Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack

by Marc A. Thiessen

White House speechwriter Marc Thiessen was locked in a secure room and given access to the most sensitive intelligence when he was tasked to write President George W. Bush’s 2006 speech explaining the CIA’s interrogation program and why Congress should authorize it. Few know more about these CIA operations than Thiessen, and in his new book, Courting Disaster, he documents just how effective the CIA’s interrogations were in foiling attacks on America, penetrating al-Qaeda’s high command, and providing our military with actionable intelligence. Thiessen also shows how reckless President Obama has been in shutting down the CIA’s program and releasing secret documents that have aided our enemies. Courting Disaster proves:

How the CIA program thwarted specific deadly attacks against the U.S.
Why “enhanced interrogation” was not torture by any reasonable legal or moral standard
How the information gained by “enhanced interrogation” could not have been acquired any other way
How President Obama’s actions since taking office have left America much more vulnerable to attack

In chilling detail, Thiessen reveals how close the terrorists came to striking again, how intelligence gained from “enhanced interrogation” repeatedly stymied their plots, and how President Obama’s dismantling of this CIA program is inviting disaster for America.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

376 pages, Hardcover

First published December 29, 2009

Reviews

[goddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my father handed me this book to read he told me, “It will make you mad.” He was right.

Thiessen starts out with the following: “You should not be reading this book. I should not have been able to write it.” Powerful words from a man with 15 years in national security, and one who served in the White House as a Senior Staff speechwriter (thus being privy to top secret classified information) for George W. Bush. Many of my suspicions were confirmed in these 300 pages; and many shocking (unknown) details were uncovered.

This book was very enlightening; but not in the sense that I was uplifted. Quite the opposite. Thiessen outlines how this current administration is quickly and carelessly unraveling the anti-terror programs set up by the Bush Administration; the very programs that have thwarted dozens of terrorist plots to attack this nation. Sensitive intelligence information has been leaked....and at an incredibly rapid pace the last 13 months. The reputation of the CIA is being tarnished, secrets are being divulged, and lies are being spread. With executive orders and mishandling the War on Terror (now called “Man-made disaster”), Obama and his minions are naively setting us on a vulnerable and dangerous path. This book will have you shaking your head and quite possibly your fist. Among the many topics covered:

Torture. The left continues to distort the truth and the very definition of torture. Waterboarding is explained in great detail and how IT IS NOT TORTURE. When over 16,000 of our service men and women experience waterboarding as part of their training, carrying out such enhanced interrogation (key word being interrogation; not torture) can hardly be considered “severe pain or suffering”. On the mere three enemy combatants who underwent this procedure, vital information was obtained and used to prevent future attacks. This book also goes into detail on how this procedure (and others) were not taken lightly, and how they fall within the confines of the Geneva Conventions. One need only look at foreign nations’ own use of POW treatment to understand what torture really is (also included).

Guantanamo. The left will have you believe that this prison is a torture chamber and recruiting tool for al Qaeda. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Inmates receive far better treatment at this facility than our own prisons. And it’s hard to believe that terror recruitment only began with the use of this prison. Didn’t terrorists attack us before 9/11?

Intelligence. Now that sensitive information has been declassified, it’s only a matter of time before our enemies get their hands it. How are we to continue to keep this country safe when the enemy knows our secrets? Now that they can train against interrogation, how are we to extract pertinent information on suspects, plots, and the workings of al Qaeda?

Cronies. From Nancy “The CIA is Lying” Pelosi to Eric “Let me Flip Flop on my Positions” Holder, Capitol Hill is full of people who will undermine the very nation they claim to protect. Their behavior and decisions are as despicable as they are dangerous.

Lawyers. Civil rights groups are having a field day with granting America-hating terrorists Miranda rights and pro bono protection. These are guys who admittedly want to blow up our country, and they have rights?

This is only the tip of the iceberg. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants to know the truth–or thinks they know the truth–behind some of the critical decisions being made on national security. Really, a must read for anyone who loves this country and doesn’t want to see it fall prey to weakness and vulnerability, or be at the mercy of the enemies who despise us. Personally, I want to send thank you cards to the people who have worked so hard to keep us safe for 7+ years.

[Libyrinths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chances are you probably only think you know about what enhanced interrogations were, how often they were used, what they yielded, and how they saved lives. If you want the truth, if you care about the truth, read the book. Documents which should never have been declassified are abundantly cited and Thiessen shows how utterly distorted the public discourse has been due to lack of, or false, information.

[Karl Rove]

A tough book by a former White House colleague, it will make you very angry and maybe even very afraid.

