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The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals | 
 enlarge | Author: Jane Mayer
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $16.39
You Save: $11.11 (40%)
New (34) Used (7) Collectible (6) from $16.39
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 49
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.7
ISBN: 0385526393
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9780385526395
ASIN: 0385526393
Publication Date: July 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: R20080807231647H
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Astonishing August 19, 2008
This was my first kindle book and it was very hard to put down. Clear facts. Timelines. Public and private records.
Beautiful and fluid storytelling about the most horrible thing imagineable...The US sacrificing all of its most cherished values to defeat the evil of terrorism.
As a veteran, I wrote letters to the President and my representatives when the Abu Gharib torture photos were released. In the Air Force we were made to memorize the Geneva Conventions...the activities described in this book would have been interpreted by any military individual I served with as an unlawful order under the Constitution as well as the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The Decision Makers may have thought they were doing what was necessary...but in the end their tragic choices have created a legacy that will haunt the country...especially our currently serving soldiers...now at even greater risk for torture and humiliation at the hands of any potential captors.
I have been recommending this book to everyone I know. It is a book that one does not really want to read...but should.
Solid documenation of one Bush policy August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Of the many critical books about the administration this one is among the most solidly documented treatments of one Bush policy--definition of and handling of terrorist suspects. The most realistic Americans, those who understand that even good people do evil things, if they read this book will have to admit that under Bush & Co. leadership we joined the ranks of the most evil.
IMPORTANT READ August 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I HAVE READ ALMOST ALL THE BOOKS ABOUT THE BUSH LOT OVER THESE PAST 8 YEARS AND THIS ONE IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST - IT SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR COUNTRY AND THE UPCOMING ELECTION. IN FACT, IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR ALL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, TO SAY NOTHING OF THEIR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS. A REALLY IMPORTANT BOOK
Necessary Book August 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This thoroughly researched, carefully annotated, and deeply depressing account of the process by which torture was instituted from the White House down as an acceptable practice provides multiple grounds for both impeachment of the perpetrators and eventual pursuit of them as war criminals--including Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, and perhaps Tenet. (Of course, either outcome is unlikely.) All of this is presented in clear and sober prose. It would be difficult to imagine that anyone could provide a clearer representation of why the last eight years have been such an unmitigated disaster for the country. Jane Mayer should win every possible award, and we are all in her debt for her heroic efforts.
CJP August 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent book, well-researched and thorough. Explains in more detail than I had been aware the process by which torture became the unspoken policy of the US as against detainees in the "war on terror," calling it a war rather than treating the detainees as potential criminals, subject to the criminal justice system, and detaining and torturing to prevent future attacks rather than based on something that was done in the past, turning our criminal justice system on its head.
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