Customer Reviews

Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

An interesting book about activities and decisions made during the "war on terror" that won't show up in detail on television for years and if they do at all it will be within late night documentaries. The section on the attempted but mostly thwarted terrorist war at sea was fascinating. Amazon reviews vary based on the politics of the reviewers. As with many decisions of war they are brilliant or stupid depending on your point of view. I must comment that I rate the book highly as a current source of information that I don't want to miss since these type of books go out of print and are seldom reprinted due to the "hear and now news" flavor of the writing. So buy now for the current information and hold your nose if you don't like the politics. I give a 4 instead of 5 since history will likely provide 20/20 hindsight that could change some of the conclusions so a 4 is likely my best rating for any "current news" type book.

Today is Nov.2, so perhaps a measure of this hyper-partisanship will burn off as the vote count trickles in, but I doubt it. I know that bare-knuckles political infighting means that we still have a vibrant democracy here, unlike the caustic conformity that infects Belgium, where I spend a chunk of time, but I do wish people would at least be fairminded and evaluate things carefully before jumping to conclusions.
As the author of "Shadow War," let me say a few things to the one-star reviewers:
1) Authors do not pick titles, substitles, or cover designs. Publishers and marketers do. So judging a book or its author by book's cover or title or publishing house is a fool's game. Read a few pages in chapter one, at least, and then make up your mind. If you're feeling brave, actually read the book.
2) I am not a registered Republican. I have never voted for a Republican for president. For those of you who think I am some kind of Bush shill, sorry, you're wrong. During the 2000 primaries, I even wrote articles for the New Hampshire and Iowa papers trying to educate voters about his Texas record of puny tax cuts and giant spending binges as governor. I predicted that he would do the same as president--and I was right.
3) So why do I think Bush is winning the war on terror? Because I travelled to the front lines of the war on terror--including Iraq, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Israel, Sudan, Egypt--and interviewed non-American intelligence and military officials as well as their European and American counterparts. More than 3000 al Qaeda have been captured or killed since 9-11 in 102 countries. The war is a lot bigger than Iraq and Afghanistan. If you want to find out, read the book.

In Shadow War, I give very specific information with footnotes, named sources, and even reprint intelligence documents in the appendix.

As Mr. Miniter points out, over 3,000 Al Qaeda operatives have been killed, 75% of the Al Qaeda leadership, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed have either been captured or better yet, killed, and numerous terror plans have been disrupted.

Ever hear of the "Baltic Sky"? Probably not, as the mainstream press won't report this, and neither will Richard Clarke. But the "Baltic Sky" was part of a 15-ship floating bomb factory. It was heading for Greece, and if it had blown, the results would have been worse than Hiroshima. American intelligence and other sources, alerted the Greek Navy, so they were able to stop the vessel before it docked at Athens.

In fact, this Al Qaeda fleet has been effectively decommissioned.

Are we safe? Of course not. Should we be complacent. No, and Miniter tells you why. He points out what really happened in Spain - failures in security, a government that did not tell the populace the truth, and just plain appeasement. He points out that what happened in Spain could take place here, and why it hasn't happened isn't due to Al Qaeda not trying.

Miniter also warns us about Iran - an Iran that wants very much to be a nuclear power, an Iran that not only is a terrorist state, but also an Iran that supports groups like Al Qaeda. Miniter implies that Osama could very well be in Iran - an assertion that is backed by Iranian defectors. If that is truly the case, and President Bush will need to act, he might not be able to do so, thanks to those who have questioned why he went into Iraq (which by the way, Miniter points out the ties Osama and Al Qaeda had with the Saddam regime).

Because some of the information that Miniter reports has not yet been substantiated, this reviewer gives the book 4 stars. But even if most of it is true, and Miniter has been right on regarding the destruction of the Al Qaeda leadership and terror cells, this is a book our policymakers, our people, and even those who subscribe to the Kerry-Moore-Richard Clarke worldview had better read.

Miniter assembles a large amount of original reporting, shining a spotlight on a number of areas that have received little attention, like reports of OBL in Iran, the Al Qaeda navy, what's really going on in Sudan, and the Spanish Socialists and 3/11. My only criticism is one I also had for his previous book, "Losing Bin Laden." Minter's approach is essentially journalistic, but what is really need is to approach the material from the perspective of a counterintelligence analyst. Many of the things we are being told by detainees are intentionally deceptive, and our Arab allies use of harsh methods doesn't change this. We also need to be aware that CIA's reliance on liaison arrangements with Arab intelligence services creates a significant risk that the information we receive is slanted to protect the regimes they serve. Miniter assumes his "nose for news" will allow him to separate truth from lies.

Unlike most liberals who will blast any book that remotely states any success of the Bush administration, I actually read the book.

This is not a George Bush "Rah Rah he's great book". This book details just as many failings of our governemt (both during the Clinton and Bush Administrations) as it does our successes. But liberals do NOT want to hear about any such success stories.

They patently belive nothing goes on in the world unless its reported on CBS news. Mr. Miniter is here to show what most intelligent people alreay know: That there's much more going on in the war against terror that is NEVER reported than IS reported.

Plots, conspiracies, war plans, covert Ops that may not be legal but HAVE been very successful at eliminating members of Al-Queda and other terrorist organizations.

See...it's one thing to sit back and say "I will kill the terrorists" it't another thing to actually do it and not have to have some ridiculous passing of a global test..

