Pursuit of Honor

Well it’s not a big surprise what really concerns and interests me in America. It’s the simple fact that the CIA is persecuted by politicians for protecting the country. If you get anything out of Pursuit of Honor, I want it to be the importance of National Security. Operatives in the CIA dedicate their lives to protect the United States. How are they repaid? By arrogant politicians who have the luxury to sit back and point fingers while the rest of the clandestine team is out making a real difference in the world. I don’t much care for politicians as you might have guessed after reading my book. Politicians might not like their portrayal in my book, but I believe it is important for them to hear the truth. They are going to have to face the truth one way or another. Politicians are notorious for saying one thing and doing another. On the one hand politicians want the clandestine team to keep doing what they are doing because they are protecting the country, but at the same time they are persecuted because of the way they get things done. As my main character Mitch Rapp says to Gabriel Dickerson on page 135, “you’re going to ask me in a very coded way to put my neck on the line and break these very laws you and the president pretend to hold so dear, and if I’m right about that, I’d appreciate a little honesty from you on this issue.” I use my books as a portal to illustrate my opinions about politicians. Like Rapp said, cowardly politicians tend to speak in code in order to avoid receiving the blame. This puts the CIA at risk to get blamed for following orders and doing their job.

Politicians are skilled at writing an esoteric message. It’s very typical to receive these “coded messages” from politicians. The beauty of these messages is that they are only visible to the elite. The elite in this case are the clandestine team. Writing in this fashion is their safety net for never having to be responsible for anything if the media catches wind of anyone breaking the law. Leo Strauss was a brilliant philosopher who specialized in classical political philosophy. Strauss wrote a book called Persecution And The Art Of Writing. This book is talking exactly about what I’m referring to about politicians. Strauss says that in order to avoid persecution you have to write between the lines. Strauss states, “Persecution cannot prevent even public expression of the heterodox truth, for a man of independent thought can utter his views in public and remain unharmed, provided he moves with circumspection. He can even utter them in print without incurring any danger, provided he is capable of writing between the lines” (24). I couldn’t have said it better myself. Politicians do everything in their power to avoid persecution while the operatives risk their lives protecting the country. Some politicians, like my character Gabriel Dickerson, have the ability to persuade the masses due to their charismatic authority. Like I said on page 122, “Whether he’d been born with all this charisma or had learned it on a used-car lot, Rapp didn’t know and didn’t really care, but he knew he’d better damn well be careful, because Gabe Dickerson was to politics what Rapp was to the intelligence business.” A politician’s charisma can be very powerful and can emotionally persuade followers. However, like Rapp said he better be careful not to be swayed by his charisma. Max Weber was a sociologist and political economist who studied the power of charismatic authority. He would probably have a lot to say on the matter if he was still alive. He wrote a book called Economy and Society, which he stated, “the recognition of the charismatic character of the royal office, which requires his personal qualification and effectiveness. As a rule, charisma is a highly individual quality” (1113). In my opinion, there are political figures that use their charismatic authority to obtain support and a following. That is why I portrayed Dickerson that way in my book.

Washington is messed up right now. I want to use real life situations and make people listen to my stories and the ideas I channel through them. This is not the first time I’ve talked about this and it won’t be the last.