Intelligence Matters

Rating:
Summary: Intelligence Does Matter!
Review: Intelligence Matters by Senator Bob Graham should be on the must read list of every citizen of the United States. As soon as I received my
copy from Amazon.com, I started reading and could not put the book down until I read the last page. Senator Graham presents a chilling
first-hand look at the grim landscape of our current foreign policy. This
alarming indictment of the Bush administration, the FBI and the CIA
reads like a spy novel with nail-biting intrigue and matter-of-fact clarity.
Unfortunately, we know that this report by such a great patriot is a factual
reality and not a fictional fantasy. I know that if every voter in this country
had read this book the outcome of the election would not have been the same. Senator Graham in his typical heroic manner has the nerve to ask the hard question. "Mr. President, what about Saudi Arabia?"
I challenge every citizen to read this book with an open mind, each
person asking himself, "Does intelligence matter?" I know the answer
will be, "you bet it does."


Rating:
Summary: parallel universe?
Review: Boy! I wonder what I was reading. After reading all the glowing descriptions of Bob Graham's book, I feel cheated.

If you believe President Bush is on the Saudi payroll; the FBI are incompetent; the CIA is deceitful; and, the US intelligence agencies were working perfectly under President Clinton, well, this is the book for you to read.

If people like Bob Graham can be assigned to the Senate Select Committee on Inteligence, well, the Government has a bigger problem than that in the intelligence community.

Mr. Graham doesn't seem to have a wit of "intelligence" on the geopolitical importance Iraq played in the entire Middle East problem. Chasing al-Qaeda around the world would be a logical step in combating terrorism had Saddam Hussein been defanged and Iraq was just another run-of-the-mill Arab failed states.

Sincce Iraq, under Saddam, continued to keep the Middle East pot boiling, it only made sense to remove him first and then go after the other rats.

Mr. Graham, and the majority of the Democratic Party do not agree.

So, I vote the book gets one star. I would have given it a zero but that is not a selection. I did throw the book in the trash. I must pay better attention to the reviews.





Rating:
Summary: PJT NEEDS TO CALM DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Hey PJT this is the USA and we have the RIGHT to say what we will and write what we will.

If you "BOY" Bush feels he is being SLANDERED then he has the same options that ever other American Citizen has.

SUE AND GO TO TRIAL!

Since it would seem that DUMBAYA will not do this then the LOGICAL ASSMPTION is that what is being stated by Moore, Kelley & Graham, ETAL has SOME basis in fact.

Are there exaggerations & stretching & bending of the truth, SURE there is.

Just like the FOX "BUSH" NEWS network does.

I know it is a shock to your system that BUSH is EVEN WORSE than Clinton. But you must be a big boy now and take your Castor Oil like a good boy!

Another question: How many of these so called BUSH supporting posters are really paid hacks, paid by GOP leaning groups with some of that SOFT MONEY that the DEMS were getting banged over the head with during the Clinton Administration.

Rating:
Summary: If Only Intelligence Mattered to Everyone in Washington...
Review: I have devoured all there is to read on this subject (a large and growing body of literature) and I have yet to read a piece as compelling as Intelligence Matters. Senator Graham's book successfully wraps the chilling factors that led to the attacks on September 11th and the equally disturbing actions (or lack there of) taken by the current Administration to thwart said acts of violence into a compelling narrative that provides an education for both the novice and the expert on the subject of terrorism and American intelligence. Intelligence Matters is a "must read" for patriots everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: Since much commentary and analysis has already occurred,
Review: I just want to highly recommend reading this book!!!

I'm a native of Florida. In the late 1970s I began state-based political action and advocacy in Tallahassee. I got to know Senator Bob Graham and I am very impressed with his legacy and intellect.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful look at intelligence
Review: Sen. Bob Graham, former chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, gives a unique, detailed, and insightful look at the workings of the American intelligence system. While much of Intelligence Matters focuses on the events of Sept. 11 and on the war in Iraq, it also covers the history of the CIA and FBI and explores the structural, historical and political reasons for the intelligence failures of the recent past. Graham explains how the intelligence system developed to combat the former Soviet Union is ill-equipped to respond to the more decentralized terrorism model used by enemies such as al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. The book gives a very detailed view of the activities and training of the hijackers and the events leading up to Sept. 11 and shows how those actions could have been prevented, had the intelligence community been more effective in countering these types of threats. He also details the investigation of the Joint Inquiry into the activities of September 11, giving the reader an inside look both at the intelligence system and the Joint Inquiry process.

