Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly a Page Turner
Review: I only started reading this book last night, and I'm nearly half way done. It's truly compelling, and an interesting read for all American's who experienced together the tragedy of September 11th. Bush at War also helps to clarify the exact circumstances leading up to September 11th and the aftermath. Always important to be informed! A great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Journalism as Gossip
Review: Woodward's intent was to provide a snapshot of the post-9/11 year of the Bush administration by talking to as many insiders as he could and recording their on-the-spot actions and observations. This "fly-on-the-wall" approach has its merits and drawbacks, especially as practiced in this book. On the plus side, he seems to have had quite extensive access to the major players, although apparently much of the verbatim quotes from high level meetings must have been reconstructed afterward by the parties. He does provide some sense of the personalities of these figures, and how they interact with each other. I had hoped the book might provide some clue as to the rationale behind the policy, and while there is some analysis, it is mainly "personality-based."
The limitations of this approach are readily evident: Woodward is careful not to step on anyone's toes, and one cannot help but wonder whther this is because everyone was acting as competently as he portrays them, or whether his reporting is designed to facilitate future access to this administration, widely viewed by the press as paranoid about negative images. If journalism is the first draft of history, then I suspect this book will not be deemed very useful a few years out. There is no analysis or critique of the administration, and everything they tell Woodward is taken at face value. Minute and unimportant troop deployments are covered in as much detail as much larger issues. The book seems like an effort to picture Bush as "in charge" and acting competently, without any reflection on the wisdom of the direction they are taking the country. As the book ends in late summer 1992, there is virtually nothing on how Iraq became Enemy No. 1, or the policy reasons behind that switch. And Woodward has an annoying fondness for the one-sentence paragraph.
All in all, of the eight or nine books I have read touching on 9/11 issues, this was the least satisfying, but it was certainly not totally devoid of value. As a useful counterpart on how a seemingly competent, in-charge administration, fueled on hubris and a willingness to assert American power, can get us into a load of trouble, Halberstram's "The Best and the Brightest" is worth a read. The trouble now is that this crew is neither the best nor the brightest.
Rating: 
Summary: Bush at war
Review: Bush at War is poorly written; however, it is very informative and gives great insights into the Bush administration's decision making. But definitely not wort shelling out the cash, wait for it to come out on mass-market.
Rating: 
Summary: Pick it up in 20 years
Review: This is a very good book now, but will become "great" as time passes. The only thing holding it back for today's reader is that we know the majority of the plot. Woodward's book is therefore not intended to primarily provide new information, but rather to record history and will be appreciated more by future generations than by us. Woodward's book is important to the Bush legacy. He paints a picture of a man far different than the widely held idea that Bush lacks leadership skills and is only a puppet for the powerful men around him. He also appears to be a clear thinker and lacks no certainty in his decisions. I respect Bob Woodward tremendously. We all know his political views are more liberal than conservative. He had to know he was writing a book that could convince many hedgers that George W. Bush is a solid president. When personal ideology collides with journalistic integrity, Woodward maintains his honor and principles.
