I don't go around getting my stories from nice old lefties or the Weatherman or the America-with-a-k boys. I get them from good old-fashioned constitutionalists. I learned a long time ago that you can't go around making judgments on the basis of people's politics. The essential thing is: do they have integrity or not?
-- Seymour Hersh
Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib provides a valuable service by connecting the dots. For instance, it is aggravating when people admit that Abu Ghraib was horrible and all, but argue that it was just an isolated incident, and basically the excesses a few individuals. There are various reasons why this is so. First, it is felt that opposition to how the war is being carried forth is in some way unpatriotic and not respectful of the pressures involved in fighting such a perilous enemy. Attempts to show that in fact the moves taken are actually counterproductive and in some cases arguably unpatriotic themselves are tough sells.
Second, opposition is seen as too political, which ironically means the excesses of the Bush Administration is used as a defensive mechanism since only those who "hate" Bush or something would damn them so strongly. [Also, of course, in the past, opposition parties never made alleged administrative failings a political issue.] Facts are of limited value in this case, especially given the skill of the administrative forces, plus the weaknesses of the opposition. Third, many refuse to accept that something is especially wrong, thus focus on narrow failings or apparent good things done. Finally, the press and others fail to consistently supply a big picture summary and explanation of the events. The drip, drip, drip method of coverage clouds the breadth of the problem.
The success of Sy Hersh's articles and this book is limited by such factors, especially since he is so easily tarred as a leftie, liberal, or "the closest thing American journalism has to a terrorist" (Richard Perle). Nonetheless, his skill at supplying the facts and cogent analysis remains quite valuable. And, some of the more biting comments supplied in the book's epilogue might even be taken as accurate:
There are many who believe George Bush is a liar, a President who knowingly and deliberately twists facts for political gain. But lying would indicate an understanding of what is desired, what is possible, and how best to get there. A more plausible explanation is that words have no meaning for this President beyond the immediate moment, and so he believes that his mere utterance of the phrases makes them real.
For instance, Abu Ghraib was just one aspect of the administration's loosely regulated attempt to use untraditional means [and quite arguably counterproductive] to attain intelligence and fight our enemies. An attempt that received opposition from main forces inside the government -- not solely because of in-fighting over turf, but because of the dangerous game being played. As Hersh himself noted, the military is full with people with basic integrity and faith in the American ideal. It is why they respected him enough to offer essential details, even though his views might be different from their own.*
The book also has various other material that were the subjects of various New Yorker columns, including how (and why) the Bush Administration "stovepiped" intelligence, resulting in the use of quite a bit of suspect material. The infamous Niger uranium story is explained in some detail, and we discover just how flimsy the "evidence" of Iraqi wrongdoing truly was. The sad state of our intelligence is also covered with explanations how it has been a long term problem. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are also covered, including interesting material on Pakistan and North Korea. And, the final section covers the situation in the Middle East after 9/11, including in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
The book is not always comprehensive because of all the material covered, but for those who want a good snapshot of the events in one volume, it is probably a must read (or skim).
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* Al Franken noted with awe that when he went overseas on USO tours, members of the military were particularly impressed with his efforts because they knew Franken opposed the war -- it showed that he truly cared.