Richard A. Clarke knows more about terrorism than anyone in the U.S. At least that’s what the inside of the jacket to his new book, Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror claims. He should, too, having worked under four presidents and been the counter-terrorism czar for G.W. Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton.
That’s why his accusation that the White House, “squandered an opportunity to eliminate al Qaueda” is drawing so much attention, vaulting Against All Enemies to the top of the New York Times best seller list.
Though not something to grab for light reading during finals, it’s certainly worth reading for the wealth of information that it provides and for the personal look inside politics.
The first chapter was brilliant. It details Clarke’s view on the events of 9-11 inside the White House situation room. He combines his stunning breadth of knowledge, high-speed dialogue, and interaction with the people involved to give a realistic yet profoundly personal account. It is by far the best chapter, so intense and individualized it makes The West Wing look like The Anna Nicole Show.
For example, Clarke takes the time to talk about his friend John O’Neil, who left the White House to work at the World Trade Center because the Bush Administration wasn’t doing enough about terrorism. In doing so, he deftly reveals his reasons for fighting terrorism and the difficulties therein all at once. Those personal touches made the book far more real, helping me form my impression of Clarke as the ideal civil servant: dedicated, intelligent, willing to act, and always keeping people’s best interests in mind.
After the first chapter, Clarke’s expertise really begins to show through, somewhat to the detriment of the common reader. He reveals his own awareness of terrorism step-by-step as he worked for Reagan, Bush, Sr., Clinton, and Bush, Jr. His knowledge is so exhaustive that I felt a bit like a layman talking to an expert craftsman; I could tell that he was brilliant and dedicated, but the details were occasionally overwhelming. I must admit I occasionally found myself flipping ahead to see how many pages were left in the chapter. Similarly, some of the sentences were long and convoluted, making it less than an easy Sunday read.
In short, Clarke says terrorism was a priority for Clinton. For Bush, it simply was not – unless it was tied to Iraq. Every U.S. intelligence agency out there had looked for a tie between al Qaeda and Iraq. There was none. Iraq had not sponsored any terrorism since 1993.
Reading about the Bush administration’s unenthusiastic reaction to terrorism before 9-11 frustrated me. But knowing about all the personal sacrifice that went into fighting terrorism before him infuriated me.
Accounts of Wolfowitz, Ashcroft, Rice, and Bush ignoring al Qaeda – in favor of Iraq – made me want to do something outright un-Quakerly.
If you do not like politics or do not care about terrorism, this book is not for you. But if you intend to talk about terrorism at any point in the near future, read it. It’s not always the most engaging read, but the information and personal touches make it well worth it. By the end you may even want to follow the title and swear, “to preserve, to protect, the defend the Constitution of the United States of America, Against All Enemies …”.