Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9780385526395
ISBN: 0385526393
Label: Doubleday
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Doubleday
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: 2008-07-15
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 2008-07-15
Studio: Doubleday

A dramatic and damning narrative account of how America has fought the
"War on Terror"

In the days immediately following September 11th, the most powerful people in the country were panic-stricken. The radical decisions about how to combat terrorists and strengthen national security were made in a state of utter chaos and fear, but the key players, Vice President Dick Cheney and his powerful, secretive adviser David Addington, used the crisis to further a long held agenda to enhance Presidential powers to a degree never known in U.S. history, and obliterate Constitutional protections that define the very essence of the American experiment.

THE DARK SIDE is a dramatic, riveting, and definitive narrative account of how the United States made terrible decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world-- decisions that not only violated the Constitution to which White House officials took an oath to uphold, but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda. In gripping detail, acclaimed New Yorker writer and bestselling author, Jane Mayer, relates the impact of these decisions—U.S.-held prisoners, some of them completely innocent, were subjected to treatment more reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition than the twenty-first century.

THE DARK SIDE will chronicle real, specific cases, shown in real time against the larger tableau of what was happening in Washington, looking at the intelligence gained—or not—and the price paid. In some instances, torture worked. In many more, it led to false information, sometimes with devastating results. For instance, there is the stunning admission of one of the detainees, Sheikh Ibn al-Libi, that the confession he gave under duress—which provided a key piece of evidence buttressing congressional support of going to war against Iraq--was in fact fabricated, to make the torture stop.

In all cases, whatever the short term gains, there were incalculable losses in terms of moral standing, and our country's place in the world, and its sense of itself. THE DARK SIDE chronicles one of the most disturbing chapters in American history, one that will serve as the lasting legacy of the George W. Bush presidency.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent and frightening
Comment: The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals

An eye-opening, well documented look into the Bush administration. The facts outlined will keep you awake at night, or at least it did me.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Without Liberty and Justice for All
Comment: Without Liberty and Justice For All

History is supposed to teach us lessons from the past. The Alien and Sedition Act, the "Red Scare" of 1919, the detention of thousands of Americans during World War II because of their Japanese ancestry were supposed to teach us that in the most dire threat to our safety, the rule of law ennobles us and protects us from tyranny. In `The Dark Side," Jane Mayer explains how easy it is for history to repeat itself in the name of security.

By September 11, 2001, the President of the United States had already spent fifty days of his first eight months in office, on vacation. In spite of several warnings of an impending attack from several foreign intelligence sources, as well as our own, the administration never quite understands the threat.

The attack on a clear summer morning changes that, and it changes things for the worse. The subsequent invasion of Afghanistan allows the military and the C.I.A. to round up hundreds of Taliban prisoners. An offer of a $5,000 bounty for the capture of al-Qaeda and Taliban nets them hundreds more. The administration screams for actionable intelligence from these detainees, but sorting them out and interrogating them is another matter. The assumption is that "enhanced interrogation techniques" will bring more accurate results in less amount of time. It also has to be justified.

The justification comes from John Yoo, the legal counsel for the Justice Department who provides just the argument Dick Cheney and his attorney, Dick Addington are looking for. It says the president can do essentially anything he wants, and ignore Congress, if it for the security of the country. Yoo also states that enhanced interrogation techniques are not torture unless it results in organ failure or death. Alberto Gonzalez joins in describing Afghanistan as a failed state, and their detainees as unlawful combatants. The state department is not consulted.

America's shame is just beginning.

With John Yoo's memo providing the green light, American military and C.I.A. begin to torture detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Saddam Hussein's Abu-Ghraib prison, and one in Afghanistan. The techniques they employ are sleep deprivation, standing for prolonged periods, the absence of light and irregular meal periods to enhance disorientation, water boarding, extreme cold and heat, constant loud music, humiliation, no toilet breaks, confined spaces, prolonged restraints, especially Palestinaina hangings, irregular and insufficient periods of sleep, and threats. Other detainees are sent to countries for rendition, countries known for human rights abuses. People will die of exposure, heart attack, or from simply being beaten to death.

