Steve Clemons

The United States spies on China as it does on many nations of geostrategic significance – but thus far at least, the Chinese book publishing arena hasn’t yet produced anything as sizzling about its own world of spies and spymasters as David Wise has in his page-turner, Tiger Trap: America’ Secret Spy War with China.

John LeCarre – writing fiction – mastered the art of taking shadows of real world sophisticated spycraft and turning them into some of the best novels of the last generation. What David Wise has done is zero in on and reveal the stories of America’s real George Smiley’s – only problem is that most of them have none of the competence or the layers of complexly organized subterfuge that LeCarre’s principal character had.

New Yorker Washington correspondent Jane Mayer achieved a great first among serious Bush administration-watchers in putting a major spotlight on the deeds of David Addington, Vice President Cheney’s Chief of Staff and former national security advisor.

In Heilbrunn’s postscript in his book, he outlines the seeming exodus of many neoconservatives from government positions — like Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, David Wurmser, Scooter Libby, and others — but then notes that they “remained unrepentant” and “seemed relatively unaffected by the obloquy they had endured during the Bush years.” He quotes me saying “They’re gone, but they’re not gone.”

And many are now joining John McCain’s machine.