Rating: 
Summary: Insight, Insight, Insight
Review: As I read this book, I felt as though I had an inside seat at the table of the NSC, CIA, and Bush's inner circle of advisors. What struck me most was how much of the message we heard immediately post 911 was crafted by Bush himself (and while I'm not a Bush fan, I was favorably impressed). The process by which this group went through to make their critical decisions was fascinating to follow--the book provides a critical insight to how government works at the highest levels, and how dependent we are on the judgement of the people who sit around the table.
Rice looks like the heroine/dutiful servant; Powell comes off looking challenged by internal politics (but he perseveres) ; Rumsfeld looks weaker than I would have expected--much less creative that I would have thought. There's not all that much about Cheney since he has been sequestered in an undisclosed location (at his own suggestion!), but he made critical contributions. I personally wish Powell had a stronger voice to counter the Cheney/Rumsfield chants. The book will give you some flavor for the internal politics on the team, and how they play out. Watching our current state of affairs (buildup to war with Iraq), I wish I still had a listening post about the decisions being made...and hope Woodward will return with another sequel soon.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent look inside the Bush White House...
Review: Considering that the author is a noted liberal journalist, I found it interesting that this book portrays a generally even-handed and positive look at the leadership of President Bush as he prosecutes the War on Terror, and more specifically, the battles in Afghanistan. This book will give the reader the inside views from the initial moments of the 9/11 attacks, through the germination of a war plan for Afghanistan, all the way through to the destruction of the Taliban inside that country. The reader will come away with the feeling that Bush is firmly in charge of the White House and the War on Terror, and that is leadership is most effective at prosecuting the War on Terror. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Inside Look at Bush and His Administration
Review: With all the written articles, and press conferences, and quotes about what President Bush and his team think or do not think about various issues, this book gives a clear, close up, and detailed account of their actions and thoughts after 9-11. Of course the book is not 100% complete nor can one writer be perfect, but this is probably as close as one can get with an active president. My opinion of Bush goes up considerably with this book, and he should not be underestimated. Detailed and excellent book. The book gives Bush a new dimension and should put to rest any idea that Bush is lacking in ability and ambition. Jack in Toronto
Rating: 
Summary: NO REAL INSIGHT to the BUSH PROPAGANDA
Review: No real insight because this book duplicates all the propaganda we read in the papers everyday. Woodward never questions any of the war staff's actions or verbage. What happened to Woodward the investigative reporter? His work in BUSH AT WAR is like a cheerleader for the Bush administration.
Rating: 
Summary: Woodward's books are thin & Open Borders May Kill Us ALL
Review: A very thin book and Woodward is a middling writer. He fails to point out the huge threat we face and how Bush is failing to protect the borders. Clinton was far worse but Bush needs to protect the borders and stop illegal aliens.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book. Better than Sammon's
Review: Bob Woodward is a very thorough investigative reporter with a unique style. I really felt, after reading this book, that I had a true insider's insight into the Bush Administration after 9-11 and during the Afghanistan campaign. I liked the "flies on the eyes" part, the "we'll put their heads on sticks" part, and the part about the CIA guy who ordered a box and dry ice, just in case he needed to present bin Laden's head to the Bush. Good stuff!
