more interested in themselves than in their mandated duties of protecting America. Clinton again demonstrates his self serving concerns regarding himself and his legacy, his inability to care about the lives of others, and his disregard for the truth while holding personal grudges that clouded his judgement. Why wasn't the USS COLE responded to, a question asked by the 9/11 commission? Because of the personal feelings of Barbara Bodine, then Ambassador to Yemen, who showed more concern for the Yemenis than her own citizens. Then to discover that she was sent to Iraq is simply insulting.
For those who covet France's approval, France wouldn't even allow our investigators to fly through their airspace on the way to investigate the Cole bombing. France has hated America for quite some time. It didn't begin with the Iraq war.
This man lectured in 1995 in Chicago that the greatest threat we would face in our near future would be international terrorism. He preached the importance of inter-agency cooperation and met a brick wall at the White House. If he hadn't been ignored and his investigation of the USS Cole hadn't been thwarted by our own self-serving bureaucrat, Ms. Bodine, we may have been able to track the plot to 9/11 prior to it's completion.
We, as a people, should be outraged that there is a greater interest in bureaucratic game playing that there is in keeping us safe as a nation. Bin Ladin is determined to destroy our way of life and we still don't get it. We are a complacent people with little will to fight the good fight. We are exceedingly comfortable in our homes driving our vehicles and waiting for ours. Our attention spans equal those of five year olds. We watch stupid "reality TV shows" that don't reflect reality at all. We've have cheapened ourselves as a nation and we'd better grow up quickly if we wish to survive.
This man gave his life for America. A true Patriot....someone who believes in his/her country so much they are willing to die for it. Patriotism is not subject to political correctness nor should it ever be.
If you read no other book about the Clinton WhiteHouse years...you need to read this one. Clinton was always more interested in his legacy than in his responsibility and he was weak and unwilling to even potentially harm his "popularity" with the American people. We don't need "Prom Kings" serving in the White House ever again.
Mindy Beers
Fayetteville, AR
Rating:
Summary: Honest, Accurate, Outstanding
Review: More than another 911 book, this is an account of one man's career development and rise to be the nations expert on Bin Laden and his tragic death at the WTC. This true journalistic investigation presents the honest facts which, refute the self-serving account by Richard Clarke. Outstanding
Rating:
Summary: The most enlightening book yet...
Review: Murray Weiss has written one of the most enlightening books about the FBI and it's agent John O'Neill. I had heard of John O'Neill after Sept. 11th. I knew there would have to be a book written about him, this is a fabulous, detailed, interesting, cannot put down book. If only more people would read it, we would not have to have these 9/11 committee hearings, their questions would be answered. Thank you Murray Weiss!
Rating:
Summary: The Spy Who Loved Me
Review: Several women could repeat that phrase about the dashing, whirling dervish, John O'Neill. The Man Who Warned America is a triumphant tribute to John O'Neill. Murray Weiss takes you on the inside track of John O'Neill's life and his first love, the FBI. The book is especially poignant as it tells the story so few knew. Most people didn't know the name Bin Laden until 9/11. John O'Neill lived to stop Bin Laden's terrorist network for over a decade. John O'Neill is a national hero and everyone should know his name and his story. Murray Weiss does justice to O'Neill's life and work!
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and thought-provoking! A "must read".
Review: The Man Who Warned America by Murray Weiss is a riveting, powerful book. Well-documented, tightly written and smartly paced, we come along for the ride of John O'Neill's life - celebrating his achievements, suffering his trials, and marveling as he juggles a self-complicated private life that is chaotic at best. Thanks to Weiss, we get to know an American patriot who "saw" the coming conflict and anticipated attacks against the United States. Resolved and tireless - even in the face of bureaucratic arrogance, pettiness and foolishness - O'Neill led by example and succeeded in building alliances, inspiring his colleagues, and working with them to protect us long before most Americans were even aware of the threat. In the end, we mourn a friend most of us only ever met through Weiss' 400 pages. I find myself missing John O'Neill's presence in our world.Weiss' book is a "must read". In addition to O'Neill, the book cites many men and women who continue to remain vigilant on our behalf as we go about our daily lives oblivious to the majority of threats facing us. They constantly put their lives - and careers - on the line in defense of us. Thanks to Weiss, more people will know of their strength of character. I'd love to read a follow-up book from Weiss about the legacy of John O'Neill.....I'd sleep better knowing that the lessons O'Neil taught so many people were taken to heart and applied in our defense.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This irony filled book details the life of John O'Neill, the FBI's counter-terrorism chief until August 2001. The irony comes in when one considers that O'Neill spent most of his career pursuing Osama bin Laden, and then died at the World Trade Center on 9/11, just weeks after assuming a job as head of security for that complex. The book clearly illustrates the vast danger that beauacracy poses to our country. O'Neill was forced into retirement from the FBI due to his flamboyant lifestyle and lack of desire to toe the company line. This is a shame, because O'Neill was one of the few people in the US government who recognized how dangerous bin Laden had become and had the ability and desire to stop him before it was too late. A highly recommended read!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This irony filled book details the life of John O'Neill, the FBI's counter-terrorism chief until August 2001. The irony comes in when one considers that O'Neill spent most of his career pursuing Osama bin Laden, and then died at the World Trade Center on 9/11, just weeks after assuming a job as head of security for that complex. The book clearly illustrates the vast danger that beauacracy poses to our country. O'Neill was forced into retirement from the FBI due to his flamboyant lifestyle and lack of desire to toe the company line. This is a shame, because O'Neill was one of the few people in the US government who recognized how dangerous bin Laden had become and had the ability and desire to stop him before it was too late. A highly recommended read!
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