[Jon]

Marc Thiessen, a former speech writer for President George W. Bush, uses his unprecedented access to sensitive intelligence information and exhaustive interviews with former intelligence personnel to draw a picture for us of the true story of how "enhanced interrogation techniques" were used to ferret out information about planned terrorist attacks, and made us safer in the long haul. He was working in the administration when the controversy over some of these techniques, especially waterboarding, erupted into the public consciousness in 2006.

Of course, some people will say that this book is some sort of partisan argument, justifying the unjustifiable actions of the Bush administration in their effort to combat the terrorist threat represented by Al Quaeda. Which brings us to the curious question faced by any serious student of current events and/or history - what sources do you really trust? I encountered a similar situation recently when I saw that a new study was published by Stanford University researchers last week proving that organically grown vegetables and produce are no more nutritious or safe for consumption than those grown by modern "factory farming" methods. Friends whose opinions I generally respect expressed outrage that this study was somehow biased, and that its results were flawed. They have their trusted sources, while I have mine (as well as opinions of my own on the subject).

Thiessen has some very thorough appendices at the back of the book from declassified documents, proving some of his assertions - heavily redacted, of course. I think that sometimes government censors get a little carried away with the black marker on these things - just justifying their possession of the power to remove things, granted them by the government. It reminds me a bit of the Iran Contra hearings, when Ollie North zinged congressional interrogators who were demanding his reason for shredding documents, "I didn't just go out to the office supply and buy a shredder, the government provided it for me; I was expected to shred those documents, it was my job." (paraphrased from memory)

So, you can take Thiessen with a grain of salt, or not at all, I suppose. In fact, most of those who disagree with his conclusions will probably never read his book in the first place.

Some of his claims about information from EIT:
Led to the arrest of Jose Padilla, sent to America to blow up high-rise apartment buildings in Los Angeles
Led to the capture of a cell of Southeast Asian terrorists who planned to hijack a jet and fly it into the Library Tower in Los Angeles
Led to the capture of Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, who planned to hijack airplanes in Europe and crash them at Heathrow Airport and buildings in downtown London
Led to the capture of a pair of terrorists who were planning to blow up the U.S. consulate and Western residences in Karachi, Pakistan
Led to the disruption of a plot to blow up the U.S. Marine Camp in Djibouti
Helped break up an Al Qaeda cell developing anthrax for terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Interestingly to me, as I remember some of these discussions:

"His (Abd al-Hahdi) capture - on his way to Iraq on bin Laden's orders - was a rebuke to those who tried to arugue that al Qaeda in Iraq was completely independent of al Qaeda's central leadership."

"Abd al-Hahdi...was a former member of Saddam Hussein's military, who had joined al Qaeda in the 1990s and risen to become a senior bin Laden advisor...served as one of al Qaeda's top paramilitary commanders in Afghanistan...served as a member of al Qaeda's ruling Shura council."

People who believed that Iraq was a distraction from the War on Terror may have been seriously mistaken.

As to the claim that EIT didn't work, that "torture" never extracts useful information, as those being interrogated will tell the interrogator whatever they think they want to hear:

"(CIA Inspector General Mike) Hayden says, 'Most of the people who oppose the techniques want to be able to say, 'I don't want my nation doing this,' which is a purely honorable positions, and 'they didn't work anyway.' That back half of the sentence isn't true."

The enhanced interrogation techniques are thoroughly described in this book, and my gut feeling is that the only one that marginally rises to the level of torture is waterboarding. However, that process was done in CIA facilities under strict medical supervision so as not to cause any lasting harm, and was stopped far short of actually inflicting permanent physical harm. None of the other techniques, such as "walling" and sleep deprivation, and others are any more severe than fraternity hazing rituals, which are performed under far less controlled circumstances by sadistic amateurs, in my opinion.

There's a good section on the controversy surrounding trying detainees in the War on Terror in civilian courts, and one thing to note is that if these detainees were tried in public, al Qaeda leadership would immediately know that they had been captured, and adjust their plans, procedures and security precautions accordingly.

"One high-ranking CIA official I spoke with told me this is exactly what happened with one of the last high value detainees held in the CIA program. According to this official, the al Qaeda leadership 'literally did not know for three months that he was gone. And so therefore, they continued...to plan operations because they thought they were still secure, not know that at that very moment [this terrrorist] was spilling his guts on what those operations were, which did allow us to stop plots or follow plots because the bad guys back home didn't know he was caught.'"

According to Thiessen as well "the reality is that enhanced interrogation techniques were used 'rarely.' Of the tens of thousands of individuals captured in the war on terror, only about thirty terrorists were subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques of any kind, and just three were subjected to waterboarding."

