BUSH AT WAR
“Provides a rare chance to understand the leadership style of the man who now sits in the Oval Office.”
David Ignatius
The Washington Post
Bush at War is the behind-the-scenes story of how President George W. Bush and his top national security advisers, after the initial shock of the September 11 attacks, led the nation to war.
Based on interviews with more than a hundred sources and four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, Bush at War reveals Bush’s sweeping, almost grandiose, vision for remaking the world. “I’m not a textbook player, I’m a gut player,” the president said.
Woodward’s virtual wiretap into the White House Situation Room reveals a stunning group portrait of an untested president and his advisers: Vice President Dick Cheney, taciturn but hard-line, always pressing for more urgency in Afghanistan and toward Iraq; Secretary of State Colin Powell, the cautious diplomat and loyal soldier, tasked with building an international coalition in an administration prone to unilateralism; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the brainy agitator and media star who led the military through Afghanistan; National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, the ever-present troubleshooter who emerges as perhaps the president’s most important adviser.
Bush at War also includes a vivid portrait of CIA director George Tenet, ready and eager for covert action against terrorists in Afghanistan and worldwide, and follows a CIA paramilitary team leader on a covert mission inside Afghanistan to pay off assets and buy friends with millions in U.S. currency carried in giant suitcases.
Reviews:
“Remarkable . . . Bush at War is akin to an unofficial transcript of 100 days of debate over war in Afghanistan.”
The New York Times Book Review
“A great read...Bob Woodward has unearthed important new information on the behind-the-scenes struggles that have led to success — and failure — in President Bush’s War on Terror.”
James Rubin, The New York Observer
“A work of spareness and authority...We are fortunate to have this richly detailed view of our nation’s central policy command.”
Fouad Ajami, The Washington Post Book World
“Provides readers with a wealth of fly-on-the-wall detail from deliberations within the Cabinet…Illuminating.”
Stan Crock, Business Week
“Bob Woodward has a virtual franchise on inside accounts of administrations. Bush at War is an invaluable look at how Bush and his top aides are thinking and acting now as they decide whether to invade Iraq.”
Frank Davies, The Miami Herald
“Extraordinarily gripping...probably the most important book that Woodward has written…not merely the first draft of history but something close to its most significant source.”
Tim Hames, The Times (London)
“Woodward has produced the best book yet written about the September 11 terrorist attacks on America and how Bush fought back.”
Steve Neal, Chicago Sun-Times
“Human and convincing in its detail.”
Evan Thomas, Newsweek
“Bush at War is great reading about the greatest issue of the day...[A] treasure trove of priceless detail that brings the story alive.”
John E. Mulligan, Providence Journal-Bulletin
