Authors: Bob Woodward
Tags: #History: American, #U.S. President, #Executive Branch, #Political Science, #Politics and government, #Iraq War; 2003, #Iraq War (2003-), #Government, #21st Century, #(George Walker);, #2001-2009, #Current Events, #United States - 21st Century, #U.S. Federal Government, #Bush; George W., #Military, #History, #1946-, #Presidents & Heads of State, #Political History, #General, #Biography & Autobiography, #Politics, #Government - Executive Branch, #United States
The War Within
| Series: | Bush at War [4] |
| Published: | 2008 |
| Rating: | *** |
| Tags: | History: American, U.S. President, Executive Branch, Political Science, Politics and government, Iraq War; 2003, Iraq War (2003-), Government, 21st Century, (George Walker);, 2001-2009, Current Events, United States - 21st Century, U.S. Federal Government, Bush; George W., Military, History, 1946-, Presidents & Heads of State, Political History, General, Biography & Autobiography, Politics, Government - Executive Branch, United States |
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the U.S. government from 2006 through mid-2008.
The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice strongly opposes a surge of additional U.S. forces and confronts the president, who replies that her suggestions would lead to failure. The president keeps his decision to fire Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld from Vice President Dick Cheney until two days before he announces it. A retired Army general uses his high-level contacts to shape decisions about the war, as Bush and Cheney use him to deliver sensitive messages outside the chain of command.
For months, the administration's strategy reviews continue in secret, with no deadline and no hurry, in part because public disclosure would harm Republicans in the November 2006 elections. National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley tells Rice, "We've got to do it under the radar screen because the electoral season is so hot."
*The War Within* provides an exhaustive account of the struggles of General David Petraeus, who takes over in Iraq during one of the bleakest and most violent periods of the war. It reveals how breakthroughs in military operations and surveillance account for much of the progress as violence in Iraq plummets in the middle of 2007.
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 U.S. troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election.
*The War Within* addresses head-on questions of leadership, not just in war but in how we are governed and the dangers of unwarranted secrecy.
The War Within
A Secret White House History 2006-2008
Bob Woodward
SIMON & SCHUSTER
New York ï London ï Toronto ï Sydney
ALSO BY BOB WOODWARD
State of Denial
The Secret Man
(with a Reporter's Assessment by Carl Bernstein)
Plan of Attack
Bush at War
Maestro: Greenspan's Fed and the American Boom
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate
The Choice
The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House
The Commanders
Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981ñ1987
Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi
The Brethren
(with Scott Armstrong)
The Final Days
(with Carl Bernstein)
All the President's Men
(with Carl Bernstein)
SIMON & SCHUSTER
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Copyright © 2008 by Bob Woodward
All rights reserved,
including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-6091-3
ISBN-10: 1-4165-6091-2
Photography credits appear on backmatter.
Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com
To Elsa
CONTENTS
AUTHOR'S NOTE
T
wo extraordinary people helped me with the conception, reporting, writing, and editing of this book: Brady Dennis, a 2000 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a veteran reporter for the
St.
Petersburg Times,
agreed in early 2007 to work for me full-time. He is that rare combination of gifted writer and great newshound, an exceptional journalist with both narrative and investigative skills. Furiously independent, wise and resourceful in every way, he is an engine of good sense and sound judgment, a tireless worker who insists on fairness and accuracy. He is a tough and tenacious reporter, and a decent and genuine soul. His generosity, calm nature and constant good humor have made the longest days seem shorter, the largest obstacles surmountable. As we worked together, I came to rely on him heavily and trust him completely. Always positive, he reminds me of what Ben Bradlee, my mentor at
The Washington Post,
must have been like in his youth. I can think of no higher
compliment to either of them. Brady has been a partner and a confidant, and there would be no book without him. I hope he realizes that.
Evelyn M. Duffy, a 2007 English and Creative Writing graduate of George Washington University, is a young wizard of old and new media. She can track down anything and anyone. In the space of a year, she gained an extensive understanding of the U.S. government and the Iraq War. She has transcribed hundreds of hours of recorded interviews with people from President Bush to cabinet officers, from White House aides to military and intelligence officials. Diligent, caring, and learned, she added value to every page of every draft. Anyone who thinks the younger generation doesn't appreciate literature, history, and current events has not met Evelyn. At 23, she already has written and produced a one-act play called
Nighthawks,
based on Edward Hopper's famous painting of four lonely souls in a late-night diner. It is raw and modern and wonderfully mysterious. I know that much more fine writing lies ahead for her. Evelyn is a terrific editor, full of stamina and intellectual curiosity. I consider her my friend for life. You get only a handful of those.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
