Marching Toward Hell

America and Islam after Iraq

By: Michael Scheuer

Narrated by: Michael Scheuer

Michael Scheuer is the (initially anonymous) author of Imperial Hubris, which was a New York Times hardcover best seller for 15 weeks and stirred up attention in every national and local media outlet. He is a veteran CIA counterterrorism analyst who for many years headed the Osama bin Laden unit.

In Marching Toward Hell, Scheuer offers a scathing and frightening look at how the Iraq war has contributed to the enemy's strength and fundamentally changed the geopolitical landscape in a way that is harmful to U.S. interests and security concerns. Scheuer will examine the ways in which the war has widened the conflict by almost every measure, making America less secure and increasingly vulnerable to attack.

Scheuer details how our various actions have undermined the very things the U.S. was fighting for, including:

The Iraq war has been a huge setback in the so-called "War on Terrorism". Bin Laden and his allies have articulated their goals vis-a-vis the U.S. as "bleed to bankruptcy" and "spread U.S. forces and resources", and the war has brought al-Qaeda a level of success that it could not have achieved on its own.

The failure of the various investigative commissions to find any individual culpable for anything in the wake of 9/11 and Iraq. The WMD controversy left in charge those who got America to the twin disasters, while simultaneously creating a bigger, more expensive, and less effective intelligence bureaucracy.

Unqualified U.S. support for Israel is involving her ever more deeply in war with the Islamists without making Israel any safer.

After 20+ years as a senior CIA officer, Scheuer has the knowledge and expertise to tell the American public what it needs to know. As a frightened and frustrated individual who has had enough of bureaucratic ineptness and bipartisan politicking, he has the courage to sound this critical alarm.

©2008 Michael Scheuer (P)2008 Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Challenges the reader, abridgement disappoints

Even though I disagree with the author on a variety of points, I found this book challenging. It made me examine my basic assumptions about the Middle East, Islam, the War on Terror, the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US relationship with Israel, etc. Unfortunately, the abridgement left me longing for further details and input from the author. To date, no unabridged audiobook version is available. How can I decide if the author’s ideas are with, or without, merit unless I am unable to read, or listen to, his entire line of reasoning? This will be the last “abridged” non-fiction audio production that I ever purchase.

A brilliant albeit schizophrenic perspective

Any additional comments?

While everyone else at the CIA were busy replaying Cold War games, Michael Scheuer and his team were the only ones dedicated to fighting bin Laden's Al Qaeda before most Americans knew his name. For this we all owe a debt of gratitude.

So there's little doubt as to Michael Scheuer's brilliance and depth of knowledge regarding bin Laden, although I'm surprised by how much credence he gave to bin Laden's stated objectives and reasoning for causing 9/11. In my mind, there's nothing the US did or didn't do that could have avoided a purposeful attack, which motive, as I see it, was purely to draw the US into a mountainous land war inside Afganistan so bin Laden could fashion himself the head sheik in charge among the Ummah against the infidels. The old as dirt define yourself by your enemy trick.

I'm glad Michael Scheuer narrated the book. A great effort and work that was somewhat undone by an undercurrent of embittered betrayal at the hands of his former employer and a condescending tone toward those whose worldview he didn't share.

Grudgingly, I agree

Scheuer makes some very interesting points throughout this book, and one cannot help but take them into consideration. I respect his conclusions about how to deal with international terrorism. Unfortunately, I also feel that his lionization of Reagan and obvious disdain for Clinton make his conclusions harder to evaluate fairly. Often this book comes across as overly simplistic in its political analysis. That analysis being: Republicans good, and even when they are bad, they are still good, Democrats always bad and always worse than any Republicans.

Great Author, Decent Book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would, because most people I know, as well as myself some time ago, are very anti-military and don't understand the idea of a just war. That is not even the point of the book really, but Scheuer's well-known opinions on "killing as many of the enemy as possible" are best surrounded by descriptions of why America's most recent wars in the region are not what he wants either.

I deliberately waited a week or two to write a short review in order to see how much I retained, because I felt that the book didn't often go into detail - it often assumes that you know the details. However his narration immensely helps sell his ideas.

A message desperately needed for future politician

mind opening, and excellent recounting of failed foreign policy from lack of knowledge. must buy

Excellent Quality but abridged

I only wish that it was not abridged. The audio quality is excellent and the dictation is clear.

AUTHOR Thinks Twin Towers not inside Job,

What made the experience of listening to Marching Toward Hell the most enjoyable?

I think the message basically is good, but this author refers to 911 as if Bin Laden was behind it. As if a former CIA operative was able to plot and plan and pull off such a feat. A man with severe diabetes living poor could not and it's provable that Bin Laden never took credit. Still the author's message that the zionists have hijacked our government and bought politicians is true. zionists and the bankers policy are ruining this nation and we ignorant and blind Americans have allowed it. I wish all my countrymen and women would wake the hell up !!

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Not surprised because I know the truth

Which scene was your favorite?

None the book was information, basically. The author being former CIA gives insight.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was disappointed the author kept referring to 911 as if Bin Laden really pulled of the twin towers to be demolished, any wise American knows Mosad and our shadow government are behind 911 and why this nation is so Feft up today. Because the bankers are behind many bad things.

Any additional comments?

Read every thing you can to educate yourself on the real state of the USA. If we Americans team up we can defeat the Bankers and their Zionist agenda, reverse our course now.

so well put

an excellent explanation of the unintended consequences of the US foray into central asia and the middle east. this is required reading to gain an understanding of some of the subtleties of what is happening there, and how to avoid such in the future. well researched and written, highly recommended. while certainly not "exciting" from a traditional sense, nor revealing per se in the manner of "what happened" this is a sober analysis of what can happen when decisions are not well thought out, when all consequences are not considered, when old ways of looking at a situation are applied to new and unfamiliar territory.

One 2 grow on

M.S. talks us through a truth that has been far to suppressed even ignored. Past presidents quotes are repeated for our benefit and add to the urgency for Americans to unite in haste.