The Dark Side, Part 2 of 6

The second section of The Dark Side, author Jane Mayer writes about the actions taken by those in the executive branch immediately following the September 11th attacks. Threatened by foreign terrorists, those around the president (the president included) proceeded to act quickly so as uphold national security. The two men who held the most authority in the United States began at ground zero; they were to determine what enabled to terrorists to carry out their attacks. Bush and Cheney believed one of the reasons terrorists were able to attack the US was because the US was "soft...and that Bin Laden didn't feel threatened" by the United States (Mayer 56). The US had been introduced to an enemy that, although known, was never seen as a threat. However, as the result of an intelligence failure, the attacks were able to unfold. The President and Vice-President looked to conservatives on the right, seeking a means to best solve the national security crises. The executive branch, with the consultation of those on the right, came to the conclusion that "there was too much international law, too many civil liberties, too many constraints on the President's war powers, too many rights for defendants,...and too much meddling by Congress and the press" (Mayer 71).

Those in power determined that, in order to bolster national security and reduce terrorist threats, the executive branch needed to be granted more power and that achieving a secure nation would have to come at the expense of citizens giving up certain civil liberties. These endeavors could not be accomplished legally; they would act against the constitution. After September 11th, VP Cheney and others looked around America for the nation's smartest, most well-trained lawyers. Once an elite team of lawyers had been found, the executive branch "came up with legal justifications for a vast expansion of the government's power in waging war on terror" (Mayer 76). At the time, some in Bush's administration were skeptical of the means the administration was taking to deal with the new crises. Bush concluded that if what they were doing failed, they should at least leave the office stronger than it was when they entered it. It was through the lawyers that they could do this. The constitution would be abused, but it would happen behind closed doors. During the administration "The lawyers authorized previously illegal practices, including the secret capture and indefinite detention of suspects without charges" (Mayer 80).