Includes bibliographical references.

Crash in the night : a nightmare while awake -- Defeated by a dead man : the controversial 2000 Senate reelection campaign -- A marked man : the Senate confirmation battle, Part 1 -- Throwing heat : the Senate confirmation battle, Part 2 -- Trouble at the FBI : the Hanssen spy scandal -- A new culture : don't ever stop -- The botched prosecution of Timothy McVeigh : an innocent system -- Terror strikes : September 11, 2001 -- New priorities : from prosecution to prevention -- Tearing down the wall : confronting the "secret spy court" -- Terrorists among us : the hunt for American al Qaeda -- Phantoms of lost liberty : the battle to defend justice -- Intelligence-based immigration : the need to secure our borders -- Judgment in Manhattan : the prosecution of Lynne Stewart -- Uncovering the truth : the 9/11 Commission : part 1 -- The Millennium Plot : the 9/11 Commission, part 2 -- Transnational terror : the surprising truth about international cooperation in the war on terror -- Never again : the moral imperative for toughness.

"John Ashcroft's service as attorney general began with turmoil: a loss to a deceased challenger in his Senate reelection campaign and a tumultuous confirmation battle. Then, on September 11, 2001, his job was transformed into the greatest leadership challenge an attorney general has ever faced. Highly classified intelligence briefings, secret surveillance of terror cells, and war councils with President Bush gave Ashcroft a uniquely comprehensive--and uniquely chilling--view of the threats to American security. [In this work] Ashcroft breaks his silence about historic events that transpired during his term of office--including the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history, the enactment and defense of the Patriot Act, the Robert Hanssen spy scandal, the execution of Timothy McVeigh, and the recently discovered domestic surveillance program authorized by President Bush."--From publisher description.