Of course, I saw a news article appear yesterday saying that "more detainees were waterboarded than our government has revealed" source Human Rights Watch. Again, what sources should we trust? Human Rights Watch does some good work, but their agenda and funding are politically driven. Some interesting facts are also detailed in this book about the lawyers doing pro bono work defending detainees - these law firms top partners have filled the ranks of some of the most senior positions in the Obama administration's Department of Justice, including Eric Holder's law firm. Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I found it a very interesting read. You might, too.

[Brian Besaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, I generally try to avoid current news books as they tend to be shallow and a reiteration and piling on over what you hear each night on the various networks.

Not so here. The author is highly knowledgeable on the subject and goes into great detail.

Thiessen is the man who wrote GWB's speech revealing the CIA's enhanced interrogation program. It was Obama's flurry of security undermining last year that made the publishing of Courting Disaster possible. In his foreward the author admits, "You shouldn't be reading this book ... I shouldn't have been able to write it."

Make no mistake, I came away from this book infuriated. After reading how things were done by the CIA, how much and what kind of information was gleaned, and the amount and nature of the attacks that were avoided as a result, I am angry at the careless way this program has been treated, by the press and by the current administration.

It's great that we were able to head off further devastation, but then you realize that those tools have been thrown away for good and are left to wonder how similar attacks that are currently in planning can be thwarted.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps in a world removed from the highly charged one in which politics is carried out today we may yet arrive at a place where Thiessen's thesis can have a fair hearing and some of his self-serving comments be attributed to little more than a small dose of righteous anger. Published in 2009 we now have most of the record of the Obama presidency laid out behind us and can, where the record can be revealed, assess whether the "law enforcement approach" to dealing with the terrorist threat has been the proper course. In light of current events with ISIS, Orlando, San Bernadino, Memphis, and a few others (to say nothing of the debacle that surrounded Benghazi) it would seem the historical record is likely to be unkind to Obama's chosen course. One aspect that now gives me great pause is that, for all the successes about drone strikes that have "removed" high value terror assets, those same successes have yielded for US forces nothing of intelligence value to improve our knowledge of where the terrorists may wish to strike next. It is a huge down side to this course.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me forever to finish this book, but only because I was teaching a class for the first time. I see I started this book on Sept 3rd; my class started on Sept 8th. My class ended on Dec 13 and I finished the book on Jan 17th. Every time I took the book to bed, I ended up falling asleep. This book is a little tedious, but I think it offered the pro-enhanced interrogation side very well. Most important to the book is the appendices, which back up Thiessen's case very well. Whether you are for or against enhanced interrogation, I would recommend this book and for any debated topic, I would always recommend reading authors on both sides of issue.

[Jeff Aldrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opening read that left me shaking with anger at decisions taken by the Obama administration that are reducing the security of America and punishing those who worked hard, within the legal framework, to keep us safe.

There are legitimate decisions that have to be made for global ethical standing. Marc Thiessen makes a strong case that the reasons the Obama administration tried to stand on both do not hold firm and that President Obama has chosen to reverse course with his policy of bombings.

If you want to discuss anti-terrorism tactics it would be best to read this book first.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at post-9/11 CIA interrogation techniques used to elicit essential information from terrorists. We knew next to nothing about al Qaeda and their numerous other plots in the works. Thank goodness there were men and women willing to do their jobs to keep the United States and its citizens safe! People need to get all the facts and read the story before passing judgment.

[Bojan Tunguz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been said so many times before that it's become a cliché: the events of September 11 2001 changed everything. What is usually meant by "everything" refers to the way the US and its allies treat terrorists and conduct operations to thwart and punish those who aim to hurt and civilian targets around the World. In the eyes of many, including the Bush administration, the previous paradigm of conducting these operations using the essentially law enforcement tools was completely discredited. A different approach was needed, and the overall moniker that this new approach acquired was "The War on Terror." This name has since acquired a whole host of negative connotations, based on the perception of misuse of power on the part of US government as it pursued its own interests around the globe. However, the main point of calling this a war was to enable all the relevant agencies to use means and methods that are more appropriate for the conduct of war, rather than police actions. The fact that this elicited a lot of controversy is not surprising: the enemy in this war did not operate from a controlled and well defined territory, it did not use conventional military structures and identifications, nor did it respect any conventions of war. This was definitely an unprecedented new kind of conflict, and the Bush administration needed to be very creative in the way it conducted it. One of the major decisions that were made was to treat captured terrorists as enemy combatants, and in particular enemy combatants that were not entitled to full protection of the Geneva Convention. This had many significant consequences. In particular, it allowed US to use "enhanced interrogation techniques" that could never be used on civilians caught during a police action, nor even for the regular war prisoners. Until recently there has been no public acknowledgment that these techniques had been used by the US investigators (CIA in particular) primarily because the Bush administration felt that revealing this fact would jeopardize the national security and make those techniques obsolete. For better or worse, Bush administration's decision to reveal the existence and Obama administration's decision to reveal the details of those techniques has made it possible for everyone to make up their own mind about whether or not those techniques were reasonable, ethical and lawful. By far the most eloquent and unapologetic attempt at defending those techniques thus far has come from Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.

