On the Brink: An Insider's Account of How the White House Compromised American Intelligence 
asked by reader99 on November 26, 2006 6:00 AM
Though much has been written about the machinations of the Bush Administration and the recent failures of the Central Intelligence Agency, there is still a great deal of information that remains unknown to the American public. In this eye-opening new book, former CIA division chief Tyler Drumheller explores the gradual erosion of the agency's independence over the past 30 years, witnessing its decline through the prism of his own experiences.
A dedicated intelligence professional, Drumheller worked for several administrations, from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, rising through the ranks to become head of the agency's European division. From that privileged position he watched with growing dismay as the CIA descended into bureaucratic inertia and later, with anger as ideological powerbrokers used the agency to achieve their own political goals.
At Langley, Drumheller had a front row seat alongside Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and George Tenet. As only a few insiders can, he offers first-hand insight into the agency's relationship with the Bush Administration, sheds new light on how America propelled itself into war with Iraq, and explains how it has had a detrimental effect on our abilities to defend ourselves.
A dedicated intelligence professional, Drumheller worked for several administrations, from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, rising through the ranks to become head of the agency's European division. From that privileged position he watched with growing dismay as the CIA descended into bureaucratic inertia and later, with anger as ideological powerbrokers used the agency to achieve their own political goals.
At Langley, Drumheller had a front row seat alongside Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and George Tenet. As only a few insiders can, he offers first-hand insight into the agency's relationship with the Bush Administration, sheds new light on how America propelled itself into war with Iraq, and explains how it has had a detrimental effect on our abilities to defend ourselves.
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Although Drumheller's book rambles some and feels incomplete, this can be forgiven since 1/6 of the original was excised by the CIA. I particularly liked the personal glimpse of this fine professional and his family, rarely seen due to the necessarily hidden and shadowy roles of CIA people. I would enjoy having these people as friends.
The book makes a significant contribution to our national security discussion. Specifically, it shows that a key part of the CIA (Drumheller's group)did not consider reliable the Iraqi source "Curveball" held by another European security service, and
on whose reports the Bush administration based much of its false case for Iraq having biological weapons of mass destruction. Also important is the description of the Iraqi source in Saddam's inner circle identified by another European security service. This source reputedly claimed that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and Drumheller's agent kept trying to meet personally with this source. Drumheller makes a strong case that George Tenet and key Bush administration figures too willingly believed and trumpeted the fabricator, Curveball, but weren't interested in pursuing the Saddam associate. In other words, the administration had its mind made up to go to war with Iraq and wanted to hear and allow only that intelligence that supported its case. The administration's methods were to not-so-subtly intimidate CIA analysts and to "stovepipe" raw data directly to key Bush figures and discourage normal CIA vetting and analytical processes.
[...]. Concerning the Saddam inner-circle source who claimed no weapons of mass destruction, Drumheller writes: "I was questioned at length about (our agent's) tour around the world in pursuit of the Iraqi source, and I hoped the issue would be given a serious airing in the six-hundred page report when it was released on March 31, 2005. But the only references I can find are oblique and seem designed to head off any criticism of the administration for failing to consider the possibility that Saddam was not armed to the teeth. This is no doubt a consequence of the fact that the panel, for all its eminence, excluded from its considerations the behavior of the administration, as it submitted its report to the president."
The Drumheller book shows serious and professional work that believed in getting the facts, whatever they happen to show, rather than "fixing the facts around the policy", which is unfortunately what our administration required. And then for the administration to blame the intelligence community for the "wrong" intelligence about the weapons of mass destruction is a real travesty upon the dedicated CIA people who were trying to serve the best interests of our country. I highly recommend this book.
The book makes a significant contribution to our national security discussion. Specifically, it shows that a key part of the CIA (Drumheller's group)did not consider reliable the Iraqi source "Curveball" held by another European security service, and
on whose reports the Bush administration based much of its false case for Iraq having biological weapons of mass destruction. Also important is the description of the Iraqi source in Saddam's inner circle identified by another European security service. This source reputedly claimed that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and Drumheller's agent kept trying to meet personally with this source. Drumheller makes a strong case that George Tenet and key Bush administration figures too willingly believed and trumpeted the fabricator, Curveball, but weren't interested in pursuing the Saddam associate. In other words, the administration had its mind made up to go to war with Iraq and wanted to hear and allow only that intelligence that supported its case. The administration's methods were to not-so-subtly intimidate CIA analysts and to "stovepipe" raw data directly to key Bush figures and discourage normal CIA vetting and analytical processes.
