Bush at War-Book Review

Bush at War-Book Review

Introduction

The book “Bush at War” is written by Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter in 2002 is a plodding and competent chronicle of Bush's 100 days after the 9/11 attacks. The book recounts the responses of the President George W. Bush to the attacks of September 11 and also accumulates an account on the handling of his administration subsequent to the Afghanistan war (Woodward, 2002).

Bush at War was formerly published shortly after the America's invasion of Afghanistan but before the 2003 Iraq's Invasion. It's an insider's stare at the hundred days of Bush White house between the Afghan Taliban's fall and the September 11 attacks. Bush at War reveals the reality of lethal self-deceptions of Bush and the mentality of the media that facilitate them(Woodward, 2002).

Most of the content of the book recount the incidents in meeting of NSC (United States National Security Council) with the major story players aside from the President Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and George Tenet. Woodward inspects annotations from such meetings of NSC and also interviewed the administration officials together with President Bush (Isikoff & Corn, 2006).

Woodward particularly focuses on the decision of administration to go to Afghanistan war and its tactical and strategic decisions in that stratum. Being the first comprehensive accounts of such decisions, aforementioned to contained accounts like Richard A. Clarke's “Against All Enemies”, Bush at War was extensively acclaimed and highly praised from 'The Times' and other major news papers and analysts(Woodward, 2002).

Discussion

Woodward's book was disparaged and criticized by Michael Scheuer, the former chief of CIA for Bin Laden post. He, in his book 'Imperial Hubris' leaks for a platform submission for government & he considered it detrimental for the national security. He criticizes that, "After reading Bush at War by Mr. Woodward's, it appears to me that the officials of U.S. who either accepted or participated in conveying the information via documents or in interviews that is the spirit and compassion of this book. It gave a myriad measure of abet and comfort to the adversary” (Isikoff & Corn, 2006).

The book seems to read like a novel and chronicles of the most immediate hundred days of Bush's administration response to the 11 September attacks. The book comprises of three parts namely bildungsroman, spy thriller and political melodrama. The first part 'Bildungsroman' is about the daunting challenges faced by the young president and that force him aged quickly. The second part 'Spy Thriller' narrates about the C.I.A. officials carrying the cash suitcases and guaranteeing and vowing to bring Bin Laden's head back.

It also illustrates that the C.I.A. associates were dispensing out millions of dollars to the warlord of Afghanistan and to the commanders to assist in gaining the support from American. But, despite the fact that the book fleshes out what we previously knew about the policy debates inside the war cabinet with plenty of tiny particulars, the book inquires the reader to capture a lot on conviction. The third part 'Political Melodramas' narrates ...