Publisher : Tantor Media
Publication Date : 2010 03 16
>> George Tenet Jr chimes in and is no hero
It really is nothing more than a diatribe of another government hack saying yea I was there when plans were drawn up to torture folks and to invade Iraq etc etc and I thought it was awful just awful at the time
The author just joins the long list of prior bureaucrats stating that they were a part of it but knew all along the ride that it was the wrong path bla bla bla If this guy sort of a George Tenet Jr fellow would have done a Daniel Ellsberg then he would be an American hero He didn t no one did because he like all the rest were either at worst willing participants and now just embellishing their non existent opposition at best just too worried about their careers their pensions and their pay checks rather than do the truly heroic thing and going to the press when it was actually happening and exposing the truth and then saving American lives innocent Iraqis and perhaps even derailing the biggest foreign policy mistake in the history of this nation It is shameful what happened and it doesn t help by writing about how awful it was but doing NOTHING about it despite the insider knowledge No nothing new here sorry not a hero in my book
>> The Spy Who Loved His Country
When I heard that John was going to an interview with ABC in 2007 my deceit antenna should have went up Why would a first class case officer be talking about his involvement in the Abu Zubayduh capture and other activities The mystery was solved when John pawned himself to the hand wringing crowd who says that water boarding is torture Or maybe he is a plant by the CIA and George W Bush or Dick Cheney
John s status as a good case officer does not qualify him or any of the rest of us to state legal opinion on the matter He also lied when he said he was at the interrogation of Zubayduh and how he cracked in thirty plus seconds And yes his comment was a lie and not a problem on the part of the public s collective hearing
I have read all but 30 or so pages of John s book and for the most part it is accurate So to all who want say I have not read the book please don t waste your time I have been water boarded while in the military and also while training in other interrogation techniques Did it feel good like sitting on the beach watching the day go by No Do you feel like you are going to die No The only way you can compare this to the feeling of dying is if you have been to the point of dying It is uncomfortable and yes it is miserable That is why they use it
It is a sorry day when CIA officers need to clear their Oprah Book Club conscience by airing it in public The CIA has many dedicated officers who have done so much more than John would or could who sleep well knowing they did what they had to do to defend this great country Still a good read
>> Great look at a side of life we don t see
Reading a book like this tells a story that us normal people don t get to hear about too often All the focus on this book has been about waterboarding and such but it really is about life in the CIA and putting one s focus and energy on serving your country and saving lives Mr Kiriakou has seen a storm of publicity around his public discussions of what is or is not torture but the fact remains is that he put his own life on the line for the sake of all of us as do so many others in our military and agencies such as the CIA This book gives a personal perspective into what it is like for those who seek to serve others
