Rating: 
Summary: Mad or Gospel? You be the judge.
Review: Political exposes are typically sensationalized accounts of a former politico's experiences as told to an unwitting biographer. The latest and greatest, AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, is much more than just abuzz, it is literally on fire as its release was concurrent (timed or no?) with the 9/11 Commission hearings. And, whether you find Richard Clarke (the former terroism czar under Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II...and Reagan) credible or not, many of the revelations from ENEMIES are alarming at best. ENEMIES approaches each President and amplifies the approach to terrorism led by each man but, without any doubt (as is splashed all over the airwaves), Clarke saves his harshest criticism and indictments for Bush II and his advisors. His charge? Failure to take terroism and, in particular, Al-Qaeda seriously. He further charges that Bush II and team were laser focused on Iraq from the outset although certain reports and intelligence indicated otherwise. Although terrorism relative to domestic and foreign/U.S. targets became a growing phenomenon in the Clinton/Bush II times, Clarke details how Bush I ignored the terrorism threat and cites his failure to eliminate Saddam Hussein, thus 'necessitating' Bush II to take up where Bush I failed. According to Clarke, Clinton had the best grasp of the terroism issue and Al-Qaeda's growing presence and control. However, Clinton's plans to address this threat were undermined by the Lewinski sex scandal and subsequent impeachment proceedings. Clarke's rendition is very believable regardless the dubious timing of this book's release. This will be a hotly debated issue for some time to come and, as I write this review, Condi Rice's "sworn" testimony is less than one week away in front of the Commission. While she will no doubt douse some of Clarke's sizzle, ENEMIES is a very readable account of a career man who feels very strongly about the lack of action taken by the last 20+ years of sitting Presidents.
Rating: 
Summary: The most important book of the year
Review: Richard Clarke has written a book about terrorism that extends from succinct analysis to thoughtful, reasonable solutions with regard to what has gone wrong since we were attacked on September 11, 2001. His thirty-year career in defense-related topics gives him a gravitas few others can equal and from that vantage point he has told his story. And what a story it is. By this writing, Clarke's "Against All Enemies" has become the book to read. After an initial report on what it was like to be in the White House on 9-11, Clarke begins in earnest to build, brick by brick, how the world situation developed with regard to terrorism, how Al-Qaeda became a force and how the United States responded to it. This is not a book that minces words. Clarke is very direct about whom he thinks did a good job and who didn't. There is very little conjecture on Clarke's part regarding the events that surrounded him. After all, he was there, at the center of the counter-terrorism table. What is coming to light more and more is the belief that the Bush White House had Iraq on its mind when it inherited power in January, 2001. After 9-11, Clarke makes one of his most telling points....that the United States had a window of opportunity after the attack to make the eradication of terrorism its main goal and it chose to invade Iraq, instead. The consequences will be seen in more Osama bin-Ladens created, a more vigorous Al-Qaeda and an enormous cost in lives and finances for the unforeseeable future. For those of us who shook our collective heads in disbelief when President Bush announced that Iraq had become an imminent threat to the United States in the summer of 2002, "Against All Enemies" is sadly refreshing to read. The directness and unity of purpose in attacking Iraq meant that the real threat.. terrorist attacks from Al-Qaeda.. were largely ignored by the new administration. While the American public accused President Clinton of "wagging the dog" when he bombed terrorist camps in Afghanistan during the Monica affair, Clarke points out that the real "wag the dog".. the Iraq distraction.. has happened under Bush. The cost to the United States has been high already and the final price cannot yet be fathomed as there is no end in sight to our Middle East involvement. Paul O'Neill's recent book, "The Price of Loyalty" got us to rub our eyes for the first time about the current administration from an insider's point of view. Richard Clarke's book extends and expands the look into the White House and the reverberations of "Against All Enemies" will be felt as long as the war on terror is waged. It is the most important book of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Bring Em On
Review: For some reason over the years I have never seamed to read the controversial books while they were the hot topic. So it was exciting for me to dig into this one while everyone was talking about it and the author. Not a day has gone by over the past couple of weeks where he has not been in the news. I jumped into the book thinking, based on the public reaction, that it was one comment after another about how Bush 2 stumbled and bumbled his way through the past three years and that we are all lucky we have not had terrorist attacks in the States weekly. What I found with the book was a far more level headed and historical telling of the past 20 years in regard to thee terrorist threats to the US. The author touched on four presidents from Reagan to Bush 2 and I think he was fair to three of them. He had lower level positions with Reagan and Bush 1 plus the environment was different so he did not have much interesting to tell us. He gave both of them negative marks on how they handled terrorism, but to be fair he is a rather stringent reviewer of performance. The real meat of the book is with the Clinton and Bush 2 administrations. Here is where I thought the author might have stumbled a bit. I do not think he was critical enough of Clinton. The author obviously enjoyed working for Clinton and probably felt some loyalty to him, which, in my opinion made him lessen his critical view of his bosses. He did have a rather large bone to pick with the FBI Director, but this is a criticism not only expressed by this author. Given the political climate this book was entering, I would have assumed he would have tried to be a little more hard nosed with Clinton given it would only make the criticism that the book is a partisan hack job a little les believable. As for his treatment of Bush 2, I did not find it over the top. He was more critical of Bush 2 then of the other three Presidents, but given the circumstances, I feel it was warranted. After all, we are in a war on terrorism so we need a leader that is up to the challenge. An average effort as an internal focused President will not be successful. If anything, I felt the author was more critical of the Bush support team. You have probably heard most of the comments by now in media sound bites and to be completely truthful they do make for fun reading. Overall I found the book very interesting and worthwhile. I am not going to give the book the top rating because the author did seam to be slightly inconsistent with his treatment of the Presidents and he filled the end of the book up with some personal political opinions that added no value.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Read
Review: This is a complete history of terrorism as far as the American interests are concerned. Pretty detailed and convincing. The author's knowledge of the subject is commanding and the flow of the book is easy to follow.
