The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals

Every American Must Read This Book!

Written by ace New Yorker writer Jane Mayer, this book is a page-turning thriller detailing how the Bush Administration reacted to the attacks of 9/11. If you care about our constitution, the rule of law, due process and your own civil liberties, you must read this book. Consider it a legal brief on the crimes of the Bush Administration. All the more devastating because it true.

11 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

Very shocking

The door to the misdeeds of the Bush Administration is opened a bit more in this shocking book.The torture discribed on its pages and the total disregard for American values exibited by those in power is nothing less than war crimes.Abu Ghraib is only one example of the depths of depravity exhibited and condoned by those in power in the US Government.As is pointed out in this book, the US historically has taken the 'high road' on prisoner treatment.For whatever reason, the Executive Branch has thrown those values out the window in their zeal to make us safer. As the author points out, their misdeeds have not only made the US more contemptible to many people in the world, we have also become more vulnerable.The saddest part of this book's message is in pointing out how far those in power in the US have carried us into an abyss. And I dare say that there will be more books to come out as time passes on how bad the past eight years have been for our country.

5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

For those too busy to cruise the web

If you're a regular reader of some of the better websites exposing graft, corruption, malfeasance and gutting of the constitution. Sites like Harpers No Comment Blog by Columbia University's award winning lawyer, Scott Harper or Talking Points Memo's Muckraker site, then most of this will not be new to you. But if all the news you get is the mainstream media reports from ABC, CBS, NBC, or worst of all, Fox News then you're going to be shocked at some of the revelations in this book. But make no mistake, everything outlined here is absolutely and unequivocally true. If most of America doesn't soon wake up to what has happened, we will become a fascist state in short order. The book outlines the fact that we're well on our way and we have many 'good Germans' who are allowing it to happen.

5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Not so fast!

Time will tell the legacy of this administration. Many mistakes have been made.But,much to the disappointment of many liberals, the war in Iraq has turned around and the outcome may prove to be the fatal blow to Al-Quada.God bless our troops. God bless America!

2 out of 20 people found this review helpful.

Response to Reviewers

Many reviewers have written that Mayer is too biased in her writing. She is being biased, but that is the point of her persuasive literary work. True, if this were a journalistic piece in a newspaper or magazine, it would be inappropriately pointed, but she has written a book whose aim is to persuade its readers into her viewpoint. Obviously she will use facts which support her case while ommitting most facts that hinder her case. She has every right to produce and persuade readers - it speaks of her inspiring confidence and conviction.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Another

Another smear piece meant to profit from current public sentiment. Don't bother.

1 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

Recommended to understand the what has been done to fight terrorism

Agree or not with the actions taken, this book provides a wide range of torture examples sanctioned and authorized by U.S. officials along with the outcome of the information gathered.

Did we give away our allies, laws, and moral high ground?

Mayer tells her story slowly, deliberately, carefully placing interview upon interview until we are faced with a pile of facts so distastful that it is difficult to imagine we turned faces away for so long. It is true we "didn't know," but the secrecy surrounding the internal operations of the White House is no excuse for allowing what we all may have suspected--that we were losing our moral high ground in the war against terror by stooping so low as to disregard our own, and international laws, in order to fight a virally-organized group of people that hated us for our excesses--the very excesses we were proving to be unequivocably true.

fascinating

the dark side is a tremendously important book----reveals all the secrets and lies of the bush regime. sorts out a murky and hard to understand trail of events that led to america's use of torture.----once i started, i couldn't put it down.

An Excellent Read, But...

The Dark Side is a compelling and well written study on the excess of power. It drove home to me the need for rules and checks. Dick Cheney, George Bush, David Addington and the other leaders of the Bush Administration appear to have lost sight that the rule of law is not just for the easy times, but is especially necessary in times of national stress.

While Ms. Mayer does an excellent job stating her case, I found her voice a bit too biased. I am a little bothered by her over use of unnamed sources. While it may be difficult to give true credence to the arguments in favor of extreme executive power and the abuse of human rights, I would have found the book a bit more credible if Ms. Mayer hadn't given those views more than just lip service mentioning.

Overall, I think this book should be mandatory reading for any American regardless of their political leanings.

the Liberal mind-set

Every liberal wants to bash the Bush administration for the problems in Iraq. They seem to forget that the democrats had their hands in it too before GW Bush came into play. Yes, he and his advisor made mistakes, but he is not alone in that. Ms. Mayer comes from the mindset of so many young women today who profess certain ideals but adhere to none. They see only what they want to see. As far as a "war on american ideals"- it is the far-left liberals who are destroying this country.Destroying traditions and black-listing anyone who does not have the same ideology as they. These same liberals pay attention to the Hollywood loons who mouth off about the politics used in Iraq. I still see the Barbara Streisannds and the Alec Baldwins and the Susan Sarandons still staying here. Why?. If our policies are so corrupt, then why do they stay? The answer is because they realize that there is no other place they can go and be able to speak their mind without getting themselves "blacklisted" or worse yet- killed. I came from such a country where freedom of speech was not permitted.
Ms. Mayer may be informed and educated but she should write about facts and not what she feels. We don't need authors such as she.

0 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

More of the same from a partisan hack...

Jane Mayer has such a long history of partisan hacking it¿s hard to take anything she¿s writes seriously¿that said there is little corroborative substance to her claims, and whether or not one believes the numerous congressional investigations one has to wonder how it is that Ms. Mayer would have access to instances of torture not available to congress.

If you like cheap shot partisans attacks¿.you¿ll love this book.

0 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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