Against All Enemies

Inside America's War on Terror

By: Richard A. Clarke

Narrated by: Richard A. Clarke

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The real war on terror has happened largely behind closed doors, run by the White House, drawing on secret intelligence and operations around the world. There is no man who knows more about it than Richard Clarke, the former Counterterrorism Czar for both George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, the man who has led our efforts against al Qaeda and all other terrorist enemies for years, serving under seven presidents and in the White House for George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, until he resigned in March 2003. He has had a front-row seat at every major battle in this war, from the first World Trade Center bombing, to 9/11, to Afghanistan, to Iraq.

Clarke knows the secret stories of Bill Clinton's great victories (shutting down anti-U.S. terrorism sponsored by Iran and Iraq) and his great frustrations (failing to kill Osama Bin Laden despite many attempts). When President Bush took office, Clarke was ready to present him with a master plan to roll back and destroy al Qaeda, yet the president did not grant a briefing for months. His aides had little interest in Osama Bin Laden, preferring to talk about Saddam Hussein at every turn. Clarke knows why we failed to shut down terrorist financing within our borders prior to 2001.

After ignoring existing plans to attack al Qaeda when he first took office, George Bush made disastrous decisions when he finally did pay attention. Thanks to the determined, even conspiratorial views of Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and Bush, we went after the wrong enemy.

The charges Clarke levels against the current administration must be taken seriously by every American, Democrat or Republican. Our security depends upon it.

Listen to Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9-11 Commission.

©2004 RAC Enterprises, Inc. (P)2004 Simon & Schuster, Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Narration by the Author or Authors, 2005

"The explosive details about President Bush's obsession with Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks captured the headlines in the days after the book's release, but Against All Enemies offers more. It is a rarity among Washington-insider memoirs: it's a thumping good read." (The New York Times Book Review)
"The level of detail Clarke includes is impressive....Clarke delivers it like a pro. With his deep tenor and weighty pauses, Clarke never lets listeners forget the gravity of the situation....Compelling." (Publishers Weekly)
"Clarke tells an insider's story of our government's awakening to a threat we had never faced before. Because the written words are his own, every pause and emphasized phrase serve to hone his intended meaning as no contracted narrator could do. Although this is an abridgement, none of the meat or spice in this hot dish seems left out." (AudioFile)

Great Book! Thank you Mr. Clark

Fantastic! Moving information from a great inside source. Shame on the media for parroting the Whitehouse's attacks on Mr. Clark, when they should have been holding the administration's feet to the fire.

True or not, it is compelling...

I am a Colombian and (therefore) english is not my mother language. I acquired this audiobook and I enjoyed it to the fullest because of the clarity of the exposition, the engaging topic and, especially, because of the way it was read by its author, his rhythm and tone of voice made it quite a "thriller".

Compelling and engaging

An intriguing look at counterterrorism from someone who knows what they are talking about. While listening to this It was hard not to get mad at the laxity and laziness of the Bush administration prior to 9/11.
Clarke's narration was good and it gave the material the sense of seriousness that it required. His voice would sometimes betray the frustration he felt at constant delays by his superiors ('superiors' in rank only). All in all, a great book for anyone that wants an inside look at the war on terror. The ranking might have been higher if it was unabridged.

Get the straight dope form the man who knows ALL

If you could sum up Against All Enemies in three words, what would they be?

to the point

What was one of the most memorable moments of Against All Enemies?

killing filth

What about Richard A. Clarke’s performance did you like?

He kills filth

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no- but I can review it for debate

Compelling and enthralling

Perhaps the first nonfiction audiobook I "couldn't put down." I couldn't wait to find out what came next. The author does a really good job reading and all of the information presented was salient--and damning. I am 10 times more informed about the state of terrorism and the US's lack of preparedness--including the reasons why we're unprepared--after listening to this book. I highly recommend it!

Excellent Explanation of the war on terror

Provides insight information as to why we really went into Iraq. A must read for those interested in the truth.

Open Mind

The Author has a compelling delivery of information and decision making from the inside. This is a view and data that would otherwise not be available to the public. For this, he has done us a major service. In the flow of events, there are always missed opportunities and inadequate actions. What seems to spark controversy is not the litany of sins of omission - the missed opportunities, but the singularly consequential sin of comission, the invasion of Iraq, that has large and foreseeable negative consequences on the security of the U.S.
This book is a must-read and a must-listen, even if you don't like the obvious implications on the capability and interests of the administration.

Dick Clarke is an American Hero

Dick Clarke is the epitome of a public servant. He's highly intelligent and this book is an important history of American political intelligence and the price paid for politics over ethics.

Hindsight is 20/20

Richard Clarke does a good job in describing the intelligence community and it's shortcomings while he worked for four presidents. He is a registered Democrat and he tries to stay objective as he walks us through the Reagan years Bush 1 and Clinton years until he gets to George W Bush. From there on Clarke is extremely critical of Bush and his cabinet to the point of seeming like Clarke himself should have been president. Clarke comes across as a know-it-all and never once points out any of his own faults or poor decisions while being involved in, to his account, every major decision involving terrorism throughout the 80's and 90's and post 9/11.
He loses credibility with me on this point.
So, what is good about this book? If you want one person's perspective into the pre and post 9/11 intelligence and counter intelligence apparatus and political motivations, this offers a good insight. Since he left the Bush administration in 2003 and wrote this book almost a year later, it would be interesting to see how critical, if at all, Clarke would be of the Obama administration and their efforts against terrorism, pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan and the nuclear deal with Iran.
For a six hour audio book, this is good, not great, as Clarke himself narrates the pages and at times tries to force drama into words or phrases.

For lovers of logic and transparency

I've seen Richard Clarke on various news shows, commentaries but until I saw him last week on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, didn't think to get one of his books.

I will be honest, I am interested in but not at all savvy when it comes to the inner workings and history of how our government, different administrations have engaged and acted in the Middle East or tackled terrorism. Especially, the long history the U.S. has in these efforts throughout the last 20 years. Nor did I get involved, i.e., peace sign in my front yard, when things were not what they seemed in Iraq.

Ignoring the political rhetoric and just being a sister emotionally involved as her younger brother served two tours in Iraq. . . visiting him at Walter Reed after a traumatic brain injury. . I really appreciate Richard Clarke's clear method of breaking down his own experience and facts without much hyperbole or opinion. . . .

I enjoyed this book immensely and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves transparency and logic.