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Title details for The Dark Side by Jane Mayer - Available

The Dark Side

The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals

by Jane Mayer
Richard McGonagle
Audiobook
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1 of 1 copy available
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 self-destructive 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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    July 15, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415958018
      • File size: 483891 KB
      • Duration: 16:48:06

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Journalist Mayer gives an account of the Bush administration's legal prosecution of the "War on Terror." Her impassioned account lays much of the blame for condoning torture and other abuses at the feet of Vice President Cheney and others in his circle. Mayer, who seems to see the law enforcement paradigm as the best way to deal with terrorism, views the treatment of detainees by the Bush administration as one of this country's blackest moments. Richard McGonagle performs this unabridged production superbly. His deep, rich voice is a perfect match of voice and text. He reads as one making an oral argument before the bench of public opinion--passionate about the matter he is presenting, but restrained, so as to make each point hit home. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 30, 2008
      This hard-hitting expose examines both the controversial excesses of the war on terror and the home-front struggle to circumvent legal obstacles to its prosecution. New Yorker correspondent Mayer (Strange Justice) details the battle within the Bush Administration over a new anti-terrorism policy of harsh interrogations, indefinite detentions without due process, extraordinary renditions, secret CIA prisons and warrantless wiretappings. Fighting with memos and legal briefs, Mayer reports, hard-liners led by Dick Cheney, his aide David Addingtion and then-Justice Department lawyer John Yoo rejected any constraints on the treatment of prisoners or limitations on presidential power in fighting terrorism, while less militant administration lawyers invoked the Constitution and international law to oppose their initiatives. As a counterpoint to the wrangling over the definition of torture and the Geneva Conventions, the author looks at the use of techniques like waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation against prisoners by the American military and CIA; her chilling account compellingly argues that this "enhanced interrogation" regimen constitutes torture. The result is a must-read: a meticulous behind-the-scenes reconstruction of policymaking that demonstrates how legal abstractions became an ugly reality.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from November 1, 2008
      New Yorker writer Mayer (Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 19841988) here examines the Bush administration's controversial policies following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. She focuses on the administration's disregard for international law, specifically its contempt for the Geneva Convention guidelines regarding the humane treatment of prisoners of war. The gravity of her riveting expos, which unfolds like a spy novel, is enhanced by actor/narrator Richard McGonagle's (www.richardmcgonagle.comChristopher Rager, Pasadena, CA

      Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 29, 2008
      Following the paper trail left by the blank check the government and the citizenry gave the Bush administration after 9/11, Mayer tracks the nuanced and specific actions that have resulted in a devaluation of American ideals both domestically and abroad. Her talent lies in identifying the key moments, cases, actions and decisions that proved pivotal in empowering a monarchical executive power to avoid checks and balances. Mayer's comprehensive and detailed approach certainly ranks her work higher among the scores of books on the Bush administration. Richard McGonagle has a powerfully resonant and gruff voice that is at times deliberate and works effectively with the tone of this book. Occasionally, however, he seems distant, not monotonic, but projecting the sense he is just going through the motions. A Doubleday hardcover (reviewed online).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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