The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008

The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 by: Bob Woodward

by: Bob Woodward

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9781416558972
ISBN: 1416558977
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 512
Publication Date: September 08, 2008
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:

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.

Customer Reviews Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Woodward's "fly-on-the-wall" reporting once again illuminates dysfunctional Bush administration
The legendary Bob Woodward ("All the President's Men," etc.) adds another entry into his long list of accomplished, important books. With "The War Within," Woodward once again gains remarkable access to the inner workings of President George W. Bush's White House as well as the top tiers of the U.S. military as our ... Read More

Rating:

- Understanding the Iraq War since 2006
This follow-up to State of Denial details the progress of the Iraq War since 2006. It starts with the firing of Donald Rumsfeld and the rise of the even-handed Robert Gates. It follows the fall of General Casey and the rise of General Petraeus. It also parallels the two schools of thought in how to handle Iraq: clear ... Read More

Rating:

- War Within - great for facts, terrible for chronology
Book appears to be onn the button factually but try to follow chronology
very difficult. He writes about years 2003 and skips to 2006 or 2005 back
to 2003. Names of military personnel are sometimes difficult to relate to
an event or time element.

Overall good for facts and illumination ... Read More

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