Thiessen's close associations with the President and Secretary of Defense during all eight years of Bush administration make him eminently qualified to present the defense and the rationale for the use of those techniques. In fact, he wrote President Bush's speech that acknowledged the existence of the enhanced interrogation techniques. In that speech (which is included as one of the appendices) and more broadly in this book Thiessen has aimed to defend and justify the prudence, the morality and the legality of those interrogation techniques. He quotes extensively from first-hand accounts of the interrogations, those who were responsible for the crafting and the implementation of those policies, as well as all the documents that have since become publicly available. The book is also very good at pointing out the deficiencies, misinformation, faulty reasoning, and the downright lies of many critics of the enhanced interrogation program over the years. It is hard for me to ascertain how representative those criticisms are, but Thiessen has done a superb job of dismantling them in a clear and methodical fashion.

Tiessen is very forthright in identifying particular political and ideological biases of various actors in this narrative. In the age when "partisanship" is increasingly becoming a dirty word, it is refreshing to see a prominent author label things by their proper names.

The central thesis of this book, reflected in its title, is that the dismantling of those interrogation techniques has gotten us back into a pre-9/11 mentality, with all the possible ramifications that this entails. In particular, Thiessen believes that this outmoded approach invites possible new attack on US and its allies around the world. He presents dramatic and persuasive evidence to bolster his claims. We can all hope that nothing this disastrous happens in the end, but hoping by itself would seem to be a rather reckless approach to the danger of terrorism. Whether or not you believe that the enhanced interrogation techniques are an important and effective tool in the fight against terrorism, it would be prudent to at least acknowledge the unique circumstances under which they were employed. In a democratic society we all benefit from hearing all sides on any given issue, and Marc Thiessen's book is an important voice in the defense of the enhanced interrogation techniques that needs to be heard. This book is an invaluable contribution to this ongoing debate.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The men and women of the CIA risk their lives everyday to gather intelligence from some of the most dangerous individuals on the planet. Marc Thiesen does an excellent job describing how careful the CIA interrogatories questioned the terrorist detainees. While the left was crying "torture," and many such as myself would be quite happy to provide the terrorists only with food and water, Mr. Thiesen shows the actual truth. In reality, detainees are questioned by experienced, well-trained staff by the CIA using procedures and techniques that are consistent with the US Constitution, US laws, and international conventions. Interrogating terrorists for information using enhanced techniques is essential, argues Thiesen, because a) the information about the terrorists' plans, techniques, and network can only be determined from the terrorists themselves; b) the terrorists are not going to cooperate unless they are pressured to reveal information using enhanced interrogation techniques. If we did not have this useful information, a terrorist attack becomes more likely because we will often times not even be aware of plans that are in effect. It makes no sense to stop interrogating terrorists when the techniques used have provided reliable information and has stopped plans that have been in progress. I strongly agree with Marc A Thiesen and praise him for taking the efforts to so meticulously defend a program that has been subject to demagoguery by the left in this country.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book puts a new spin on waterboarding. The media has presented the USA's version of waterboarding in a dishonest way. That being said, the Bush Administration and its officials (the author of this book) want to be taken at their word. That is not going to work with the majority of the public due to the various issues during the administration. They played all their "trust us" cards during the first few years... Their credibility is not good enough for this book to sway opinions. If you think we shouldn't waterboard, you will probably still think that. If you think that we should waterboard, then you probably won't like the sissy, careful way that we waterboarded people that posed a huge threat to the US.
One of the strongest arguments about the necessity of our programs against terrorist, is the fact that Obama has kept most of the plans, facilities and measures in place. I believe that the government knows things that are not revealed to the public. I believe that Obama has seen intelligence which indicates most of the measures the Bush Administration took were appropriate.

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fascinating, thoroughly researched book that basically tracks the history of human intelligence gathering (HUMINT) since 9/11, what it has meant, the public debate over it, and how accurate (or not) it has been, and what it means.

