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[In this book, the author] tells 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. Extensive quotations from the secret deliberations of the National Security Council - and firsthand revelations of the private thoughts, concerns and fears of the president and his war cabinet - make [the book a] chronicle of a modern presidency in time of grave crisis. Based on interviews with more than a hundred sources and four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, [it] reveals Bush's sweeping, almost grandiose, vision for remaking the world. [It] includes a ... portrait of CIA director George Tenet, ready and eager for covert action against terrorists in Afghanistan and worldwide. It [also] 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.-Dust jacket.… (more)
User reviews
Bob Woodward is no fan of the right, no fan of Bush or his administration, and no fan of the Iraq war. No references for Woodward's "facts" or assertions are included in the book. You make the call.
Nonetheless, much of the time I found myself wondering why Gary's advice--CIA operative on the ground--did not travel up the chain of command? It seemed like, as many NSC committees apparently do, this NSC group spent a lot of time arguing the same points continuously rather than seeking new information from the ground proactively in an effort to move the process forward. The more I read about the working of the NSC, the more I understand where the bureaucratic political theorists come from. This is just a group of people working with varied tools and beliefs to solve complex problems--something duplicated in numerous organizations everywhere. Understanding this process and how to game it correctly seems to contain a piece of the puzzle to understanding foreign policy formation in the U.S.
Seven years has not been enough time to allow
...Woodward documented the days/weeks/months following the September 11th attacks and how the White House handled the situation in a very even handed and exposed way.
There was little room for question in this book as Woodward gave you every angle from the people who
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973.931 |