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| Author: Jane Mayer
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $18.15
You Save: $9.35 (34%)
Rating:  110 reviews
Sales Rank: 544
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
Publication Date: July 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 A book everyone should have an opinion on! July 20, 2008
53 out of 97 found this review helpful
I was the victim, suvivor of an IRA bomb attack in Warrington 1993, which resulted in the death of two young boys, who were out shopping for their mother`s day presents. The world wide condemnation of this one attack sparked the beginning of the end for the Irish armed struggle. We were almost desensitised by bombs, because we had been under attack for decades.
This book is an emotional manuscript, that describes the American government`s response to one of the worst terrorist attrocities ever recorded. An act of terror committed on your own doorstep, something that Bush and his affiliates had never had to deal with on such a scale. The policies adopted by the men placed in charge of US response, should not come as a shock to anyone. They are standard armed conflict techniques used for decades by Western governments, all over the globe, in a multitude of theatres. The use of these tehniques is a shocking betrayal of the American constitution and I completely agree with the five star reviewers of this book, I give it three stars because although the subject is close to my heart (I write thrillers about Islamic extremists, and try to put as much fact into the fiction to make it believable) I found parts of it difficult to progress through. The research and content is beyond question and I applaud the author for her skill as a journalist.
It`s written to shock, inwhich case it does not present a balanced view. If it were just a documentry of the facts then fine, it`s a great book. If it is the tainted opinion of an anti `whoever` was in charge` whether it`s Bush or not, then it was written purely to shock. There is nothing new in the expose, which isnt already public domain. Coming from across the `pond` I cant help but hope that someone will write such a candid, well researched book about how we, the British, were lied to about `weapons of mass destruction`. Even after Tony Blair was exposed as a liar, the fear factor running after the shock waves of 9/11 and the 7/7 London bombings meant that yet again we turned a blind eye and re-elected a snake. Can we only blame Bush and Blair? of course not. Am I SURPRISED by what I`ve read in this book? of course not. Do I think that the book will enrage an American public, who feel that they have been betrayed, absolutely yes.
All that aside I have no doubt that you will enjoy reading it as much as you enjoy talking about it afterwards !!
 Read Frank Rich's NY Times OpEd 7/13/08 - Must Read Book July 15, 2008
51 out of 78 found this review helpful
For a great view of how this book layers into the Bush Administration's approach to the presidency and how to run it go to the NY Times website and read Frank Rich's Op Ed piece from 7/13/08. Says it all.
Scary - best read in small doses if you have anger issues July 18, 2008
47 out of 59 found this review helpful
This book is a must read, if only to confirm what many of us expected and believed that the Bush Administration was capable of doing to human beings.
Graphic, nauseating, disgustingly filled with tidbits regarding the Bush Administrations gradual dismantling of the US Constitution and its full blown assault on human rights (including of course, their Trademark Torture), misuse of the judiciary and general attack on US citizens in general, this book will scare your socks off - and it's true.
The American public should be required to partake of this gem. We as citizens, have allowed these people to smash our rights and our Constitution and commit War Crimes in the name of our country without being held to any type of ethical standards.
You will come away believing that Bush and Cheney should stand trial at the Hague for War Crimes or be impeached for failing to uphold our Constitution and violating their Oath of Office.
Criminals - that's all they are.
Well organized and researched. July 20, 2008
46 out of 65 found this review helpful
One reviewer said that there is no point reading another book about the things the Bush administration has done since 9-11. Why? Is it because they cling to the hope that it is ALL lies, or do they think that if it is buried in the dung heep of history that no one will notice? Yes, there are a lot of books "bashing" Bush, but they are well deserved, even if the end result is that nothing will or has been done to fix things. That is the sad part of it.
But "The Dark Side" so far is the best of the books describing the errors this administration made after 9-11 and continues to make and will continue to make right up to the election and next January. This book will open eyes, but sadly will change nothing. If those die hard Bush supporters will now admit the truth, and come out of the dark, then maybe it will all be worth it.
Becoming the Devil Ourselves! July 17, 2008
45 out of 55 found this review helpful
"The Dark Side" documents how the Bush Administration immediately took the wrong direction post 9/11 in an effort to avert blame for what was a colossal bureaucratic failure (people not doing their jobs or using common sense), combined with inattention and lack of political will at the top. Instead of trying to learn from the tragedy, as Roosevelt did after Pearl Harbor, we blamed it on too much international law, civil liberties, and constraints on the President and covert actions.
This "blameless" direction also fit neatly in with Cheney's effort to strengthen executive powers - his secret energy task force. Cheney immediately saw to it that lawyers came up with rationale sanctioning vast expansions of power in the War on Terror, including physical and psychological torment of captives, and secret capture and indefinite detention of suspects without charges.
Those failing to fall into line, one way or another, were demoted or simply cast aside. Later, as criticism continue to mount, Bush et al tried evading responsibility through new legal opinions, convoluted hair-splitting, and lying.
Where did all this get us? We now have nearly-unanimous negative world opinion (India and Russia being the exceptions), thanks to the Iraq War, the continuing middle-East conflict, deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan-Pakistan, AND the torture of detainees. Nearly seven years post 9/11 not one terror suspect held outside the U.S. criminal justice system has been tried, cases have been dropped because of concerns regarding "evidence" acquired through torture, and no senior Bush Administration person has been prosecuted or fired in connection with prisoner abuse - despite Human Rights Watch' estimates that over 600 U.S. personnel have been involved abusing over 460 detainees, the International Red Cross' unqualified conclusion that torture was utilized, and General Taguba's similar conclusion. Finally, a well-intentioned Congressional ban on torture has been defeated through explicitly excluding the CIA and a Bush "signing statement."
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