This is an important work on understanding how best to fight this terrorist war. To dismiss this book as partisan rhetoric, would be extremely ignorant of what Clarke is trying to accomplish and put forth. It is not an outright attack on the Bush administration, as some seem to claim, rather a thorough analysis of each administration?s priority with terrorism. This is not an unqualified accusation, Clarke was in the trenches from the beginning of this war and watched its importance get set aside for other priorities. Yes, the Bush Administration is taken to task for not heading the advice of the Clinton administration. But as the truth began to become more apparent, our desire to attack and extinguish this threat escalated. In the early stages of this war, Clarke demonstrates, many of our terrorists attacks were not correctly attributed to him.

Because of our relationship with Saudi Arabia and continued military presence in the Middle East, Bin Laden has considered us a threat to his world and has declared war on us. He tracks the history of this group and our growing awareness of what are their goals. Richard Clarke offers up his own, personal, experience of our government recognizing and dealing with the war on terrorism in particular, our war with Usama Bin Laded and his Al Qaeda network. The charges Clarke levels against the current administration must be taken seriously by every American, Democrat or Republican. Thanks to the determined, even conspiratorial views of Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and Bush, we went after the wrong enemy. Clarke knows why we failed to shut down terrorist financing within our borders prior to 2001.Īfter ignoring existing plans to attack al Qaeda when he first took office, George Bush made disastrous decisions when he finally did pay attention. His aides had little interest in Osama Bin Laden, preferring to talk about Saddam Hussein at every turn. When President Bush took office, Clarke was ready to present him with a master plan to roll back and destroy al Qaeda, yet the president did not grant a briefing for months. terrorism sponsored by Iran and Iraq) and his great frustrations (failing to kill Osama Bin Laden despite many attempts). He has had a front-row seat at every major battle in this war, from the first World Trade Center bombing, to 9/11, to Afghanistan, to Iraq.Ĭlarke knows the secret stories of Bill Clinton's great victories (shutting down anti-U.S. Bush and Bill Clinton, the man who has led our efforts against al Qaeda and all other terrorist enemies for years, serving under seven presidents and in the White House for George H.

There is no man who knows more about it than Richard Clarke, the former Counterterrorism Czar for both George W.

The real war on terror has happened largely behind closed doors, run by the White House, drawing on secret intelligence and operations around the world.

Against all enemies by richard a clarke