While the administration claims that the techniques work, there are too many instances where the tormented harden their resolve during harsh treatment, and cooperate when treated well. Many who are tortured provide false information that sends our intelligence assets on fools' errands. The most damaging disinformation comes from Sheikh Ibn al-sLibi who gives evidence against Saddam Hussein while he is being tortured. This is the justification for going to war with Iraq. He only wanted his torturers to stop.

In 2003-4, the policy begins to unravel. Charges are reduced, dropped, or changed against John Walker Lindh, Yasser Hamdi, and Jose Padilla. Since they were tortured, their charges won't stand up in court. Justice Department lawyers begin to question John Yoo's legal precedents. The CIA Inspector General begins to investigate abuses. JAG officers begin refuse to prosecute or serve on military tribunals. In 2005, the Abu-Ghraib scandal will break. It is later estimated that most of the detainees at "Gitmo" are people who were rounded up when they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or were turned in for the generous bounty offered. They include an eighty-year old deaf man, and a wealthy Kuwaiti businessman who will indignantly refuse to buy another Cadillac after his mistreatment." A German and a Canadian citizen will be kidnapped and tortured before they are set free. Three hundred forty of 749 detainees held in Gitmo will remain there with only a handful being charged.

In spite of a growing rebellion inside the Departments of Defense and Justice, the President refuses to remove people he promised he would hold accountable for abuses. Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 600 U.S. military and civilian personnel were involved in torture.

The true leader of this policy holds a tight rein and his resistance to change is fierce. It is Dick Cheney and his loyal lawyer, Dave Addington. Even the new attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez refuses to go toe to toe with Dave, a tall, snarling bully. Cheney takes the unprecedented step of summoning the C.I.A.'s Inspector General to his office while he is conducting his investigation. The military holds a number of investigations that limit them to looking at the lower ranks. It is also clear by 2005, that Bush is fully aware that some of his senior officials believe that Gitmo should be closed and his detention policy changed. The dissenters and naysayers are excluded from any more discussion. To this day, Bush refuses to budge.

This is a powerful story. The author is holding a mirror to people who have long believed they were just and righteous. This is not just a bucket of cold water, it is being thrown into a river of ice.She tells us that we must look at ourselves if we ever hope to recapture our moral greatness. Even this she concedes will take years. Her book is a good place for our national introspection to begin.

She concludes this powerful report with the following: "Seven years after Al Qaeda's attacks on America, as the Bush Administration slips into history, it is clear that what began on September 11, 2001, as a battle for America's security became, and continues to be a battle for the country's soul."



"This country does not believe in torture." George W. Bush, March 16, 2005.



Also recommended:

Goldsmith, Jack L. "The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration,

Miles, Steve, M.D. "Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity, and the War on Terror, Random House, 2006.

Wolf, Naomi, "The End of America," Chelsea Green Publishing, 2007.

Wright, Anne, "Dissent: Voices of Conscience," Koa Books, 2008.

Greenwald, Glenn, "A Tragic: How a Good Vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency, Crown, 2007.

Greenwald, Glenn, "How Would a Patriot Act: Defending American Values From a President Run Amuck, Working Assets, 2006.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: An Airtight Case for War Crimes Prosecution
Comment: I did not expect this book to impact me the way it did. I came away infuriated at the Bush administration and the voters and blind partisans who allowed this to happen. Now there is no longer any doubt; Bush and his appointees knowingly and willfully subverted the U.S. Constitution and violated national and international laws, some of which have been on the books for more than 100 years. In response, I notified two law school faculty members at Stanford, who have expertise in both Constitutional and International Law. One week later, I received an email informing me of the following. "There is enough evidence presented for Impeachment of President Bush, as well as enough evidence for the World Court to prosecute the following members of the Bush administration: John Yoo, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Dick Cheney, Lewis Libby, Albert Gonzales, Douglas Feith, John Ashcroft, Richard Armitage, David Addington and others. Even more disturbing, the World Court could also prosecute scores of others within the CIA, Pentagon (Armed Services), and private contractors such as Blackwater. Accordingly, we have sent a copy of the book to the World Court." The message is twofold: first, if you have not read the book buy it today; second, guilty members of the Bush administration and federal agencies should hire attornies immediately. Justice is on the way, and not the type dispensed by the U.S. Justice Department during this administration. America may turn a blind eye (and dwell on issues such as abortion, patriotism and homosexuality), but the world will not allow anyone to break international laws with impunity. There are more important matters at stake other than regulating sex and birth.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Crimes, lies and videotape
Comment: "Sunlight is the best disinfectant", U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once wrote, so Jane Mayer's stunning new look at the Bush administration's secret torture program inverts that quote into the perfect title of her book..."The Dark Side". In fact, she might have subtitled it, "Total Eclipse". It's bad enough that the president (so easily led as some in the White House have surmised) surrounded himself with one of the poorest teams in presidential history, but then he let the lawyers run it...David Addington and John Yoo, to name the two most influential ones. All of this under the secretive guise of the biggest "vice" of all...Dick Cheney...and you end up with an administration that thinks itself not only above the law, but that it IS the law.

