President Bush inaugural speech photo in an Iranian reformist newspaper today
President Bush inaugural speech photo in an Iranian reformist newspaper today
Debating whether or not his sources are reliable, or even exist, is irrelevant. The fact that he would publish a story such as this, a story that could have exposed a covert operation or overt operation violates every rule of responsible journalism.
Those of us who know Seymour Hersh's history of liberal bias know full well that Seymour Hersh has an agenda, and if it means jeopardizing the safety or our troops or the secrecy of such a mission. Seymour Hersh will choose his agenda every time
Seymour Butts has more integrity than Seymour Hersh
Below are reviews of my two favorite Sy Hersh books. Yes, he's not always reliable (much like DRUDGE, whose motto seems to be, "publish first, if it seems plausible, retract if you get flim-flammed"). But he's no Dan Rather stonewaller when someone rubs his nose in a mistake. Hersh, then, is like a semi-reliable blogger whose writings are worth noting, but always subject to later confirmation from other references.
Samson Option : Israel's Nuclear Arsenal & American Foreign Policy
by SEYMOUR M. HERSH
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679743316/qid=1106388952/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8995484-4866508?v=glance&s=books
# Paperback: 362 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 8.25 x 1.00 x 5.25
# Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (January 4, 1993)
# ISBN: 0679743316
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Hersh's investigation into Israel's nuclear capabilities sparked a series of controversies when it appeared in hardcover, and spent three weeks on PW 's bestseller list.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Publishers Weekly
Hersh's investigation into Israel's nuclear capabilities sparked a series of controversies when it appeared in hardcover, and spent three weeks on PW 's bestseller list.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Ever since the early 1950s, Israel has had one military eye firmly fixed on atomic weapons as a means of salvation, using them primarily as a military threat for both offensive and defensive purposes. Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize winner, expounds on the steady but quiet growth of an Israeli nuclear industry that proved so successful that Israel was able to coerce several U.S. administrations into doing its bidding. He also explores in depth Israeli access to U.S. intelligence satellite technologies that resulted from inattention by Washington leaders as well as from the four years of insider spying by Jonathan Jay Pollard. He reveals that the Soviet Union has been targeted by Israeli nuclear warheads since the mid-1980s. Unlike several other recent expos es of Israeli intelligence apparatus (Ian Black and Benny Morris's Israel's Secret Wars , LJ 8/91, and Andrew and Leslie Cockburn's Dangerous Liaison , LJ 6/15/91), Hersh follows the threads of a specific intelligence focus while highlighting U.S. policies that ultimately ignore the very real presence of the Israeli nuclear arsenal. This incredibly well-written book should be in every collection.
- David Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Publisher
"Almost defies belief...a riveting tale of Israeli determination and cunning--and Washington's indecision, ineptitude and acquiescence."--Dallas Morning News
American Policy & Israel's Nuclear Program, July 10, 2001
Reviewer: Gavin M Douglas "douglasg@wlu.edu" (Lexington, Va United States) - See all my reviews
This book tells how Israel became a secret nuclear power during the cold-war with the help of the U.S. "It also tells how that secret was shared sanction and at times, willfully ignored by the top political and military officials of the U.S since the Eisenhower years" (author's note). Hypocrisy aside, the author recalls the events that shaped the Israeli program, though he never strays far from U.S. interests and involvement. In his opinion, the Israli nuclear program could not have existed without the continuous aid of the U.S. He also pays attention to the political climate between the two allies, and how different presidents could effect the balance of information flowing between Israel and the U.S.
The Dark Side of Camelot
by Seymour M. Hersh
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316360678/qid=1106388952/sr=2-2/ref=pd_ka_b_2_2/102-8995484-4866508
# Paperback: 528 pages
# Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 1998)
# ISBN: 0316360678
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If the Kennedys are America's royal family, then John F. Kennedy was the nation's crown prince. Magnetic, handsome, and charismatic, his perfectly coifed image overshadowed the successes and failures of his presidency, and his assassination cemented his near-mythological status in American culture and politics. Struck down in his prime, he represented the best and the brightest of America's future, and when he died, part of the nation's promise and innocence went with him. That, at least, is the public version of the story.
