Several months ago, as The New York Review of Books was preparing to publish its review of Power Wars, I received a letter from its editor, Robert Silvers, asking whether I would like to write a review essay about Playing to the Edge by Michael Hayden, the former head of the NSA and the CIA. I accepted the assignment. The essay I wrote weighs Hayden’s book and his broader contribution to the public debate over post-9/11 issues like warrantless surveillance, torture, and targeted killings against the standard he sets for the role an intelligence officer should play in a modern democracy. The paywall link is down and it may be read for free here.