Mayer probes the set up as to how Guantanamo Bay came into being in its current state and how Abu Ghraib was the beginning of the end of secrecy in the Bush White House. She follows the case of Mohammed al-Qahtani, (detainee number 063 at Guantanamo), the so-called "twentieth hijacker", as well as Manadel al-Jamadi, whose quick arrest and subsequent beatings in American hands left him dead within hours. But perhaps the saddest of all cases was that of Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen who was detained and tortured for months because his name bore a resemblance to a similar name on a terrorist list. Completely innocent, Masri has never fully recovered after his release.

The side show to all of this is the brutal infighting that took place in Washington. The Pentagon, CIA and FBI provided a trifecta of outsized egos and non-cooperation. With the White House added, it was a powder keg of a mix. As Mayer points out, it was the shamelessness of these people who went about trying to deny torture while knowing it was being carried out. That is the essence of "The Dark Side". But in it were those who tried to let in the light...Alberto Mora, Jack Goldsmith and James Comey....conservatives all, but with a strong core of decency.

As this pitiful administration creeps to a close it will become more evident in the coming months and years how disastrous this post-9/11 time has been. Hijackers reduced the twin towers to rubble but the Bush White House reduced the country in its response. One can only hope that when we look back on this time, the phrase "a government of laws, not of men" will have seen to have been twisted into a gross aberration.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: a rule of men, not laws
Comment: I'm the author of Prepared for Rage: A Novel, about an Islamic terrorist who tries to blow up the space shuttle. There are interrogation scenes at Guantanamo, and I was so dreading the research for them. I really didn't want to have to learn about waterboarding.

A funny thing happened on the way to researching the Gitmo scenes. Every source I found, either on line or in the library, said the same thing: Torture doesn't produce good intel. The person being tortured will say anything to make the torture stop. The way to get good intel is to talk to the subject, to listen to them, to coax them, cajole them, flatter them, befriend them. Trick them. I can't tell you how relieved I was, and I promptly invented a honey trap instead.

Then along comes Jane Mayer's The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals, and suddenly I'm in the middle of a horror show somewhere between the Spanish Inquisition and Nazi doctors in WWII concentration camps. People are being kidnapped and tortured by the CIA under cover of the executive privilege of the president of the United States. Surprise! No good intel is being produced, either.

I gave it five stars for content, but I can't say you'll enjoy reading this book. I felt sick while I was reading it and I still feel a little sick now. But it's a book that should be read, at the very least as a cautionary tale as to just how far things can go wrong when nobody's watching. There are heroes, though, like David Brant, the head of NCIS, Alberto Mora, Counsel to the US Navy, the FBI agents who refused to have anything to do with the torture, and all those administration attorneys who, while they were hired because they had the correct conservative credentials nevertheless knew that kidnapping and torture are wrong, unconstitutional and unAmerican, and who fought the good fight against this program, some of them from the beginning, and some of whom were fired or forced to quit because of it.

It's the victims who stay with me, though. Maher Arar and Khaled el-Masri, literally innocent bystanders who will never be the same again after their treatment at the hands of the CIA.

This book is also difficult to read because of the sheer weight of detail beneath which it almost founders. I can't believe Ms. Mayer got this many people to talk so freely to her. I kind of got the impression that they'd been dying to talk to somebody. The least we can do is listen to what they have to say.

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