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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: $14.95
You Save: $12.55 (46%)
New (46) Used (11) Collectible (5) from $11.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 110
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
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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 46 more reviews...
 Torture: True or False August 30, 2008
There is no question the Bush-Cheney group are responsible for the implementation of torture as defined under the Geneva Conventions.
When the order from Gitmo arrived in Iraq, un-trained and even more so, un-accountable contractors used the techniques used and authorized by Rumsfelt to inflict not only pain and suffering on innocent people, but moreover, a lifetime of "payback" mentality towards US forces in Iraq. That said, some of these innocent people who were detained and perhaps tortured were the ones who laid IED's of EFP's to kill or maim our troops.
Bush, Cheney, Feith and others should be held accountable for their decisions and actions. Good book..factural and to the point..
 The Dark Side August 29, 2008
A must read! Jane Mayer's investigative work is thorough and is an excellent companion to other such compelling works as "Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein and "The Limits Of Power" by Andrew M. Bacevitch. Anyone interested in restoring our nation to its rightful place as the hope for a civilized world should regard these as primers for our national education of what to avoid in terms of political policy, and how to begin to rebuild a society of decency.
The Dark Side August 29, 2008
This carefully researched, devastating account of the concerted efforts by a small coterie of people at the highest levels of the Bush administration to maximize the powers of the executive branch of our government, and of the President, brings together in an eminently readable and logical way the many bits and pieces of information concerning the genesis of the secretive torture strategy which has filtered out over the years in the media. Jane Mayers has done an excellent job of describing the manner in which the legislative and judicial branches have been side-lined in the pursuit of this strategy, and she provides a wide range of credible sources in making her case that the practice of torture and other illegal activities by the CIA and the US military have been encouraged and approved by this Administration. The down-side of reading this book is that on almost every page it tends to make one sick about what has been happening to our constitutional democracy.
A very important piece of work August 29, 2008
This is a marvelous job of important investigative reporting. As a retired journalist (which means old and experienced) I am very envious of Jane Mayer's journalistic artistry. Her impeccable research shows that the Bush-Cheney administration has been turning the U.S. into a nation of duplicity and lies; that, in turn, has caused us to lose international respect and and friends and carries the danger of becoming a police state.
A Must Read for Pre-Election August 28, 2008
Congratulations to Ms. Mayer for a very consise and clearly set-out examination and explanation of the Bush Presidency and the dark motivations and the unexplicable dealings of his co-horts and cronies.
It's a condemnation, pure and simple, of the misuse power and religious fervor for political and personal agendas. Where was this 2 years ago?
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