Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: This is a wonderfully written book. It gives you a front row seat in the White House.
Rating: 
Summary: Bush at war`
Review: Over all this book is just repetitive claptrap, wait for it to appear in a dollar bin near you. I had a nightmare a few nights ago after reading "bush at war". Bush was giving birth to a dead Iraq child, similar to the episode on p142 with Ken Star's daugther.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping story and very eye opening
Review: I have never read a Bob Woodward book before. I'm going to start reading more of his work. An excellent insiders look at who's an outsider on the cabinet, who the hawks are (that's ez) and who his most trusted confidant is during this time of great national crisis. George W is not as dumb as most of his detractors think. Wait till you get to the part about the cooler and the dry ice that the CIA shipped over to Afghanistan in the early days after 9/11...........................
Rating: 
Summary: Hadley was right.
Review: On page 242, Bob Woodward writes "[Deputy national security advisor Steve] Hadley, taking notes in a steno pad, was thinking that they were having too many meetings that week. Fatigue was starting to show." I found this book somewhat fatiguing too, and for much the same reason.There's no question that Bob Woodward is a Very Important Journalist who writes Very Important Books that Everyone Reads. But that doesn't guarantee an exciting read, and this one took some effort to slog through. Though the first section, chronicling the President and his staff's immediate reactions to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, have a certain excitement and immediacy (I read the first 70 pages in one sitting), that pace is not sustained as Woodward takes us to meeting after meeting after meeting. Indeed, "met" -- as in, "attended a meeting" -- is probably the most frequently used word in this book, with "said" a close second. While important things are happening in the wide world, this book seems trapped, most of the time, in the White House situation room, and therefore feels rather claustrophobic. Another difficulty with this book is the very fact that it was written by a Very Important Journalist who writes Very Important Books that Everyone Reads. In speaking with, and recalling their motivations and reactions to important events, the officials under Woodward's microscope know they're dealing with perhaps America's most prominent journalist and power groupie. Even when politics is (said to be) not a concern -- with the exclusion of Karl Rove from key strategy meetings (p. 205) -- folks in Washington understand, as Jurek Martin pointed out in the Financial Times recently, that a key to success in D.C. is to play along with Bob Woodward. Those who do, like President Bush, get painted in heroic colors. Those who are less willing to indulge him, reportedly including Don Rumsfeld, go down in Very Important Books in a much less flattering light. In "Bush at War," the author is very much part of the story, even though he generally keeps himself behind the curtain. Finally, the time frame of this book seems somewhat random. The main narrative ends before there's any sort of resolution in Afghanistan. It just stops. Much of the rest of the story is told in an Epilogue that was, in many ways, more interesting than the rest of the book, in that it blends action and words instead of being primarily a transcription of meetings. In this section, the most compelling character was Secretary of State Colin Powell, apparently fighting a one-man battle against the "unilateralists" (today's term of opprobrium) in the rest of the Administration. On the whole, this is a moderately interesting look at how important decisions are made by senior White House officials in times of crisis -- or at least THIS White House in THIS time of crisis. If reading about the meetings gets dull and repetitive at times, at least we can say that the people in those meetings apparently often viewed them precisely the same way.
Rating:
Summary: Powell v Rumsfeld v Rice v CIA
Review: To my surprise Bob Woodward has brought a fresh angle to perhaps the most reported event of our times. The angle is the variety of viewpoints, personalities and management styles among the President's senior advisory group. If you think Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney were calling the shots on US retaliatory policy, I suspect Woodward's work will change your mind. CIA chief George Tennent brought Bush what he wanted--a plan that could be implemented quickly and forcefully. Rumsfeld and the DOD were talking in terms of months while Bush was thinking in terms of days. Condoleeza Rice's role (and influence with the boss) was greater than I had thought. Bob Woodward seems to have sources that no one else has, plus an ability to intersperse historical perspective on the players in question. The George Bush in "Bush At War" bears no resemblence to the GWB of Saturday Night Live. The real Bush took charge, knew what he wanted to do and did it. Somewhat to my surprise I might add. This book is not a rehash; it provides a view into the White House inner circle that you won't get on the evening news or CNN.
Rating:
Summary: An inside look at what makes our President tick...
Review: First off, I must say that I have always respected the writing of Bob Woodward. His adeptness at investigative journalism is wonderful. Here, we see the sides of George Bush which weren't made public during the three months following the horrendous attack. Personally, I am pleased to see this side of the administration. The inside look at the meetings serves to enlighten the reader that such meetings are not taken lightly, nor is the information provided therein. Boring? To some perhaps. But the key objective is not to see what is said, but to "feel" it instead. As with all humans, more often than not, the most important words are the ones said not with the lips, but with the rest of the body. Bob Woodward takes the reader into these meetings and presents them in a way that doesn't necessarily allow you to feel you are there - that is for the fiction writer. Instead, he focuses on the events unfolding and how the decisions were made. All-in-all, I have to tip my hat once again at Mr. Woodward. His saavy for getting a story has not diminished, and his ability to translate the twisting jargon from inside the beltway and corridors of government into something that even laymen can understand, makes this a wonderful book which will allow the reader to really understand the decision-making process that goes on where the rest of the public never gets to see.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay to browse.
Review: A difficult book to stay with. Political issues and personal preferences aside, investigative reporting requires intimate knowledge and follow through interviews of "leaks" and obscure sources. Deep Throat led to the demise of the Nixon white house and the complicated relationship between Woodward and Bernstein. This book made me wonder who was the real investigator. Web news is more up to date and interesting. In my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Book provides great insight.
Review: I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. Bob Woodward provides excellent insight into the workings of the President and his cabinet level advisors. President Bush displays steadfast resolve in leading our nation's political and military leaders through what must have been some very difficult decisions. I have always supported President Bush and this book makes me thank god he is our political leader during these difficult times.
Rating:
Summary: interesting Insights but borring overall
Review: This book gives you some iteresting insights into the administration's decisions, but the book starts getting very boring as you read through the first 100-150 pages. Some of the interesting information is new but most has been widely available in the media. Most of the book details NSC meetings, many of which were just plain boring. Jesus Arango
Rating:
Summary: How The Mighty Have Fallen
Review: When did "Woody" become a Bush propagandist?
| 