The private version, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour M. Hersh, is quite different. His meticulous investigation of Kennedy has revealed a wealth of indiscretions and malfeasance, ranging from frequent liaisons with prostitutes and mistresses to the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro to involvement in organized crime. Though scandals in the White House are nothing new, Hersh maintains that Kennedy's activities went beyond minor abuses of power and personal indulgences: they threatened the security of the nation--particularly in the realm of foreign policy--and the integrity of the office. Hersh believes it was only a matter of time before Kennedy's dealings were exposed, and only his popularity and charm, compounded by his premature death, spared such an investigation for so long. Exposure was further stalled by Bobby Kennedy's involvement in nefarious dealings, enabling him to bury any investigation of his brother and--by extension--himself.
Based on interviews with former Kennedy administration officials, former Secret Service agents, and hundreds of Kennedy's personal friends and associates, The Dark Side of Camelot rewrites the history of John F. Kennedy and his presidency.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Entertainment Weekly
This warts-and-more-warts bio is so determined to kill off the Kennedy mystique it should be subtitled The Second JFK Assassination.... Hersh packs so much sleaze and scandal between the covers, he makes Kitty Kelley look like a pussycat. Much of it is old news, of course, even if Hersh does document the allegations more assiduously than ever before.
The Dark Side of JFK revealed with all its warts., December 30, 2003
Reviewer: Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
First, the disclaimer: although I am a conservative, I like and admire much of what JFK did as president, and I admire the man. Few readers will begin reading this book without a pre-existing opinion of Kennedy. That is/was mine.
Hersh does a workmanlike job illustrating the apparently undeniable fact that Kennedy had medical problems, integrity issues, and personal problems that the country would probably not tolerate in a president today. This book appears to be well-researched and well-documented. It does not present a flattering portrayal of Kennedy and it does not intend to.
First, the infidelity. Hersh goes into depressing detail as to his theme that JFK's marriage was a sham. According to Hersh, JFK never missed an opportunity to philander whenever Jackie Kennedy was away, and sometimes when she wasn't away. Much of JFK's inner circle conspired with him in this regards (according to Hersh) to a degree that is hard to imagine. Hersh speculates that part of Kennedy's abnormal libedo was induced by various drugs he took for his Addison's condition. Hersh develops this theme further in his discussion of the Cuban Missile Crisis and speculates that the cocktail of steroids and other drugs that Kennedy evidently needed to get through the day affected his judgment and his willingness to take risks. This in turn may have caused him to be more prone to the kind of brinksmanship that Hersh claims characterized Kennedy's handling of the Missile Crisis.
Personally I'm not so sure. Despite the fact that the US had an overwhelming nuclear and overall military superiority over Soviets in 1962, Kennedy did not bomb the missiles out but instead negotiated. Here I felt Hersh was unfair to Kennedy.
On the other hand, it seems clear that Kennedy's marriage was a sham and his image of youthful vigor was even more of a sham. Hersh is convincing that Kennedy could not get through the day without a battery of probably illegal drugs. Kennedy was suffering from Addison's disease, which is a very serious condition, and had many other health issues, including the famous back problem, which put him in constant pain.
Personally I found this book convincing as regards the infidelity, drug, and health claims that it made about Kennedy. Hersh is on thinner ice when he theorizes that these issues caused Kennedy to endanger the country. While this book or one like it is probably needed to balance the fluff pieces about Kennedy (and all the Kennedys) that abound, it is not itself a balanced analysis of JFK. To its credit, the book more or less admits this, in its title if nowhere else.
Seymour Hersh is Kitty Kelly in a suit.