If the thumbnail version of the Iraq war was that Bush lied about WMD, the thumbnail version of Obama's war in Afghanistan is that the generals pushed him into a war he didn't want to fight. Michael Hastings More Quotes by Michael Hastings More Quotes From Michael Hastings It's never a good thing to see a government agency talk in secret about the need to 'control protestors' - especially when that agency is charged with protecting the homeland against terrorists, not nonviolent demonstrators exercising their First Amendment rights to peaceable dissent. Michael Hastings control never good government I have to admit that the empty prestige and the stupid glory - yes, the horrible rush, the deadly sense of importance that war brings to life - are hard illusions to shake off. Look at me, a war correspondent. Michael Hastings me stupid war life It was either write or die for me. Michael Hastings either write die me Andrew Warren was a rarity in the CIA's Clandestine Service - African-American, fluent in Arabic, and relatively young for an agent who'd already spent nearly a decade chasing terrorists in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq and Algeria, so deep undercover that few of his friends or family knew the nature of his work. Michael Hastings service family nature work As the CIA tried to find itself, the threat of international terrorism emanating from the Middle East, Africa, North Africa and Central and Southeast Asia grew with each strike: the first World Trade Center attack in 1993, the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and the 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole. Michael Hastings africa find terrorism world Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest unmanned aerial offensive ever conducted in military history: never have so few killed so many by remote control. Michael Hastings control never military history There is not much of a bureaucratic leap, if history is any guide, between a seemingly benign call for 'continuous situational awareness' and the onset of a covert and illegal campaign of domestic surveillance. Michael Hastings surveillance leap awareness history In late 2009, I returned to Baghdad after a lengthy absence. I was living alone, in the Hamra Hotel, the twice bombed-out de facto international news bureau. Michael Hastings alone hotel news late The genius of David Petraeus has always been his masterful manipulation of the media. Michael Hastings always manipulation media genius Usually when reporting on powerful public figures, the press advisor and I would have had a conversation that established what journalists call 'ground rules,' placing restrictions on what can and cannot be reported. Michael Hastings ground rules powerful conversation My younger brother is a decorated combat veteran and was a platoon leader in Iraq. Michael Hastings younger iraq leader brother To General McChrystal, those men on his team are his family. You know, these guys, they would do anything. They would die for each other. Michael Hastings die you family men I've been in this business now for almost ten years. I've done a lot of stories. I have a pretty good track record. Michael Hastings pretty good done business I welcome all interviews with 'Rolling Stone' magazine, and I'm sure people will talk to me in the future. Michael Hastings me welcome future people Despite the absurdity and the silliness and the triviality of the entire campaign experience, there is also something, as non-cynical as this sounds, kind of uplifting and strange about watching democracy unfold. Michael Hastings watching experience democracy strange The first time I met President Obama was 2006 in Baghdad. He was the senator from Illinois; it was a month before he actually ended up declaring. He had to come to Baghdad to kind of check that box, and I was the correspondent for 'Newsweek' at the time. Michael Hastings box president first-time time Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line as possible. You want to ask the tough questions. Michael Hastings questions you tough want Obama's people will all often complain about how trivial and silly the media is, but there's no president who's probably benefited from this sort of trivialness or superficial nature as President Obama. Michael Hastings will media nature people For me, when I go in to write a profile, and no ground rules are laid down, and I'm there to write an on-the-record profile and cover readings while in the room, then that means it's on the record. Michael Hastings rules down go me