If you want your questions answered on several 9/11 related events like me, this is the book for you. Good insight into the functioning of the white house and politics involved.
MUST READ!!!
Rating:
Summary: Clarke illuminates
Review: I am an independent who is seeking a truth that neither party saw fit to tell us. I lost friends in 9/11 and could never understand why anyone would believe that Bush and his self righteous administration were tough on terrorism. Since such a tragic crime happened on their watch, Bush should admit that he was not tough at all, but incurious, and complacent. Forcing the American people to make sacrifices is how a president claims "toughness." Promising lopsided, exhorbitant tax cuts that are not paid for, going after Saddam for invented reasons, consistently connecting 9/11 to Iraq, and on and on, is deadly spin, not truth. Richard Clarke dares to attempt to explain how the administration shirked their responsibilities against Al Queda in order to make a perfidious case for war against perhaps the weakest dictator left on Earth (we now know how weak and contained Saddam was since Gulf I.) That's his first thesis. His second, more powerful one is that by going after Saddam immediately and unnecessarily after 9/11 - usurping resources from the fight against the real criminals - "Bush" has haphazardly allowed Al Queda to "morph into a many headed" monster that has now become infinitely more difficult to defeat. Clarke argues persuasively that Bush has also made the world infinitely more dangerous rather than safer. In other words, Bush and his team have failed us all and we will pay the price for our ignorant, unquestioning following. Clarke is a true hero who lays out the disastrous sequence in detail. He is unfortunately, as a result, ceaselessly being attacked for daring to speak out. Shame on Bush, and shame on the Repubicans for such slanderous character assassination. And shame on the Democrats for not having fought back hard enough, for Clarke, and earlier, for the nation.
Rating:
Summary: Just Read The Book
Review: I just finished reading this book. All I can say is: wow. I strongly believe every educated and informed American should read this book. Unfortunately, the massively polarized debate currently raging is going to turn some people off. Don't let it. Clearly, today we live in a poisoned political environment. Each side angrily accuses the other of lying and/or being unpatriotic. Practically all our sources of 'information' have been brought into question and politicized. EIB listeners think one way. NPR listeners and PBS viewers lean a different way. Are you for or against 'gay marriage'? Did Bush lie? Is everybody lying? And in response to this 'culture war' many Americans simply seek out news sources that support their pre-conceived notions, and then bask in the 'rightness' of their beliefs. Maybe this has something to do with the failure of our educational system over the last several decades. Look at the other 'reviews' of this book if you don't believe me! So, I ask you to cast aside the usual way that you process information. Don't take Rush Limbaugh's point of view for granted. Don't take mine either. Just read this book. If you disagree or think the whole effort was politically motivated- so be it. Maybe it was. But even if it was, the insider's view of 9/11 and the history of the development of the war against al-Qaeda is compelling no matter what your political stripe. And if Mr. Clark is telling the truth, this terrorism threat isn't 'going away' any time soon and the United States is facing its greatest threat in its history. Surely that's worth reading about.
Rating:
Summary: Against All Enemies
Review: A good overview of the last few years. Helpfull insights. Interesting reading. A wake up to try and work in accord with the rest of the world.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling account
Review: I had no idea why the White house was stonewalling the 9/11 commission. There is a lot of additional information in this book besides what has been covered by the news. Fascinating look at the White House. Very good to understand the White House's preoccupation with Iraq and how they got us into this mess.
President Bush and his staff should just come clean and people would forgive them for making mistakes. Instead they seem unable to give a single inch.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Read
Review: Beyond the book itself -- which is reasonably well written and an impressive peak into the inner workings of our current administration -- the fallout from Clarke's testimony is very interesting in itself. I have yet to hear a direct rebuttal to his allegations by somebody under oath. Attack him personally if you must, but at least attempt to respond to his thoughtful, reasoned, and disturbing allegations.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Richard Clarke is a prophet and a martyr. Republicans are ignorant and shall be cast into the fiery depths of hell on judgment day.
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