Make no mistake: national security is of the utmost importance, which is why Goodman's valiant exposé of the politicization of the nation's intelligence-gathering operation is a brave and courageous endeavor. By its very nature, he observes, the CIA is a warren of subterfuge and deception, a haven for those who revel in wielding power shielded from scrutiny by the public, the press, and the rest of the government. An analyst and division chief, Goodman's career began in the mid-1960s, when the country was fighting both the war in Vietnam and the Cold War with the Soviets. He worked until 1990, when he resigned in frustration and outrage over his experience with widespread corruption, internal harassment, and intentional dissemination of misinformation to presidents, Congress, and the American public. Goodman's honest evaluation, supported by cogent analysis, lays bare the raw ambition, venal duplicity, and deplorable incompetence of some of those charged with keeping the nation safe. At a time when the very concepts of truth and accuracy are being called into question, Goodman's revelations are a clarion call for vigilance and accountability. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

A former CIA analyst (1966-1990) deplores what he argues is the increasing deleterious politicization of the agency. In his latest book, Goodman-who has taught at the National War College, held other intelligence-related positions, and written earlier accounts of what he sees as a very troubled agency (Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA, 2008, etc.)-thoroughly rages against the corruption he has viewed in the highest ranks of the CIA. There are themes and incidents that he strikes repeatedly like clamorous gongs: President Harry Truman's original vision of the CIA, the author's 1991 appearance before a Congressional committee to oppose the appointment of Robert Gates as Director of the CIA, the defense of Edward Snowden, and the failures of the mainstream media to pay attention to the politicization of the agency. Goodman takes shots at pretty much everyone (save himself and his wife, who also served in the agency), including all the presiden ts since Truman, the media, and virtually all the CIA directors (save the ones in charge when he began in the 1960s). He continually administers severe hammer strokes to President George W. Bush and his team for the Iraq War and for the false/distorted intelligence they used to whip up public support. But the bone he simply cannot release bears the face of Gates. Repeatedly, he tells us that he and Gates were once friends and then follows with accounts of one egregious Gates deed/maneuver/lie after another. (Unfortunately, he repeats them often, sometimes with similar diction.) The author also savages Gates' memoirs and returns constantly to the 1991 Congressional testimony. Over and over, we hear about Gates' rise in the agency, which Goodman attributes to callous, unethical manipulations. The author does provide some useful inside information about other notable cases-Iran-Contra, Aldrich Ames, and the Patriot Act. The causes of Goodman's vitriol are indeed worrisome , but his countless repetitions grow wearisome. Copyright Kirkus 2016 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.