Rating: 
Summary: A Useful Tool for Understanding the War
Review: This is Woodward's tenth book (beginning with All the President's Men with Carl Bernstein), and it is one of his better books. Woodward, as an editor of the Washington Post, has the access to interview virtually anyone in Washington (although it is clear both Vice President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld gave him little or no time, and his version is biased toward Secretary of State Powell, who clearly, with his assistant Rich Armitage, gave Woodward as much time as he wanted). Thus, while Woodward's books are in a gray zone between reporting and writing history, they are often worth reading. Bush at War is a useful book for any citizen who is interested in how President George W. Bush operates, the manner in which he leads a team of strong men and women, and the ways in which that team, coordinated by National Security Adviser Condi Rice, interacts to produce and implement public policy. Woodward's biggest weakness is the degree to which he interviews and writes as though a worldwide anti-terrorist campaign could be understood from a Washington-only perspective. General Tommy Franks and the Central Command in Tampa, Florida, played a much bigger role in liberating Afghanistan and helping create new alliances than is indicated in this book. General Franks' ability to lead 47 allies in Tampa (each with their own trailer and national flag in the largest coalition in history) is one of the marvels of the last year and gets virtually no Washington coverage. Woodward's other failure is the classic liberal bias that a profoundly conservative President willing to stand up for America's interests has to be "educated" into more "sophisticated" (meaning liberal) internationalist views. Nothing in the text of the book (which shows Bush as remarkably strong and clear and capable of managing a very strong team) would indicate that there is a struggle for the President's heart and mind with Powell representing the forces of light while Cheney and Rumsfeld somehow represent the forces of darkness. Yet that is the final editorial bias of the end of the book. Despite these caveats this is a good book worthy of every citizen reading it to get a better understanding of the war we are in.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Read
Review: In Woodward's attempt to credit the players with exactly which comments, statements, and thoughts, should be attributed to each, he sometimes swings the reader around. Nevertheless, he does achieve his goal of giving the reader a view of each player's role in the process. I believe he over-victimizes Colin Powell. Though I am huge fan of Mr. Powell and respect him greatly, I believe even he may feel that Woodward overcharacterizes Powell's feelings that Rummy and Chaney are the bully power players. Powell is a soldier and a military great. Having been educated at the war college, he is likely the best at balancing military strategies and diplomacy. Diplomacy is not the department for Rummy or Cheney. They are the fire power, along with Bush. All of these angles seem contradictory and Woodward goes out of his way to emphasize that. In reality, they are a vital part of the balance necessary for strategic thinking and considering consequences. Bush practices Texas diplomacy which, as a native Texan, I realize may not work in all corners of the world. It has worked wonders with Putin, Musharraf, and Blair, but will not work with the UN. For this, he needs Rice and Powell. Additionally, he needs Rice as his calmer subconscious. Without Rove, Rice, and Hughes, Bush would be flitty and unstable. He counts on them for sound advice and they deliver. His "quick to action" temperament is complemented by their well-thought-out advice which makes for marvelous success. Bush knows the value of his advisers and that the diversity and differences of the team are what make it successful. He is a decisionmaker which differentiates him from his father and Bill Clinton. Woodward frequently refers to Bush's "unilateralism." But not for his willingness to step forward when everyone else is standing still, we would, I believe, have experienced more terrorist attacks following 9/11. Dems who read this book will likely focus on the disagreements and, sometimes, downright hostility between the players rather than recognizing the value of their differences. Though he makes an attempt to stay on middle ground, Woodward fails to recognize this value and, himself, focuses on the disagreements and powerplaying in the administration. He also includes a comment that Rummy clearly indicated would be off the record which is, I think, going across the line. It adds nothing to the story and simply shows the levels to which he will stoop to get a morsel for print. In all, it is a great book and gives a good look into the administration of one of the most popular presidents of all time.
