Those with little or no background in that history can gain it from Waging a Good War. The writing isn’t awful when it sticks to the story, rather than the…
Rick's military history approach comes off as just a vehicle to score some historical and contemporary points. For example, he wrote, “The same antidemocratic faction of American life that opposed…
The clumsy military clichés and analogies in Waging a Good War also caused Ricks to veer into incongruous criticisms of the individuals who waged the good war. In one example,…
For most of the 20th century the FBI has owned the reputation of being America’s police force. The list of the FBI’s “good apple” accomplishments includes crippling Soviet espionage during…
The Inspector General found the omission of key information to be “among the most serious” errors in the FISA renewals. While the investigation did not reveal “evidence of intentional misconduct,”…
Several innocent men have wandered into the crosshairs of FBI’s search for terrorists. Steven Hatfill was the FBI’s first suspect in the investigation anthrax attacks after 9/11 that left five…
Like all else in the American security state, the FBI and its mission was transformed after 9/11. The entire American political establishment allowed Robert Mueller to stamp his leadership image…
Defenders of the Bureau might point to solutions and reforms implemented after each of its scandals. But one of those reform eras should have begun after the December 2019 report…
Throughout its history the FBI has had too many “bad apples” for a government agency that controls immense and dangerous power. Not enough has been done to fix this systemic…
Whenever a riot breaks out in America you are likely to hear Martin Luther King's quote: “a riot is the language of the unheard.” Many have taken his quote out…