John McCain’s Polish Moment, Iranian Style

The Republican candidate’s insistence, then backtracking, then his campaign’s backtracking on the backtracking, that Iran is training al Qaeda evoked President Gerald R. Ford’s declaration that “there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.” For others, it was a reminder that we have all been here before — and we are once again exposed to the ignorance of top American officials about the Middle East.

CQ Homeland Security (03/21/2007)

Celebrated History of the CIA Comes Under Belated Fire

New York Times reporter Tim Weiner’s “Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA,” hit the New York Times best-seller list last summer, riding a wave of praise from Washington’s national security writing establishment. But a growing cadre of historians, investigative reporters and others has called into question the respected Pulitzer Prize winner's handling of documents and sources, as well his book’s theme that the CIA’s record is one of almost abysmal failure.

CQ Homeland Security (03/14/2007)