Tim Naftali's "Blind Spot" is reviewed in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs.

In the end, each administration's excessive concern with setting a new course seems to have trumped the nation's interest in continuity.

In other words, the political parties' product positioning activities are a national security risk.

Naftali's account makes clear from the outset that communication failures were often the unfortunate side effects of petty turf wars.

The Foreign Affairs reviewer is critical of Naftali's analysis in a few places, including those which I highlighted in my review, such as Clinton's efforts against al Qaeda. She ends her review by invoking the "al Qaeda is a scene" meme.

Counterterrorism in Retrospect