Rating:
Summary: An Inside Job
Review: Bob Woodward - Bush At War Of all of America's flies on the wall, Bob Woodward may be our most prolific. The dust jacket of my copy of "Bush At War" informs me that Woodward has authored or co-authored no less than nine nationally best selling books, all offering an inside look at some aspect of America. The dust jacket also tells me that Woodward has picked up steam of late, writing the majority of his books in the last 10 years. In "Bush At War," the strain from this increase in pace is showing. The most important part of any of Woodward's books is the access engendered by his "uber-insider" status. Whenever you choose to read Woodward you can be sure the inner workings behind the headlines will be made completely clear to you. It is precisely this fact that makes "Bush At War" a worthwhile read, as we all know what happened on September 11, 2001, but few of us know what occurred behind the scenes in the months that followed. The facts are thus: on 9/11 2001 terrorist attacks perpetrated against the United States by elements of the al Queda terrorist network sparked a war in Afghanistan that eventually toppled the Taliban regime and scattered al Queda's troops and operations. Surprisingly, most Americans know little else about these events. How did the United States mobilize for war against Afghanistan (and so quickly)? What steps were necessary to thoroughly infiltrate a country that had withstood powerful invaders in the past? How did the U.S. quickly accumulate allies in a hostile region of the world? How did the Bush administration create its national message for the new War on Terrorism? Was the war in Afghanistan really as quick and easy as it seemed? Of course, at 352 pages "Bush At War" is far too short of a book to answer all of these questions conclusively, but Woodward does an excellent job of posing answers to these questions and fills a large gap in the historical record post 9/11. It is clear in "Bush At War" that Woodward is more of a reporter than an author; the book's main liability is Woodward's storytelling. The only character that is even partially developed is that of George W. Bush (as one would hope he would be in a book bearing his name in its title). Woodward depicts Bush as a man who understands quite well that he is in command, and as a straight shooter who trusts his gut feeling, makes snap decisions, and is determined that, after the debate has ended, his staff support the decision with unanimity. We also see Bush as a person clearly enraged after the terrorist attacks, as someone who was moved to tears by grieving New Yorkers, and as someone who takes the new war very personally (so much that he keeps his own private scorecard of deceased terrorists). The other primaries, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice, are given, at most, a page or two of exposition which they are then defined by for the rest of the book. This lack of characterization does not make the book very interesting on a humanistic basis, but it is sufficient from a reporter's point of view; i.e. we see that Powell and Rice eventually came to temper Rumsfeld and Cheney's war-mongering, and it was clear where each comes down in the numerous meetings and debates detailed in "Bush At War." And that is a good thing because "Bush At War" is not so much a narrative as a seemingly endless string of meetings. At first these meetings are interesting and enlightening, but soon the positions of each of the players and the main points of discussion are established and then the action moves slowly. For each plot point that is painstakingly uncovered we must read through pages and pages of "we need to get basing rights from the Pakistanis," "so what are our options," "we need boots on the ground," "we flew 90 sorties today," "we need humanitarian drops," and "he's talking with the Northern Alliance." Yes, these details are important and should be included, but there is no reason to reiterate them time and time again. The insider's look at what really went on behind closed doors is certainly interesting and, I believe, important, but only perhaps the first five times we hear it. In writing "Bush At War" Woodward should have used far more discretion, substituting narration for pages and pages of unnecessary meetings (they are all there in the public archives for anyone to see). The book continually bogs down and it is only with extreme lethargy that we wade through each event in the war. As it is the book is more a mass of quotations than a coherent narrative. The other problem I have with this book is the ending. Without giving too much away I can say that the book ends abruptly, and at a point which, far from being a natural endpoint, abounds with. questions and a need for resolution. It seems unnecessarily arbitrary that Woodward chose to end the book at this point. There is an epilogue which, though it does not fit on too well, reads better than most of the rest of the book and makes me wonder why Woodward didn't write all of "Bust At War" with such skill. As it is, "Bush At War" is a book that anyone interested in politics (especially that of the current administration) will devour. Unfortunately the storytelling abilities of its author do not live up to the great potential of telling the story of the Bush administration at war post 9/11. Still, I recommend it as a unique, and important, look at Bush at war.
Rating:
Summary: History as it Happens
Review: I've read a few of Woodward's books and have enjoyed them very much (I've read his Hollywood book, WIRED, several times). His beat is mainly Washington and, given the politics of most of the Washington press, I was curious as to how he would treat George W. Bush.
Up until Sept. 11th, the press was constantly painting Bush as a frat-boy dolt who rolled into the White House on money and his family name (it's starting to creep back into the coverage again--just tune into CNN or Donahue).
But Woodward does an excellent job of examining the president's character and style. George W has become a leader and a president to be admired. He pushes for results, has a wide grasp of the bigger picture while focusing on the task at hand.
How refreshing to see someone at the wheel who doesn't consult a poll every five mintues to see what he should do or believe. The candid, inside thoughts of all the principals make for interesting reading, especially since anyone can remember the public moments of the book. It also shows just how difficult it is to get a war off the ground!
A good job and an excellent take on modern history!
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