Despite his slightly smug tone, richard clarke offers a devastating critique of george w bush in against all enemies, says john kampfner. Richard clarke s against all enemies doesnt live up to its title. Richard clarke was appointed by president clinton as the first national coordinator for security, infrastructure protection, and counterterrorism in may 1998 and continued in that position under george w. Believe him, he has been followed by many other exbush people and i believe every single word of what he says. I also welcome the hearings because it is finally a forum where i can apologize to the loved ones. In this book, clarke settles all accounts, taking major aim at the george w. When richard clarke apologized for 911, he never thought that there would be so many more government failures in so short a time, but climate change, katrina, the struggle with al qaeda, the insecurity in cyberspace, and the failure of homeland security all bespeak a larger. I welcome these hearings because of the opportunity that they provide to the american people to better understand why the tragedy of 911 happened and what we must do to prevent a reoccurance. Bush from the point of view from insider and counterterrorism czar richard a. Books the fifth domain against all enemies richard a. As clarke warned in his bestselling book, against all enemies. Inside americas war on terror by clarke, richard a.
Clark had the curious fortune of heading counterterrorism in both the clinton. Tell us about your inability to promote your book versus the ability of richard clarke to promote his book. Clarke s speech will be followed by remarks and a panel discussion on. What clarke knew and when he knew it the new york times. President bush and his administration are sharply criticized, but other guilty parties are strangely ignored. Bush administration that eventually eased him out of his critical position and at his antagonists such as vice president richard cheney and deputy. Until march 2003 he was a career member of the senior executive service, having begun his federal service in 1973 in the office of the. Richard clarke served seven presidents and worked inside the white house for george h. But if president bush and his advisers were hoping that their loud preemptive attacks on against all enemies would make this book go away, they were sadly mistaken. Richard clarke served seven presidents and worked inside the white house. Clarke wrote in against all enemies that in the summer of 2001, the intelligence community was convinced of an imminent attack by alqaeda, but could not get the attention of the highest levels of the bush administration. Richard clarke has devoted two decades of his professional life to combating terrorism. Richard clarkes against all enemies, however, is a notable exception. Read an excerpt from his book, against all enemies, published by free press.
Clarke worked for seven presidents and devoted three decades of his professional life to combating threats to the united states. I dont think theres any question that this is one of the best examples that weve had recently of the bias in the mainstream media. Coming from a man known as one of the hardliners against terrorists, against all enemies is both a powerful history of our twodecadeslong confrontation with terrorism and a. Apparently, all of those claims were false as the u.
Richard clarke discusses national security and civil. Coming from a man known as one of the hardliners against terrorists, against all enemies is both a powerful history of our twodecadeslong confrontation with terrorism and a searing. There is a veritable plethora of political books on the market these days. Clarke, criticizing past and present presidential administrations for the way they handled the war on terrorism. With allnew excerpts from richard clarkes dramatic public testimony, and. His seminal work on terrorism and al qaeda, against all enemies, was a number one ny times best seller. The one person who knows more about usama bin laden and al qaeda than anyone else in this country, he has devoted two decades of his professional life to combating terrorism. It is only because events move so quickly these days that i have thus far been writing in the past tense. Coming from a man known as one of the hardliners against terrorists, against all enemies is both a powerful history of our twodecadeslong confrontation with terrorism and. It is in many ways a tougher opponent than the original threat we faced before september 11, and we are not doing what is necessary to make america safe from that threat. Clarke s books include both nonfiction 5 and fiction 4.
Inside americas war on terror, is a chilling account of how the united states has become the target of a wellorganized group of religious zealots bent on. But whether he fades or not, the case advanced in against all enemies, and echoes of that case, are bound to haunt our political debate for a long time. Not only was the mainstream media taking a handsoff approach to me. This 352page book is composed of the following eleven chapters. Thats the message in this provocative sequel to against all enemies. Clarke was born in boston, massachusetts, usa on friday, october 27, 1950 baby boomers generation. We tried hard but that doesnt matter because we failed and for. The nook book ebook of the breakpoint by richard a. Inside americas war on terror, stands out amongst them all as an absolutely riveting, intelligently written discussion of the most harrowing issue of the new century terrorism clarke, the former counterterrorism czar for both bill clinton and george w. Despite his slightly smug tone, richard clarke offers a devastating. The book is thus a rebuttal against the sentiment that the united states government successfully upheld its collective oath to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Clarke begins the book in the midst of the domestic political turmoil in. He is the author of four novels and four nonfiction books, including the new york times bestseller against all enemies. Bush for not taking proper action to respond to elevated threats before 911.