But Graham does more than just tell the story--he also makes specific recommendations for transforming the American intelligence system.

The book also details the Bush administration's attempts to thwart the Congressional investigation of Sept. 11 and to protect relations with Saudi Arabia, a country implicated in the financing and support of the hijackers. The reallocation of resources away from al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden in favor of the war in Iraq along with the linkages to al-Qaeda suggested by the Bush administration are also covered in the context of the Joint Inquiry's proceedings.

Sen. Graham's insider perspective along with his thoughtful analysis provides a unique view of the intelligence community and raises many concerns about our ability to maintain security in the face of a new type of threat. Well-researched, insightful and carrying a list of specific recommendations for transforming our intelligence system to more effectively deal with the current global situation, Intelligence Matters is both a fascinating read and a blueprint for overdue changes in our national security system.

Rating:
Summary: A more adequate version of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11
Review: Senator Bob Graham's book documents the failure of US intelligence and security apparatuses leading to 9/11. It's a clearer and more authentic version of Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.
The style is entertaining as the author shifts between terrorists' preparations and the history of the evolution of America's clandestine information-gathering agencies. Graham cites more than a dozen failures, which he says were missed chances to unfold the most evil of attacks on American soil ever.
The depiction of the 19 terrorists does not only show that these were brainwashed mostly under-25 kids, but also reflects how they were not as smart as many of us thought. They left a trace everywhere and many of them were repeatedly stopped and ticketed for overspeed driving. This highlights even more the failure of America's security people whose lack of coordination, bureaucracy and laziness made them fail to notice the stark danger.
Graham then describes how the administration had a preset agenda, which did not match the nation's security welfare but rather confirmed with the interests of some businessmen/politicians whose oversees interests mandated that they protect their overseas partners who happened to be - in one way or another - sponsors of these terrorists
The administration therefore politicized its response to 9/11 and squandered resources over the Iraq war instead of concentrating its energy on the Afghanistan war and counterterrorism.
The book is one of the best on this subject. Being an Arab myself, I think it should be translated to Arabic and exported to Arab countries since most Arabs still perceive of the 9/11 tragedy as the biggest conspiracy which they never committed but was malevolently ascribed to them as part of an effort to tarnish the reputation of Islam and invade Muslims countries.

Rating:
Summary: Intelligence Matters
Review: Subject: "Intelligence matters.

This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in World Events.

What's more, it reads more like a novel than a public affairs tome-a real page-turner.

The depth of detail is awesome . I predict that someone will pick it up and make a TV mini-series out of it. Put it on your bookshelf, and you will have an encyclopedia of the events leading up to and through the events of 9/11-names, dates, etc. I have read most of the popular books in the genre, like Dick Clarke's well-written book, etc. This beats them all. Trust me.

Abe Schestopol
[e-mail]


Rating:
Summary: Excellent ...A Must Read!!!!!!
Review: This book details how George Bush has placed Saudi oil in front of our national security. The White House blocked investigations of two Saudi officials who funded and housed two of the 9/11 hijackers, allowed them to leave the US and insisted 28 pages in the 9/11 commission report e "classified".
Bush misled America with false claims to attack Iraq and then allowed the Pentagon to disregard international torture laws. This is a recruiting poster for budding terrorists.
Why has Bush avoided challenging Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's aid to Al Queda? Why has he prioritized "nation building" over avenging 9/11 and hunting Bin Laden? No answers justify his disregard for our security. This book tells us what the white house doesn't want us to know.



Rating:
Summary: Strong effort
Review: This was a very strong book by Graham.Presents a compelling case for White House/CIA incompetence and raises important flags about critical information that still hasn't come to light about the Saudi Royal Family role in 9/11. It's well worth purchasing.