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Against All Enemies (Abridged): Inside America's War on Terror Audiobook
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(3.02) - 2,116 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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. There is no man who knows more about it than Richard Clarke, the former Counterterrorism Czar for both George W. 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. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, until he resigned in March 2003. 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.
Clarke knows the secret stories of Bill Clinton's great victories -- shutting down anti-U.S. terrorism sponsored by Iran and Iraq -- and his great frustrations -- failing to kill Usama Bin Laden despite many attempts. 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. His aides had little interest in Usama Bin Laden, preferring to talk about Saddam Hussein at every turn. Clarke knows why we failed to shut down terrorist financing within our borders prior to 2001.
After ignoring existing plans to attack al Qaeda when he first took office, George Bush made disastrous decisions when he finally did pay attention. Thanks to the determined, even conspiratorial views of Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and Bush, we went after the wrong enemy.
The charges Clarke levels against the current administration must be taken seriously by every American, Democrat or Republican. Our security depends upon it.
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"A pretty in-depth look at the government's reaction on September 11, the history of Al Qaeda, and the Bush/Cheney administration. I'm sure the author put a positive spin on his own involvement as the counter-terrorism chief, but the book helped me to better understand the United States' ongoing conflict with terrorism."
— Jase (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Clarke has struck a chord because his passionate efforts reflected those great American virtues of ingenuity and brashness. Even if he was a bit of a cowboy, loading up his .357 sidearm to return to the West Wing the night after 9/11, at least he was not dozing through High Noon.”
— New York Times -
“A highly readable, often exciting, and authoritative account of America’s most dangerous immediate problem, how to deal with terrorism and al-Qaeda. It is also the story of one man’s effort to make the complex bureaucracy of the federal government respond to undefined but devastating threats as well as to unforeseen emergencies. It is an important book.”
— New York Review of Books -
“Clarke’s revealing book Against All Enemies makes clear that he is perhaps the single most improbable hero American liberals have ever revered…He was a strong believer in the use of US military power…Some of his views might ordinarily be greeted with a dollop of skepticism were it not for the fact that Clarke was right, clearly and spectacularly so, about one big thing, the biggest of all: al-Qaeda and the threat its terrorism has posed to the United States.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Mr. Clarke’s book is a rare literary phenomenon, a thriller contemporary, and kiss-and-tell all rolled into one, before being bound with dynamite and fired crashing through the windows of the Oval Office.”
— Times (London)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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One of the 2004 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
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Winner of the 2005 Audie Award
Against All Enemies Listener Reviews
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" Great all-encompassing book. It details the evolution of terrorism from the Regan Administration to the W. Bush Administration, and with it the strengths and weaknesses of each of the corresponding presidencies. "
— ERNEST, 2/7/2014 -
" This is a history of America's war on terror. Starting in the early 1980's with Reagan's handling of the bombings in Lebanon, the first Gulf War, the first World Trade Center Bombings and then finally 9/11. The first part of the the book is a straightforward history of how we got to where we did and what means have been taken to fight the terrorism threat.The last couple of chapters document the Bush administration response to terror, first before and then after 9/11. This is the part of the book that is very controversial, understandably so with the accusations he makes. He makes Bush and his cronies sound like they had no idea what they were doing with respect to terrorism. It is scary to think that such clueless people are running our country. "
— Frederick, 1/29/2014 -
" There was some really great insight at the opening of the book about what happened on and right after 9/11, and also suggestions at the end of the book about how to handle foreign relations and use of force after 9/11. However, the meat of the book was a bitchfest of I-told-you-so's and all the ways that Clinton was better than Bush Jr. Maybe too much about 9/11 is still classified, but this tell-all felt like either a teaser/prequel, or just a way for Clarke to complain about what wasn't done the way he suggested. If things were up to him we'd probably have spent as much money before 9/11 as we do now on ineffective "Homeland Security," so had his advice been heeded we'd all be blaming him for the deficit blown on security measures, but the book makes me feel as useless as our government. Not a compelling argument at all. "
— Micaela, 1/28/2014 -
" One side of the story and worth hearing about. "
— Robin, 1/21/2014 -
" Everyone should read this book. Richard Clarke is an unsung hero. One of the few who had the courage to speak the truth during the Bush years. Sadly not many seem to have heard it or worse, chose to disregard it. "