Rating:
Summary: Bush redux
Review: This book is a P. R. job in behalf of the President that I would not have expected from the revered journalist Bob Woodward. Bush, he of the steely look and the thin lips, is the supreme leader. After all, he himself keeps mentioning that he is the Commander in Chief and the President; therefore he can say anything he wants to and does not have to explain anything. The bad guys in this piece are Rumsfeld and Cheney, who follow their own agenda ignoring Powell and Rice. Tenet is another bad boy. After September 11, it was agreed that something drastic and highly visible had to be done immediately. "I want bin Laden, dead or alive", said the President. But how do you bomb the dickens out of a single person? A larger target was needed. How about the al Qaeda? Still not large and compact enough for a bombing campaign. OK - so let's go after the Taliban. They could not prove any connection to 9/11, but they presented a chance to mess up a whole country. Besides, they were those uncouth people who would not let their women lacquer their fingernails (Laura Bush). It took a whole month to get even the semblance of anything going in Afghanistan. Even before 9/11, the CIA was given up to $200 million to pay off the Alliance. But now the real moneys hit the ground in stacks of $100 bills. Tenet put the cost at $ 1 billion. "Whatever it takes", said the President. At the same time Ashcroft declared that terror suspects would be dealt with, if necessary without a trial. Cofer Black from the CIA pointed out that people were going to die, some of them Americans. "That's war", Bush said. Powell saw that Bush was getting tired of talking; he wanted to kill someone. "I am a loving guy", he said. He opened every cabinet meeting with a prayer. Tenet now asked that the CIA be given special power to use all instruments ever thought of, including deadly force. He wanted to start liaison with questionable intelligence services, including rogue states such as Libya and Syria. There would be ruthless torture and worse. Bush said he understood. Bush did not care for allies. He said "We may be the only ones left. That's OK with me. We are America". Ashcroft requested, in behalf of the FBI, special authority to wiretap. A Special Operations officer submitted a memo on the poisoning of food supplies in Afghanistan. They also started to build a case to show that al Qaeda was behind the 9/11 attacks. Ashcroft wanted a national neighborhood watch system. Bush to New York business leaders: "I truly believe that out of this will come order in the world - real progressw to peace in the Middle East, stability with oil-producing regions. "We need a victory", said Bush. "I am not a textbook player. I am a gut player." So assets were inserted and they tried to get boots on the ground. Collateral damage is accepted. They started to incentivize and Americanize the war effort. A year later, the Taliban are regrouping. General Franks thinks that is good: "I have more targets to hit". Most of all, it is amazing to see how Bush completely lost control over his cabinet members. Rumsfeld does whatever he feels like doing, including setting up his own intelligence force. Meanwhile, Tenet builds up his own army- called paramilitary - and illegally assassinates people in Yemen with armed Predator drones. Ashcroft locks up hundreds of Muslims throughout the US without charge, lawyers or habeas corpus. Wolfowitz locks up hundreds of Afghans in Cuba under inhuman conditions. What is our fearless leader up to? At the first sign of trouble and playing it no doubt from the gut, he hops on his plane and disappears into Nebraska. And Cheney? He disappears into bunkers of undisclosed locations, where he cannot be exfiltrated. On his first visit to New York, Bush had a motorcade of 55 cars. During the Genoa summit he stayed away from the world's leaders on a ship. An during the Prague summit, large parts of the city and the access roads were closed, while F-115 and F-116 circled overhead. A President and Commander-in-Chief who is afraid of his own people and is willing to abrogate their constitutional rights. Whos purpose in life is the waging of war, no matter where or how.
Rating:
Summary: The Bush Doctrine, WoT coalition, and action against Iraq
Review: Bob Woodward gives an excellent inside look into how the Bush Doctrine was formed as well as the numerous other reforms that occurred days after September 11. Some of the most facinating insights were the operations and reforms that the CIA went under. For instance, how many American citizens knew that we've been tracking Usama bin Laden by paying three Afghan sources? This book also touches on the subjects of forming a coalition for the War on Terrorism and the White House debate for a military action against Iraq. This book is a definate read for anyone interested in gaining knowledge in the War on Terrorism and how the Bush Doctrine is paving the way for this long campaign.
Rating:
Summary: Old news footage - in words
Review: I'm only just begining Chapter 6, but my impression so far of the book is that it is heavy on describing the news footage of what most of us have probably already seen and heard on CNN or the FOX News Channel. This is interspersed with situational dialogue involving, of course, the President, Rumsfeld, Rice, etc. I hope it gets better. What I hope to read in the remaining Chapters is information I and the public have not been commonly privy to. That's what an investigative reporter provides, or so I thought.
Rating: 
Summary: Bush at War
Review: I was disappointed. I had hoped for an unbiased look at the workings of the Administration. What I got was an obvious, agenda driven, manipulated story, driven by the Author's own view of the world. I was hoping for much more. I was very saddened by the Epilog. The Author used this section to "prove" everything he had put forth in his story. To bad he wrote both. The Author's view of the world is so skewed that at every instant when something profound took place, where something really affected the fabric of national life, the Author not only brushed it aside as strictly happenstance, he turned it into something ugly.
Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a Leader
Review: The events of September 11 changed the mindset of many people in this country, me included. By way of full disclosure, I admit that I voted for Al Gore mainly because I thought that George W. Bush was a lightweight who would wilt in a crisis situation. Events have proven me wrong. In his latest book, veteran journalist Bob Woodward goes behind the scenes to see how the terrorist attacks changed President Bush and his cabinet and how this effected development of the subsequent 'war on terror'. It is not a history of the events in question. How could it be given that the events are still going on? Moreover, Woodward is no historian. Rather it is an attempt, by a consummate insider, to give a near contemporaneous behind the scenes look at Bush and his principal advisers in the aftermath of the attacks. In this he largely succeeds. Woodward was given a good deal of access to the principals involved. The book reveals a lot about the private personas of Bush, Vice-President Dick Chenney, Sec. of State Colin Powell, Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld, National Security Adviser Condaleeza Rice and CIA Director George Tenet. These people comprised Bush's inner circle in his initial efforts to formulate an appropriate response both at home and abroad. The book does not cover, except in passing, such important figures from the period as FBI Director Robert Mueller, Transportation Director Norman Mineta, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge or Attorney General John Ashcroft. Rather, Woodward sought to focus on those persons with close access to Bush. This is because the real point of the book is to present a portrait of Bush as a leader at war. The book covers in some detail the early meetings of the 'war cabinet' and shows Bush's evolving thought and how his advisers effected that thought. Powell is presented as the consummate diplomat, a 'dove' who saw his role as countering the hawkish advice of Cheney and Rumsfeld. Rice is revealed as a bit mercurial, her views constantly changing and evolving. Bush himself is revealed to be thoroughly in control from the first moment, running the meetings with skill and demanding options and answers from his subordinates. The events of 2001/2002 with which we are all familiar are presented from the back stage and we see how the administration actually reacted to accomplishments and set backs in Afghanistan as well as how much they feared a further attack. Contrary to liberal opinion, Bush is not a puppet controlled by anyone, not Carl Rove, not Cheney and not the 'neo-conservatives.' Indeed Rove is scarcely mentioned. There is not one indication that Bush's actions were based on personal political considerations or screened through his political advisers. This is a welcome contrast with the previous Clinton administration. Instead, all policy is shown to be a product of Bush's mindset that, in his own words, he should 'seize the opportunity to achieve big goals.' All Americans who are concerned for their futures should take some comfort to know that the President, rightly or wrongly, is sincerely determined to take the necessary action to preempt these grave dangers. Democrats who are convinced that Bush is a puppet of his right wing advisers or who ridicule him as an empty suit controlled by others should take heed or they will be sorry. It is just not so. Woodward has received a good deal of criticism because the book is not a 'hatchet job.' Because it does not expose wrongdoing or chicanery, some feel he has not done his job. Many have argued that Woodward's 'insider status' has made it impossible for him to objectively analyze his subjects for fear of losing that access. I find this to be quite unfair and a slander on this Pulitzer prize winning writer. Woodward's purpose is to reveal to the public, Bush the war leader. He clearly has no ax to grind with either side. Because of this the book is slightly bland but I believe it presents a true portrait of Bush for better or for worse. Mostly for better. As a Gore voter, I have never been so glad my candidate lost.
Rating:
Summary: Woodward Has Done Better
Review: The problem I find with any book that I am really excited to read is that they always seems to let me down a bit. This was the case with this book. Woodward covers the first section of the war on terror after 9-11 up to the end of the year. You get all the standard Woodward stuff, great quotes, good set up and overall solid reporting. I am always surprised that he can get such access, but I guess he is going to write the book regardless so if you want your story in the book you need to participate. The problem I had with the book is that when covering such important, once in lifetime events it is difficult to capture the same level of intensity and drama in a book that covers the political and governmental action. What interested me the most or concerned me the most is that Woodward reports that a number of people within the inter Bush group were looking for ways to go after Iraq, even on 9-12. This looked to me to be one of the most reveling things about the book. As a Monday morning quarterback maybe the action in Afghanistan could have been handled a little better i.e. get Osama, if so many people in the inter circle were not trying to figure out how to go after Iraq. The details of the CIA action were very interesting and I wish he had focused more on that part of the story. I was also let with wanting to know more on the activity in Afghanistan, but I guess I will have to wait for other books on the topic. Overall I found the book interesting and enjoyable, it just seemed to lack some of the pop or zing that I was looking for, maybe Woodward rushed it out the door.
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