Clancy is sometimes critiqued for being so unapologetically pro-American and specifically pro-Military. He is fond of show-casing all aspects of the US defense machinery operating at peak efficiency; a piece of information is gathered by some technical tool of spying, analyzed quickly and accurately by smart dedicated analysts, put in the hands of policy makers who make sound judgments for follow up by unfailingly courageous and outstandingly trained US military personnel, who strike with pinpoint accuracy.<br /><br />It is almost always a "best case" scenario of how US defense and security operations are supposed to work.<br /><br />This movie stands out for acknowledging some of the dark side of this, and explicitly rejecting the thinking behind operations like Iran-Contra, which are done outside of constitutional and legal frameworks solely on the say-so of a President or some of his subordinates. However highly Clancy may think of the US military, he demonstrates his rejection of theories of extreme Presidential powers to conduct any and all operations deemed to be for "national defense." Further, he acknowledges how ambitious officials up to and including the President can misuse the vast powers of the US military and intelligence agencies for personal and political gain while ignoring vital checks and balances of the US system.<br /><br />Speaking as one who enjoys Clancy's writing and his meticulous research into specific details of how these technologies and agencies operate, I also feel sometimes that it is simply too idealistic and overstates the utility and necessity of the vast US defense budget. So it is nice to see Clancy still respecting the core democratic values of the US system unlike so many in today's political environment who believe in essentially unlimited and illimitable Presidential authority, and that America can do no wrong.