Both sides hurry to gain intelligence and stop their own perpetrators before a. Pdf against all enemies download full pdf book download. Clarke went on to write in his 2004 book against all enemies that zubaydah, whose torture testimony presumably led to the capture of ksm and others, was one of al qaedas top operational managers. There is no man who knows more about it than richard clarke, the former counterterrorism czar for both george w. Veteran counterterrorism czar and one of the worlds leading experts on cyberspace security, richard a.
When richard clarke apologized for 911, he never thought that there would be so many more government failures in so short a time, but climate change, katrina, the struggle with al qaeda, the insecurity in cyberspace, and the failure of homeland security all bespeak a larger problem, a systemic failure. The book focused much of its criticism on president george w. Coming from a man known as one of the hardliners against terrorists, against all enemies is both a powerful history of our twodecadeslong confrontation with terrorism and a searing indictment of the current administration. Being out of town and putting the foreign affairs essay to bed, im late to the richard clarke story. Coming from a man known as one of the hardliners against terrorists, against all enemies is both a powerful.
Unlike most memoirists, clarke has not written in a prosaic. He worked for the state department during the presidency of ronald reagan. He vowed, as per tradition, to support and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On the one hand, it is an important book that gives the american public detailed background on the events leading up to, first, the attack on america on sept. The publicity surrounding the book his allegation that bush and the. Conceivably, richard clarke himself will fade from the scene as suddenly as he emerged. Inside americas war on terror isbn 0743268237 is a 2004 awardwinning book by former u. About the author richard clarke was appointed by president clinton as the first national coordinator for security, infrastructure protection, and counterterrorism in may 1998 and continued in that position under george w. His 2010 volume cyber war, coauthored with rob knake, was a washington post bestseller and acknowledged as an early and foundational book in the field.
Richard clarke discusses national security and civil liberties at aclu conference. He has served under four presidents from both parties, beginning in ronald reagans state department becoming americas first counterterrorism czar under bill clinton and remaining for the first two years of george w. Now that he has disagreed with the bush administration, he has been trashed. Against all enemies is both a powerful history of our twodecadeslong confrontation with terrorism and a searing indictment of the current administration. Inside americas war on terror, clarke explains americas long war on terrorism. 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. In his book, against all enemies, and his testimony before congress, he criticized george w. It is a rarity among washingtoninsider memoirs its a thumping good read. No one has more authority to make that claim than richard clarke, the former counterterrorism czar for both bill clinton and george w. Against all enemies is a fascinating book about the recent history of terrorism during the presidential years of bush senior, bill clinton and george w. Inside americas war on terror 2004, a very critical text on how.
This book contains clarke s selfwritten narrative of his experience in counterterrorism and national security. He has served under four presidents from both parties, beginning in ronald reagans state department becoming americas first counterterrorism. About the author richard clarke was appointed by president clinton as the first national coordinator for security, infrastructure protection, and counterterrorism in may 1998 and continued. Clarkes pentup anger spills onto the pages of against all enemies, written in the summer and fall of 2003. Clarke began his testimony by addressing the families of sept. Richard clarke has been one of americas foremost experts on counterterrorism measures for more than two decades. Against all enemies available for download and read online in other formats. Inside americas war on terror is a 2004 awardwinning book by former u. Bush, charging that he failed to take sufficient action to protect the country in the elevatedthreat period before the september 11 attacks and for the 2003 invasion of iraq, which clar. Clarke begins the book in the midst of the domestic political turmoil in the years leading up to the september 11 attacks. Clarke came to widespread public attention for his counterterrorism role in march 2004.