PREFACE 15power. If US presidents and policy makers continue to ignore or politicize
the CIA, the “American empire” may be very short-lived.
Bad foreign policy decisions are a bipartisan problem. This is one
reason I remain apolitical and independent of either party. It’s fair to say I
don’t care for most politicians, and, although I’m not proud of this fact, I
can’t remember the last time I voted. A good spy must remain an apolitical
seeker and speaker of truth.
As I mentioned, despite (or maybe because of) the never-ending adven-
ture, I’m all Iraq’d out. Of course, I also once said, “I’m all CIA’d out.”
After which I learned it’s sometimes easier to get in than to get out. Or as
the Serbs would say, “Dala baba jedan dinar da udje u kolo, a daje dva da izadje,”
meaning “Grandma paid one dinar to get into the kolo, and two to get out.”
For those of you unfamiliar with Serbian folk traditions, a kolo is a fast-
paced circle dance, not for the elderly or faint of heart.
So, the time has finally come for me to spend more quality time at my
Mexican safe house and write down some of the stories I’ve accumulated
along the way. I haven’t forgotten the details of what transpired long ago,
since my long-term memory is almost photographic. Although not “pho-
togenic,” which is how an otherwise reliable source on North Korea once
described her memory.
As for my short-term memory, that’s another story. Fortunately, I have
thousands of emails and other electronic files that serve as my unblinking
memory bank of all essential details, not to mention dozens of Iraqi friends
and colleagues who can also help to refresh my more recent, post-CIA
memory. So, I can (and will) tell you the exact date and circumstances sur-
rounding al-Qaeda’s kidnapping of three of my employees in Mosul, for
example. And how two of them (both Shi’ites) escaped with their heads
because one of them was too fat to be stuffed into the trunk of his car.
The good news is by the time I finish writing this book, several more
as-yet-unforeseen adventures will undoubtedly play out, and I’ll have the
makings of a second book. Insha’Allah.