Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How President Bill Clinton Compromised America's Long-Term National Security

I like this book. Buzz Patterson is frank and comes across not so much as a person with an ax to grind (in fact he seems downright apologetic at having to criticize his former boss) but as a professional involved with an administration of broad incompetence and ignorance. This, then, is really a cautionary tale and plea, not to elect Republicans, per se, but to elect people who grasp military strategy and national security realities, which of course was not the case in the Clinton administration.The book is a story of Patterson and his relationship to Clinton for the two years of duty as an aide assigned to carry the 'nuclear football.' There are many alarming insights in the book, most frighteningly how Clinton lost his set of nuclear codes, the most important piece of paper in the world, for an indefinite period of time during one on his many scandals. Noteworthy also is the cavalier attitude with which he (and especially his staff) treated the military, with chapters on everything from the Somalia ('Black hawk Down') debacle to refusing to take out bin Laden when given the opportunity (especially in light of the fact that he was known to be behind several bombings and the USS Cole attack). The list goes on and on. How we gave North Korea two nuclear plants in return for nonproliferation agreements (and look where we are now...Thanks, Bill), how we knowingly allowed Loral and others to sell 'dual-purpose' technology to China, vastly enhancing their nuclear weapons delivery capabilities, and how seats were essentially sold on Air Force One to big Democratic donors. The list goes on and on. Don't miss the sections on Hillary's influence on the White House (people from New York, pay particular attention). Likewise, do not mention the sections on Al Gore, whose personal distaste for military people is so extreme that even when greeted courteously, he would totally ignore them. (As a side note, I formerly was a C-9 pilot in the Air Force and knew several people in the Presidential Pilot Office at Andrews AFB, and they confirmed this behavior privately to me.)The single most useful device in this book is the chronology of major foreign policy events of the Clinton years. The list puts many events of those years into context and focus.If you adore Bill and Hillary (and Al), you will probably not want to read this book, but you desperately need to. If you want a candid view of daily life in the Clinton White House, this book is excellent.

In a period spanning two years from May of 1996 to May of 1998, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Patterson presents readers with a very candid and objective look at just how precarious our National Security was during the Clinton administration. In a word, frightening.To be quite blunt, it is not far from the truth to say that Bill Clinton decimated the United States military during his presidential term. Downsizing units and assets from all service branches virtually assured that our military could not support engagements on two different fronts at the same time and placed our military strength in a questionable perspective.Not being someone who is afraid to show his true colors, Bill Clinton openly regarded the military with contempt and demonstrated this time and again while in office. As a personal military aide to the president, author Robert Patterson was a perfect eyewitness to rude and discourteous behavior afforded to U.S. servicemen by the Clinton administration. Many things said and done in and out of the White House were ethically and morally debased and, at various times, completely irresponsible.Regarding the safety of the United States as a whole, the Clinton administration presented a cavalier attitude as to the standards we should have employed to protect our own. One glaring example of a missed opportunity was the abject failure to act on reliable and timely intelligence data regarding the removal of Usama Bin Laden from the terrorist scene. Upon failing this, the United States and other countries would eventually endure many tragic events perpetrated by Usama Bin Laden and his maniacal Al-qaeda organization which continues to haunt us to this day.Dereliction of Duty is a well written and matter of fact narrative detailing our National Security status during a time of severe crisis and the dubious actions of the Clinton bureaucracy. Author Robert Patterson does not attack Bill Clinton personally but keeps pace nicely in an honest and straightforward presentation of his material that makes for a satisfying reading experience. There is no doubt that some of the content in this book will probably anger and disturb you but it is nevertheless highly recommended to everyone being that Americans really should know what Bill Clinton had a hand in doing to our country and how repercussions from his mistakes continue to affect us even today.

Last year I stumbled across this book in my library--then I remembered buying it when it first came out, sometime in the very early 2000's, but I couldn't remember reading it! Then I thought back and realized that at that time, my life was so very busy, that it slipped the proverbial cracks! So, this last Fall I finally read it. Wow! I had never liked the Clintons, many, many reasons for that. And while he was president he not only disappointed me by many of his acts-both as president as well as his activities outside the realm of the office, but I remember very well, being actually embarrassed that he was our president AND that she was the First Lady. This book is TERRIFIC, from the standpoint that we get to see these two 'behind the curtain', so-to-speak, through the eyes of an extremely dedicated, honest, and patriotic man. A dedicated USAF officer, assigned to carry the "Nuclear Football" and accompany the president, wherever he went. We get to see how the president (as well as Hillary) many times, put their own interests well ahead of the country, including, maybe the most important issue of all, our national security! We also get to see who wears the pants in their relationship, and it ain't Bill! This book is as relevant today as the day it was written, maybe more so! Anyone even considering putting the Clintons back into the White House, NEEDS to read this book! If you do read this book, you definitely will know that letting them back in might very well be the biggest mistake that a voter will ever make!

Illustrates clearly how corrupt the Clinton era was and now the USA is in danger of reinventing the tragedy with the upcoming elections in November