Power Wars

Inside Obama's Post-9/11 Presidency

De: Charlie Savage

Narrado por: Dan Woren

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie Savage's penetrating investigation of the Obama presidency and the national security state.

Barack Obama campaigned on changing George W. Bush's "global war on terror" but ended up entrenching extraordinary executive powers, from warrantless surveillance and indefinite detention to military commissions and targeted killings. Then Obama found himself bequeathing those authorities to Donald Trump. How did the United States get here?

In Power Wars, Charlie Savage reveals high-level national security legal and policy deliberations in a way no one has done before. He tells inside stories of how Obama came to order the drone killing of an American citizen, preside over an unprecendented crackdown on leaks, and keep a then-secret program that logged every American's phone calls. Encompassing the first comprehensive history of NSA surveillance over the past forty years as well as new information about the Osama bin Laden raid, Power Wars equips readers to understand the legacy of Bush's and Obama's post-9/11 presidencies in the Trump era.

Reseñas de la Crítica

A New York Times Editors' Choice

Named one of the best books of 2015 by ABC News and The Guardian

"Offers a master class in how to think seriously about crucial aspects of the [war on terrorism]. ... comprehensive, authoritative ... anyone truly interested in foreign policy or national security should find it essential and enthralling, thanks to the author's intelligence, objectivity, legwork and literary skill. ... Savage's superb book should stand as an indispensable guide to the debate."—Gideon Rose, New York Times Book Review

Power Wars "will almost certainly stand as the most comprehensive account of the Obama administration's policies, views, theories and bureaucratic battles over national security laws and the legacy of the 2001 attacks. His account is thoughtful and consistently fair-minded... no small achievement."—James Mann, New York Times

"Both the most comprehensive and the most engrossing look at how Obama morphed from a candidate beloved by the civil liberties community into what many saw as a continuation of George W. Bush...could not be more timely."—Trevor Timm, The Guardian

"The most essential explanation of modern-day American national security policy.... Anyone who has followed current events on drone strikes, surveillance, and encryption, and other essential issues at the forefront of modern America--and wants the entire inside baseball play-by-play to go with it--will love this book."—Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica

"Delves deeply into the nooks and crannies of every significant national security debate touching on the intersection of national security and law. The product of prodigious research and interviews with seemingly every player, Savage's book provides a revealing picture of the inner workings of the Obama presidency."—Gabriel Schoenfeld, The Weekly Standard

"The book has much broader appeal than to those in the national security law bubble... [Deeply sourced] is an understatement, as Savage reveals the contents of never-before released documents, memos, and internal deliberations across a variety of topics."—Cully Stimson, Lawfare

"Over the years, Savage has become one of the most knowledgeable and tireless reporters chronicling the civil liberties and war powers controversies under the Obama administration. ... Savage has written a book that will clearly be the comprehensive historical account of these controversies."—Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept

"A rich blow-by-blow account of how and why the Obama administration determined the legality of its war-on-terrorism policies."—Jack Goldsmith, The New Rambler

"It is hard to imagine many journalists capable of writing a book on this topic on the scale, and with the ambition, of this one."—Robert Bauer, Time

Great review of Executive National Security power

Would you listen to Power Wars again? Why?

Maybe. It's not really the kind of thing that you listen to over and over, but I have gone back already to review certain sections.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Charlie Savage has a narrative about how Obama has continued or expanded many of the Bush-era national security moves and he does a great job of explaining why. A large part has to do with the inertia of bureaucracy and legitimization of previously expansive views.

Which scene was your favorite?

No specific scene stands out, but the overall image of lawyers sitting around and creating a legalistic framework for these national security goals is repeated over and over. I have this picture in my head of lawyers sitting around conference tables arguing each of these issues as they strive to implement process.

If you could give Power Wars a new subtitle, what would it be?

The new boss is the same as the old boss...

Excellent

If you could sum up Power Wars in three words, what would they be?

For all those who actually believe Obama is weak on terrorism and those 'radical islamic terrorists'.

What did you like best about this story?

Mr. Savage lays out in pain staking detail every step Obama took to institutionalize all of Bush's and Chaney's 'from the hip' knee jerk actions which, prior to Obama were not supported by the constitution, executive power, or any semblance of congressional oversight or approval.

Any additional comments?

A must read for Rush Limbaugh and all the other pundits who have attempted to differentiate Obama's foreign policy from Bush's! They are vertually identical!

Almost missed this remarkable work.

Substantive, meticulously researched and near flawlessly executed. This is a great opportunity to view the reality of the Obama Presidency from inside and without the ubiquitous inanity and insanity of our time.

Very dense and little narrative

Good for those readers who enjoy legal theory. Although not dry by any measure of the word, don't expect a page turner.