Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner (2007, Hardcover)

Tim Weiner's "Legacy of Ashes," is a joy to read, it is understandable why his writing has earned him the awards and accolades he has received.
Weiner draws upon volumes of materials from presidential tapes and transcripts to recently declassified CIA internal documents and oversight committee memoranda. To some it will come no surprise that any government agency could be apparently run so poorly; to others, this book will shatter long storied myths of the agency’s capabilities. Weiner reveals the problems that arise in any government organization when the bureaucrats they employ become complacent, arrogant, retirement oriented, or maligned by elected officials who do not have tenure long enough to understand the agency’s goals or purpose.
Do not expect Weiner’s work to be without bias, there are obvious targets of criticism that will undoubtedly be viewed as political. Take them for what they are worth, as any sensible reader would. There is little doubt, however, that had the information been available to produce this book before the 2003 Iraq invasion, socio-politically, things would certainly be different for the U.S.
Some will view this as a hit-piece on the CIA; I don’t think the CIA needed a hit-piece to discredit it in the U.S. and abroad. The fact is, if the CIA had done it’s job as well as the American public would hope, perhaps the U.S. would not face the constant criticism of the international community.
In “Legacy..,” Wiener has pulled the cat from the bag, shaken it, and left it to do whatever it is cats do after such distress. Hopefully, good will prevail in the wake of this book.
If the CIA has existed in an intelligence Dark Ages, then hopefully we are in the midst of an intelligence renaissance.
We must remember that the people who lived during the real Dark Ages had no idea it was the Dark Ages, it took the awakening to realize how lost Western civilization had been.
An excellent book that encourages thought about the intelligence process, warns against the privatization of intelligence, and reveals the struggle similar agencies face in the post 9/11 world.
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