Chapter 6 Summary and Analysis

Success in Afghanistan increases CIA Director Tenet's standing with Bush. The only Clinton holdover, Tenet has risen through the ranks. High-strung and focused, he takes time to forge and nourish personal relationships, and bonds well with Bush, whom he briefs at 8 AM most days. Even before 9/11, Tenet sees Iraq's importance to Bush and takes pains to find the right person for Chief, Iraq Operations Group (IOG). Saul (a pseudonym) asks for the job, when he hears no one wants to head the "House of Broken Toys." When the NSC asks how the CIA sees Iraq, Saul "scrubs" (reviews) data since 1991 and finds a tragicomic catalog of too-little-too-late.

Iraq is a Cold War pawn until 1972 when Saddam signs a Friendship Treaty with the Soviets and President Nixon sets up covert operations among the 25 million Kurds spread across the borderlands of Iraq, Iran...