— David, 12/30/2013 -
" Very insightful. I didn't find him biased in the least. He says he is telling the story from his point of view and what a point of it is! "
— Miriam, 12/28/2013 -
" Don't accept simple solutions for complex problems. I'm glad that people like Dick Clark were working for our government. "
— Paul, 12/27/2013 -
" Excellent book. A great read for current and aspiring practitioners. Clarke had a one-of-a-kind government career and packs in loads of lessons on how to be effective in government through vivid anecdotes. "
— Joel, 12/26/2013 -
" One of the best books I have read regarding the buildup to the war in Iraq...recommend it highly. "
— Donna, 12/18/2013 -
" Clarke shines a spotlight on the incompetence of the Bush Administration from the moment they took office. It was fascinating, infuriating, and terrifying. "
— Mick, 5/18/2013 -
" I greatly enjoyed this book. The main body of the work provided what was, to me, startling insight into the events that led up to 9-11. For a political memoir, it's very engaging and readable. My interest waned in the last chapter, as the pace slowed, however. Overall, a recommended read. "
— Stefanie, 4/24/2013 -
" Very good. I know Republicans like to down play it but Clarke praises some Republicans as well as Democrats. It is a fair and balanced inside look into running into war in Iraq. "
— Raleighhunter, 3/30/2013 -
" Could not get past the adrenalin-filled and self-serving first chapter. "
— Seligne, 1/17/2013 -
" Excellent read about the czar of terrorism and how 2 presidential administrations couldn't grasp the truth behind the threat of Islam. "
— Bernie, 3/25/2012 -
" An eye opener book about how political machine in the White House is run and how decisions, especially on security issues, are taken. "
— Tomi, 2/18/2012 -
" There are several books which indite Bush for creating the case to go to war. This is book presents the most powerful case for impeachment. "
— Mike, 10/25/2011 -
" Great picture of how we got to where we are with terrorism "
— Michael, 8/5/2011 -
" Quite the eye-opener. I read this book for work and was shocked at the first chapter. From then on, it is a fascinating read on the history of modern terrorism. A must-read for anyone wondering how the heck we ended up like this. "
— Tara, 8/3/2011 -
" Interesting account from America's former anti-terrorism czar. He brings insight into the nation's security during the Bush(x2)/Clinton Administrations. A good read if you want to know why we really shouldn't have gone to war with Iraq, and concentrated on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan instead. "
— Flo, 7/15/2011 -
" He hit it on the head and yet they ignored him then fired him. For certain segments of the population, facts don't matter unless they jive with their agenda. "
— James, 6/22/2011 -
" Interesting in some respects (which I shall not go into here). I would like to say that there is a fair amount of strong language, all of which I proceeded to black out for the sake of the next reader. "
— Krystina, 5/19/2011 -
" I liked it for it's historical significance. I believe this guy told the truth as far as his perspective could and believe his accounts of the inside drama in the history of modern American terrorism ..<br/> "
— Jim, 5/7/2011 -
" Yet more evidence that George W Bush is incompetent and mislead this country into war. "
— Chris, 1/13/2011 -
" ***** A true story of espionage, government workings, etc that reads like a thriller. The events concerning terrorism and US policy leading up to and after 9/11. An excellent book and a must read. "
— lunaticprophet, 1/11/2011 -
" Confirms that Bush Administration was asleep at the switch and wrong headed afterward. "
— Richard, 9/16/2010 -
" Very interesting. Clarke gives a concise and compelling history lesson and links it to the events leading up to 9/11. Could have done without the fictional-like opening to the book though. Not very good. "
— Kristina, 9/10/2010 -
" The first two chapters of this book tells the amazing story of the Bush Administrationactivities on 9/11 "
— Stuart, 8/20/2010 -
" Everyone should read this book. Richard Clarke is an unsung hero. One of the few who had the courage to speak the truth during the Bush years. Sadly not many seem to have heard it or worse, chose to disregard it. "
— David, 3/14/2010 -
" Another frightening look at the Bush W White House told by Bush's counterterrorism Czar. The lies, the failures, and the coverups. "
— Jo, 1/6/2010 -
" Historical day by day account of why the government failed on 911. Clarke is a true patriot.<br/> "
— columbialion, 1/6/2010 -
" Be prepared to google a lot of military information and historical facts. I took notes, but worth the work. "
— Sarah, 12/12/2009 -
" Very good. I know Republicans like to down play it but Clarke praises some Republicans as well as Democrats. It is a fair and balanced inside look into running into war in Iraq. "
— Raleighhunter, 10/1/2009
About Richard A. Clarke
Richard A. Clarke completed a thirty year career in national security, during which he held positions in the White House, the Pentagon, the Intelligence Community, and the State Department. He worked in the White House National Security Council for presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush for an unprecedented ten consecutive years, and he served on President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence. After leaving full-time government service, Clarke wrote six books, both fiction and nonfiction, taught for five years at Harvard’s Kennedy School, has been an on-air consultant for ABC News for a decade, created and manages a cyber security and venture capital related consulting firm, serves on corporate boards, and is chairman of the Board of Governors of the Middle East Institute.