Mr. Miniter's book details many successful operations but pulls no punches as to the Bush administrations failures.

Try and put party lines aside and read the book. There's more to the war on terror than that comes out of Dan Rather's mouth.

The fact is we ARE safer than we were 3 or 4 years ago. These ridiculous claims of Al-Queda being back at 100% capacity are baseless lies from scare tactic liberals.

You don't win a war on terror by ignoring they exist or by trying to bribe them off...

Miniter's book is the first global chronicle of the war that America has been waging since September 11, 2001. In the context of a very different kind of war (one that is really fought not only abroad but at home as well, against an intelligent, subtle and elusive enemy) he has made a good effort, limitations aside, to show what can be seen as a scoreboard of what George W. Bush's administration has done up to date. His book is agile and clearly written. He has a point. It really deserves to be read.

In this time when many Americans seem desperate to recover the innocence lost on 9/11, which is impossible, Miniter's effort should be commended. In addition to this book, there are another two that should be read to keep memory alive: "The 9/11 Comission Report" and The New York Times' "Portraits of Grief".

One last thing: Please remember that this site is to review the book. Don't be confused: Poll boots will be installed near where you live on November 2.

I read this book over the weekend. I found his appendix D, on the connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq to be very compelling. Yet, the case against O.J. Simpson was strong too, and he got acquitted, so I guess I can't blame the media for leaving the story untold. The author's case on the Iran threat is serious, considering that less than 2 months ago they held parades in Iran displaying banners on their new long-range missles that said "We will Crush America" and "These will be used to wipe Israel off the map." So, anyone that automatically writes this author off to the right wing conspiracy needs to really be honest with themselves and make sure their prejudice against George Bush and conservatives is clouding their opinion of this fine book. However, crediting Bush in the title of winning the war, is extremely misleading and a major goof of the Publisher. The author clearly shows how its the shadow warriors of the U.S., our allies, and extremely brave citizens in terror ridden countries that are winning the war. I just finished this book and all 1000+ pages of the Duefler report before I voted. I had questioned our aggressive stance last year, now I see that I was wrong in questioning such an aggressive position. I disagree that it is a "war on terror", but rather a war against people that use terrorism as a form of warfare to oppress good people and the ideals of democracy. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." The author shows and documents people that aren't doing 'nothing', but rather taking a stance against evil. Mistakes in war are common, and we all can be monday morning QBs and critize decisions. This author's book is good, he shows mistakes as well as strong and valorous deeds. He did a great job in documenting the last 3 years of this war.

Some of the negative reviews of Miniter's book here prove why this book is so valuable and essential. Too many Americans want to dismiss the information this book contains without even reading it or paying attention to it. Miniter is a respected writer and meticulous researcher who has done his homework. He tells truths here that the Liberal media, which has brainwashed so many Americans, doesn't want you to hear. Many Liberals would rather believe their partisan spin-doctors--and, by extension, believe that America is evil and failing--than to believe an objective, thorough, determined investigator like Miniter. In our present political discourse, way too many Liberals are stopping up their ears and screaming "I can't hear you, I'm not listening, nyah, nyah, nyah!" Such "thinking" is reflected in the "I Hate" book series directed at various and sundry Conservatives. Hate is easy. Thought requires work. Sure, Miniter is swimming upstream here against the Liberal Media Horde. But, that's what any courageous pioneer does. For those with open minds, this book is enlightening indeed. For those lemmings who are brainwashed by the Liberal Media Establishment, this book will be maddening. Miniter does not whitewash our difficulties in Iraq, nor does he say we are finished with the war on terror. But he does remind us of how far we have come in this war. As such, he has provided a valuable public service. Give him a fair listen, and he may just affect your viewpoint.

What's a liberal? they are people that hide in the shadows of reasoning. They would rather not hear the truth but lurk in the shadows waiting for Bush to fail. Richard Miniter trys to bring you out of the shadows and explain how the war on terrorist is being fought. Both Clinton and Bush have made mistakes, but liberals would have you believe that everything that has gone wrong has been on the Bush watch. This book brings it all out of the shadows and into the light on both administrations. Mr. Miniter explains how the war on terrorist is working and facts you don't hear on CBS a very liberal look at the news. Al-Queda has been put on the run and America along with GW Bush's leadership has put the light of the sun on the target of our enemies and now only their shadows are seen running to hide while we eliminate thier members. Like any operations, there are successes and failures and the book tells of both, but the book will tell you that we are better off now than when we started this fight against the terrorist enemy. You don't win this type of war by talking, you win this type of war by action. Larry Hobson- Author "The Day Of The Rose"

This book was somewhat disappointing. I was hoping for more Tom Clancy cloak and dagger stuff. But there is a lot of interesting info about what has been going on since 9/11. For instance, the author claims that, on average, one or two terrorist plots are being stopped every day.
If you are a Bush supporter you will probably bang your head on the table asking, "Why didn't he come out and claim responsibility for any of this?" Apparently because he didn't need to. If you are a Kerry supporter this book just might make you wonder whether we are in fact living in a less than perfect world and whether sometimes good people have to fights wars like this.
Too much of this book had to do with the al quaeda Spanish train bombings and subsequent effect on their elections, where the socialist party took advantage of the catastrophe and ended up winning the election.
Overall, however, this book is very much worth reading. And you really have to hand it to the author, who trekked into dangerous territory to get a lot of this information.