CHAPTER 27
BREAKING BAD IN TIJUANA
M
y former CIA colleague Bob Baer is now a celebrity author, jour-
nalist, and intelligence analyst for CNN. Bob appears on CNN when
the network requires his expert analysis of fast-breaking events involving
the Middle East, counterterrorism, or counterintelligence issues.
Actor George Clooney was cast to portray CIA man Bob Baer in
Syriana, a 2005 movie that was loosely based on Bob’s book See No Evil:
The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA’s War against Terrorism. Like most
former CIA officers, Bob is much better looking than George Clooney.
That minor divergence from the truth should surprise no one, however,
since much of the movie is completely detached from reality. Spoiler alert:
Bob is still very much alive, while George Clooney’s character was not so
lucky in the movie. Or in the making of the movie, for that matter. Clooney
was seriously injured while filming the movie’s infamous torture scene.^1
Bob Baer is a busy guy who turns down exciting Hollywood requests the
way most of us politely pass on another serving of Brussels sprouts. One day
several years ago, Bob called me to ask if I would be interested in helping
out a friend of his, a very successful writer/producer of Breaking Bad, since
Bob did not have the time. Although he was busy with Breaking Bad, “Walt”
was also considering creating a new show, about the exploits of an LA-based
CIA officer who mixes business with pleasure south of the border. Walt was
a seasoned Hollywood professional, but he knew little about Mexico or the
world of spies. Since Mexico and espionage happen to be two of my favorite
pursuits, Bob introduced us so that I might give Walt a crash course in both.
My plan was to take Walt on a “ride-along” in Tijuana to demonstrate
how good guys and bad guys would operate against each other on the
dusty streets and back alleys of one of Mexico’s more dangerous cities. I
would provide insights into the tradecraft of the good guys, and I enlisted255