While Thiessen is hardly an unbiased observer, he wrote speeches for Bush and Rumsfeld, he's one of the most knowledgeable people on the topic, having researched it extensively in order to write high-profile speeches on it and then researched it a lot more to write the book.

Suffice to say, he makes his case like an intelligent, but passionate observer. He writes with the technique and skill of a passionate, but honest lawyer making his case in front of a judge. He does not avoid difficult truths or counter-arguments, but he does clearly intend to rip them apart.

If this book fails, toward the end I think his zeal is a little bit too pronounced, if well earned. Still, if you want to understand the issue without all of the massive amounts of obvious misinformation that's been spread, this is a very good book.

[Mark Konrad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to keep an open mind while reading this book. Read all the way through until i got to chapter 13, about the conditions at Guantanamo Bay Prison. You cannot convince me that the food served to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay Prisons is better than the food served to American soldiers at Guantanamo Bay Prison. Or that Soldiers are assaulted on a daily basis by prisoner "cocktails" of urine mixed with feces....and the soldiers do nothing when attacked but clean up and return to work. This type of hyperbole can fly with other fanatics but I feel as if it is an assault on my intelligence to expect me to believe some of the outlandish things written about “Club Gitmo”. I therefore in good conscience could not continue reading the remaining chapters of this book. In closing, the author must ask himself the question, Professor Alan “What if the shoe were on the other foot” Dershowitz test. If the shoe were on the other foot and American soldiers were subject to the same conditions of “torture” enhanced interrogation would he approve?

[Mean Mr. Mustard · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I have a much clearer understanding of what enhanced interrogation is, how are nation has been protected from attacks by terrorists since 9/11, and why we are in danger of current attacks. What was striking to me was how far everyone involved bent over backwards to ensure that everything they were doing was legal, was not torture, and that the safety of the person being interrogated was protected. Granted, this book is written by a former member of the Bush administration, but if you are looking for inside information, who else is going to have it?

[Robertjaynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great 'what really happened' book. It chronicles in great detail the REAL CIA interrogation methods (not torture), the REAL Guantanamo Bay conditions (very good), and the REAL threat from terrorism (still high). It makes you sad to read about how those who have worked hardest to keep the country safe have been maligned. It scares you to read about how their most effective methods have been halted.

[Charles Blumberg]

Insider account of interrogations of Al Qaeda and specific attacks prevented as a result using declassified documents released by Obama. Makes a strong case for the need of enhanced interrogation techniques, that the ones we use are not torture, why terrorists should not be given POW rights under Geneva, and the damage done by Obama's declassification and shutdown of the CIA program.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow read but interesting look at what our government classifies as torture and how some things work, or rather how they used to work, at Guantanamo. Details how terrorists are treated. Goes in depth to explain research on the subject of torture and specific studies on the treatment of detainees. 3 stars because it didn't keep my attention very long but the subject matter was very informative.

[Rushay Booysen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The events that leads up to 9/11 and the effects of the plunge.The book seems mostly to defend President Bush's policies,some of the points the author lifted left deep gashing questions which seems to make sense when i think in a patriotic sense.The events leading up to 9/11 and the cause of this tumultuous turn about is to be questioned.

[Al Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far reading this eBook I get more mad a President Obama's mishandling of the country, military, and Dismantling of what has kept Americans and our allies and Friends Safe and Not Involved in war conflicts. With each passing page and each revealed secret That Worked to keep us safe, now if we are attacked, he and his follower's are to blame !!!!

[Luaba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try to do my best to look at both side of each stories. Basically, Marc Thiessen shows that the mentality of the previous administration was had a "By any means necessary" mentality. I do not agree with the methods and the approach, but I appreciate the inside on the other school of thoughts.

[Ryan Swensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do yourself a favor and get an accurate look at the damage the current administration is doing to our national security, the farce that is the liberal media, and how Comrade Barack and his cronies are bound and determine to destroy this nation.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read and a real insight into events.

Could have done with more of the support material pushed off into appendixes, as the main premises were well established within the first 30-40% of the read.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mainly interested in the information about thwarted Al Qaeda attacks as a result of the CIA interrogations. Unfortunately that was covered in about the first chapter, and the remainder of the book focused on combating the arguments against CIA interrogation techniques.

[Larry]

very good

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book touching on the war on "terror", the Geneva Conventions, enhanced interagation techniques and the actual facts dealing with all of the above.

[Kevin Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Kristopher Vermillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read primer on how we began winning against Al Qaeda and why current policy is costing us dearly.

[D. R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drtucker...

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing wht Obama is doing to our security and the CIE, terrible.