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The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
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Average Rating:  out of 103 Reviews
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Price: $27.50
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Sale: $17.87
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Manufacturer: Doubleday
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780385526395
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Hardcover
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Author: Jane Mayer
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Publisher: Doubleday
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Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
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Publication Date: 2008-07-15
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Reading Level: 400
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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
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Review Summary: Compelling Read |
Date: 2008-12-04 |
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Details: One of the best books on the thinking of the Bush Administration, and their misguided journey into torture and imprisonment. Ms. Mayer does a wonderful job of documenting the twists and turns of the decision making process, and capturing the damage done not only to the victims and the aggressors, but to the country as a whole. The New York Times Review of Books has rated The Dark Side one of the 10 best books of 2008, and rightly so. |
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Review Summary: Shame On US |
Date: 2008-12-01 |
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Details: This book is one of the the most chilling I have read in some time. It makes the Watergate era look like child's play. Where was Congress? Where were men of stout heart and sober minds to combat the sick minds of Cheney,Addington,Yew, and others?
Most importantly, the echoes of torture approved by these men of no conscience, men that believed that cruelty was both necessary and justified, will reverberate throughout the years to come. The story is yet to end. |
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Review Summary: Absolutely compelling |
Date: 2008-11-29 |
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Details: This review covers the audio version of The Dark Side. I had no intention of listening to all 13 CDs, but the story was so compelling, so clearly and carefully told, that I was riveted until the end. I have loaned my set out, so I can't complement the reader (whose name is on the boxed set), who is wonderful. In terms of the book's content, I have nothing to add to prior reviews. My point is that for those of you who, like me, like "to read" while driving, this one is a winner. |
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Review Summary: Addington-Cheney-Bush Abuses of Presidential Power |
Date: 2008-11-28 |
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Details: The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
Jane Mayer's well-written and infuriating narrative of the current administration's abuses of the U. S. Constitution, laws and treaties is required reading for anyone who believes that one of the most monumental tasks of the Obama administration will be to restore the Constitution and the rule of law to the American people. Among the book's many attributes, Mayer puts the question to rest whether waterboarding constitutes torture. She also argues convincingly in several places that torture as practiced by the Bush administration involved the application of multiple forms of abuse on one person's body, either simultaneously or sequentially. Combined techniques could produce any kind of confession the CIA wanted, truthful or not. America will not be a civilized nation until these practices are abolished. Incidentally, I came away from Mayer's book with a better understanding of the military's strenuous objections to the tactics pushed relentlessly by the vice-president's office, and of the FBI's doubts about the administration's practices. |
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Review Summary: No wonder the Democrats swept into power |
Date: 2008-11-26 |
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Details: This book is absolutely scary. The audacity of this government to impose their neo-conservative value system on the reputation of our great country makes me shiver with the thoughts of a neo-nazi police state. |
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