[...]. Concerning the Saddam inner-circle source who claimed no weapons of mass destruction, Drumheller writes: "I was questioned at length about (our agent's) tour around the world in pursuit of the Iraqi source, and I hoped the issue would be given a serious airing in the six-hundred page report when it was released on March 31, 2005. But the only references I can find are oblique and seem designed to head off any criticism of the administration for failing to consider the possibility that Saddam was not armed to the teeth. This is no doubt a consequence of the fact that the panel, for all its eminence, excluded from its considerations the behavior of the administration, as it submitted its report to the president."
The Drumheller book shows serious and professional work that believed in getting the facts, whatever they happen to show, rather than "fixing the facts around the policy", which is unfortunately what our administration required. And then for the administration to blame the intelligence community for the "wrong" intelligence about the weapons of mass destruction is a real travesty upon the dedicated CIA people who were trying to serve the best interests of our country. I highly recommend this book.
reviewed by flow on November 27, 2006 6:04 PM
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By the time CIA reviewers finished with "On the Brink," there is little left of interest - only various references to "Curveball," the Iraqi held by Germany's intelligence service. The "bottom line" is that President Bush used information from this source, despite at least some of his top advisors being warned that Curveball was unreliable and the U.S. never having had the opportunity to meet personally with him.
Drumheller also tells us that he doesn't understand why Tenet took the blame for Bush's misstatement about Iraq obtaining enriched uranium - that NSC Deputy Director Hadley had been personally warned by Tenet, and that Porter Goss came to the CIA with a vendetta of exacting retribution for perceived slights received while he was head of the House Intelligence Committee.
That's all folks! Nothing new, and less information than contained elsewhere.
Drumheller also tells us that he doesn't understand why Tenet took the blame for Bush's misstatement about Iraq obtaining enriched uranium - that NSC Deputy Director Hadley had been personally warned by Tenet, and that Porter Goss came to the CIA with a vendetta of exacting retribution for perceived slights received while he was head of the House Intelligence Committee.
That's all folks! Nothing new, and less information than contained elsewhere.
reviewed by faithfulone on November 28, 2006 9:04 AM
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"Drumheller's book is a lucid account ... hobbled only by its late arrival to the shelf."
I think the above quote from the Publishers Weekly review of "On the Brink" says it all. I'm still reading it, but there really isn't anything in it so far that hasn't already been discussed in exhaustive detail in news coverage before its publication and especially in the WMD Commission Report (aka "the Silbermann-Robb Commission Report). About the only thing that Drumheller's book adds to the public record is a little bit more detail. The reviewer who claims that the book contains "explosive insights" ought to read the WMD Commission Report and see if he or she still believes that afterwards (the report came out in early 2005).
Drumheller's book also suffers from his tendency to attribute what he thinks and believes about Iraq to everyone in the Intelligence Community. As someone who works in that community, I think I can safely say that he does not speak for me or a lot of other people --even inside his own agency.
Another thing about the book that I find rather annoying is that it overwhelmingly "CIA-centric." Drumheller obviously believes that there is the CIA and "all the little agencies who make the CIA possible." My agency isn't even in the index.
This is in stark contrast to the WMD Commission Report (which is available on the Internet --just Google it-- and also in a book of reports called "Desert Mirage." The Commission looks at the total Intelligence Community and what it got wrong and right.
So why pay good money for a book that tells you only one narrow part of the story? Why not download the report and get the whole thing for free? It's not like the report is hard to read or that it whitewashes anything that Drumheller decries.
I think the above quote from the Publishers Weekly review of "On the Brink" says it all. I'm still reading it, but there really isn't anything in it so far that hasn't already been discussed in exhaustive detail in news coverage before its publication and especially in the WMD Commission Report (aka "the Silbermann-Robb Commission Report). About the only thing that Drumheller's book adds to the public record is a little bit more detail. The reviewer who claims that the book contains "explosive insights" ought to read the WMD Commission Report and see if he or she still believes that afterwards (the report came out in early 2005).
Drumheller's book also suffers from his tendency to attribute what he thinks and believes about Iraq to everyone in the Intelligence Community. As someone who works in that community, I think I can safely say that he does not speak for me or a lot of other people --even inside his own agency.
Another thing about the book that I find rather annoying is that it overwhelmingly "CIA-centric." Drumheller obviously believes that there is the CIA and "all the little agencies who make the CIA possible." My agency isn't even in the index.
This is in stark contrast to the WMD Commission Report (which is available on the Internet --just Google it-- and also in a book of reports called "Desert Mirage." The Commission looks at the total Intelligence Community and what it got wrong and right.
So why pay good money for a book that tells you only one narrow part of the story? Why not download the report and get the whole thing for free? It's not like the report is hard to read or that it whitewashes anything that Drumheller decries.
reviewed by crafty1 on November 28, 2006 4:46 PM