© 2024 South Carolina Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bush, the CIA and America: 'State of War'

In December of 2004, President Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to, from left, former CIA Director George Tenet, retired Gen. Tommy Franks and Paul Bremer, former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.
In December of 2004, President Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to, from left, former CIA Director George Tenet, retired Gen. Tommy Franks and Paul Bremer, former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

In December, New York Times reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau broke the news that the Bush administration had authorized a domestic spying program.

Risen's new book is State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. While it describes the National Security Agency's practices of monitoring communication in the United States, the book also delves into the deeper relationship between the president and the CIA -- particularly in terms of his aspirations in Iraq.

In his account, Risen describes President Bush as being bent on war in Iraq, not least because he sought to do the job better than the United States -- and his father -- had done in 1991.

From the controversial "Downing Street Memo" that described military action in Iraq as a foregone conclusion months before the war to power struggles among the CIA the Defense Department and other entities, State of War provides a detailed context for looking at American policies in Iraq.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.