Rating: 
Summary: Stripping the Emperor's clothes.
Review: Richard Clarke presents an inside look at the Bush White House, not from the vantage point of an obscure and an essentially unimportant onlooker (e.g., Dereliction of Duty book), or from by a person committed to the opposition party (any number of current books). It is also not published by a company with a hard core political agenda. The author gives a memoir of his several years in the executive hierarchy, and gratefully he does not stray outside his field of competency. In just under 300 pages, the book is an easy read in a conversational style, i.e., not heavy with stats and figures. Clarke's positions were as a non-partisan, high level officer in every administration since Ronald Reagan and two years in the current Bush white House. His book shows his exceptional knowledge and commitment to combat terrorism. His concerns about terrorism is what sparked this book. The current administration is now trying to personally attack him as an apparent means to discredit his book. This is the usual maneuver by someone with something to hide, or with little of the truth on their side. However, the author details his case about the Bush failures to effectively combat terrorism with facts, not fantasies. Several of the author's observations were also presented in other sources such as Ron Susskind's, The Price of Loyalty, and Al Franken's latest book. I read this book while administration officials wrote editorials, spoke on talk shows, gave speeches defending Mr. Bush, but they won't all give full testimony, under oath to the 9/11 commission! That is where to dispute Mr. Clarke, if dispute can be offered. The author, however, is willing to give testimony under oath. This is not to say that the author does not give many conclusions that are based on his professional judgment. But, his opinions are based on decades of devoted service, and the book makes clear that he does know a great deal about the subject. It is particularly interesting that Condeleeza Rice (national security advisor) recently tried to dismiss Clarke by saying that he was not involved in many of the White House meetings on terrorism, thus making him unqualified to judge the administration. This excuse is as telling as anything the author has to say, since what justification can there be to not involve the expert on terrorism in a high level meeting on terrorism?! Until this administration shows less resistance to open communication, I must congratulate Richard Clarke and thank him for his noble service to our country with the writing this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A decent book, but nothing really special
Review: This book isn't really all that groundbreaking in any real way. The only reason why it is as popular as it is is because of the media hype surounding the Clarke right now. There is not a whole lot of research in this book to back up much of what he says--seeming to state rather that his opinion alone should count for something just because he was on the inside at the White House. We'll see if this book will have any lasting political impact, but I think it's mostly just hype right now and this book will be long forgotten in the near future.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing but a politcal hack job..
Review: Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Bush's justification for Iraq!!
Review: Wow!
The biased left wing media is so busy pushing the parts of this book that bash President Bush that they conveniently skip over the parts that justify his decision to go into Iraq. That's right! According to the Clinton CIA Bin Laden was bankrolling a certain "chemical" factory in the Sudan that was producing an ingredient essential to making the type of nerve agent the Iraqis were known to possess. Read it and weep liberals. Hmm, and the Socialist (Democrat) party says there is no BIAS?! You Socialists (Democrats) can't have it both ways. I highly recommend this book to all interested in the left wing bias that exists in the media.
Rating: 
Summary: A Review of Few Words.
Review: One word. Credible. Two words. Overwhelmingly so. 9-11 was a crime.
The criminals are of course divided into perpetrators and conspirators.
The perps are dead.
The conspirators are at large.
And we're jerking around in Iraq, why, exactly? Read this book and understand one man's view of the process by which that clear mistake happened, and is STILL happening, tothe cost of our children's lives and the filling of BushCorp.'s friends' pockets. That's not partisan (because I'm neither a [donkey] nor an elephant): its in fact the case. Read this book, and anything else you can; our "media" doesn't explore nay of this on their own...you must for yourself. This book is one of the best ways to start.
Rating:
Summary: Bombshell Indictment From An American Hero and (GOP) Patriot
Review: Dick Clarke voted for Bush. He served heroically under Reagan and Bush 41 and was a valued and trusted cabinet member under Clinton (whose efforts to thwart terror now look positively heroic, having stopped Al Qaida's attempts in Bosnia and at the LA Airport at the turn of the millenium.) Clarke is simply an unimpeachable authority and his book is disastrous news for the Bush administration and their legion of toadies and propagandists. How can they possibly spin their way out of this historic reckoning? They demoted Clarke from the cabinet, haughtily dismissed his frantic warnings about Al Qaida, chosing instead to devote their resources to cold war issues and drug policing (!) It's all here, chapter and verse from a hero and Reagan stalwart. Of course, much of this has been well documented before, by former National Security Czar Sandy Berger, among others. But now the facts have been laid out for the American people by a career Republican. It is a tragedy to watch the jackals of the radical right smear this great American patriot, as they smeared Treasury Secretary O'Neill (career Republoican and Bush I favorite) and David Kay (GOP entrusted weapons expert who blew the whistle on the Bush-Rice-Perle WMD claims...) When will this great nation wake up and rise up against this criminal administration?
Rating:
Summary: Full of Lies
Review: Richard Clark is a bitter person who is out to get those who forced him out of the position of terrorism czar. The book is full of lies and belongs on the fiction list. For example, he states that Condi Rice did not know anything about al-Qaida. This is false as the Bush Administration discussed terrorism from day one of its term in office. Bush haters will buy this book in great quantities.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: Not going to bore you with details. Bottom line is this... Clarke thought the Clinton administration did the MOST to combat terrorists, thought the rest did nothing. Typical liberal slanted writing IMO. Don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: An Honest, Tough and Important Perspective
Review: I know Richard Clarke and as a journalist have interviewed him many times. And in the interest of full disclosure, Clarke endorsed my most recent book, Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism. However, I found Against All Enemies to be one of the most important books to date dealing with the anti-terrorism policies and programs of the last four presidential administrations. It also raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the war in Iraq and the lack of sophisticated analysis and understanding of the terrorist threat by some of the most senior members of the Bush cabinet. From the very first page of the Preface, you will be hooked as you read how one of the most respected and experienced national security experts was growing "increasingly concerned that too many of my fellow citizens were being misled" by the administration's contention that Saddam Hussein somehow had something to do with Sept. 11. More telling are the number of people mentioned in the book (who undoubtedly gave Clarke permission to use their names and quotes in the text) who also were shocked and awed by Bush's insistence on finding a link to Iraq. You will also be surprised at how many of Clarke's fellow professional staff members (many of whom had decades of service in government) became so frustrated by the administration's preoccupation with Iraq and the dysfunctional Department of Homeland Security that they simply quit. I did get the impression that Clarke could have been tougher on the Clinton administration, thereby avoiding the current uproar that his writing is tainted by partisan politics. However, knowing Clarke and his deputy, Roger Cressey (a major figure in the book), I find no reason to believe that this book is anything other than an honest attempt by a patriotic public servant to inform the public of what he believes are dangerous, misguided policies and decisions that are being made at the highest levels of our government. Dan Verton
Author
Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism (2003)
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read Account of What Really Happened on 9/11
Review: I just bought this book and I haven't been able to put it down--it's a breath of fresh air to read a cohesive account of 9/11, and find out what's really been going on in the White House. It's not a fun book--no Al Franken-esque joshing here--but a moving and chilling account of where our country is at this moment. After serving as the "terrorism czar" under three presidents, Clarke knows of what he speaks; if you live in America, care about the American response to terrorism, or have any stake in the war in Iraq you ought to read this book, no matter which primaries you vote in.
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