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State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III | 
 enlarge | Author: Bob Woodward
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  318 reviews
Sales Rank: 32990
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.6
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931092
ASIN: B00164CN0Y
Publication Date: September 3, 2007
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Product Description
"Insurgents and terrorists retain the resources and capabilities to sustain and even increase current level of violence through the next year.'' This was the secret Pentagon assessment sent to the White House in May 2006. The forecast of a more violent 2007 in Iraq contradicted the repeated optimistic statements of President Bush, including one, two days earlier, when he said we were at a ''turning point" that history would mark as the time "the forces of terror began their long retreat." State of Denial examines how the Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to Congress, and often to themselves. Two days after the May report, the Pentagon told Congress, in a report required by law, that the "appeal and motivation for continued violent action will begin to wane in early 2007." In this detailed inside story of a war-torn White House, Bob Woodward reveals how White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, with the indirect support of other high officials, tried for 18 months to get Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld replaced. The president and Vice President Cheney refused. At the beginning of Bush's second term, Stephen Hadley, who replaced Condoleezza Rice as national security adviser, gave the administration a 'D minus' on implementing its policies. A secret report to the new Secretary of State Rice from her counselor stated that, nearly two years after the invasion, Iraq was a "failed state." The book reveals that at the urging of Cheney and Rumsfeld, the most frequent outside visitor and Iraq adviser to President Bush is former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who, haunted still by the loss in Vietnam, emerges as a hidden and potent voice. Woodward reveals that the secretary of defense himself believes that the system of coordination among departments and agencies is broken, and in a secret May 1, 2006 memo Rumsfeld stated, that "the current system of government makes competence next to impossible." State of Denial answers the core questions: What happened after the invasion of Iraq? Why? How does Bush make decisions and manage a war that he chose to define his presidency? And is there an achievable plan for victory?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 313 more reviews...
 A Cautionary Tale January 5, 2009
The most recent addition to our understanding of our difficulties in Iraq, State of Denial by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward deals less with military insights and operations than with the conflicts and tensions among the personalities involved. Though lacking the tactical insights that make books such as Cobra II and Fiasco such alarming works, Woodward's gifts as an interviewer lets him paint a portrait of an Administration largely trapped by its rhetoric, and held prisoner to its own unchallenged assumptions. Confronting the tragedy of the September 11th attacks, the new Bush Administration moved quickly and resolutely to the offensive, determined to confront and destroy those whose hatred of the West led them to murder innocents on American soil.
Old Scores to Settle
Though blessed with an abundance of technical, military, and human resources--including a presidential father with a gift for diplomacy and a secretary of state who was respected and admired throughout the world--the Bush Administration soon turned, as if by instinct, toward an old enemy. Iraq, though it had not participated in the 9/11 attacks, was still unfinished business as far as some top-level aides and policy makers in the Administration were concerned. And once the dust had settled, and we had dispatched the Taliban from Afghanistan, eyes turned to settle scores with Saddam, whose sympathies were clearly with those who wish this country harm.
The Roots of Our Problems
Certainly, no one can waste much sympathy on the old Iraqi dictator. Saddam was a brutal ruler, inflicting death and torture on his enemies and heading a regime that survived by brute force and fear. But Woodward's account suggests that by creating a system which punished the expression of contrary points of view, and equated misgivings with disloyalty, the Bush Administration was setting itself up for a disaster at some point during its term of office. When coupled with a secretary of defense who insisted on making all important decisions himself, and who dismissed or ridiculed any non-conforming points of view, the nation was at high risk that the disaster would take a military form. Add what appears to be a world view based on personal or political loyalty rather than objective fact, and a defense secretary unwilling to consider the suggestion that Iraq could become another Vietnam, and the result is an unending chain of bad decisions, culminating in our current predicament.
State of Denial will not add to the reader's understanding of what has gone wrong in Iraq from a military standpoint. It contains little military history or analysis, and struggles to place the events in their historical context. Its strength lies in Woodward's tenacity as an interviewer, and his unparalleled access to official Washington. The book is at its best when unraveling the inner workings of governmental insiders. Unfortunately, the view it gives of our government is not for the faint of heart. It is often said that watching laws and sausage being made often causes the viewer to lose his appetite for either. But watching our government setting its course for Iraq is like watching a fatal crash in slow motion: we are helpless to change things, even if we cannot keep from watching in morbid fascination.
 A must-read for everyone December 28, 2008
This chronicle is a must read for anyone who wants to know how the US ended up in the Iraq War and how it became a disaster. The book is long but thorough. In Woodward's traditional style, it is easy to read. But the content of the book grows more and more frustrating as you witness the leaders of our government fumble around with such monumental decisions. The infighting is stunning and the denial of facts mind boggling.
The book in large part follows Donald Rumsfeld, as he was the key player in this war. His refusal to play ball with other agencies and accept differing opinions is incomprehensible. Reading this book is like watching a group of preschoolers playing around with a toy, not realizing its a grenade. You're just waiting for something to go horribly wrong.
I know many people may be put off by the size of this book, but I assure you it is a book every American with a concern towards the Iraq War should read. It illustrates how President Bush created a "happy news only" atmosphere and how Rumsfeld refused to heed the advice of the military leadership. And it also demonstrates that the only solution our leaders could think of when things weren't going right was to send study group after study group over to Iraq to find out how to fix it...and then change absolutely nothing.
Eye-opening and maddening.
Fascinating reading December 12, 2008
Woodward clearly demonstrates why he is a Pulitzer Prize winner in this informative and engaging look into the inner workings of government. It makes you wonder how the system works at all. The commentary seems to be politically neutral and does not stray far from the facts.
A conservative who liked the book December 2, 2008
This book is an extremely valuable read. Unlike the partisans who will use this book to abuse the Bush administration, I think the book illustrates what we are up against in waging any type of war. Woodward gives a hands on reports like only he can. Despite his personal politics, I think he presents this subject in as objective of a light as possible. This book condemns the Washington bureaucracy and the inefficiencies it creates. I recommend to anyone who thinks they have the answers.
 A passified criticism of the Bush administration October 10, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Bob Woodward drew heavy criticism for his purported 'death bed' conversation with Bill Casey (which Casey's own wife denies.) Woodward deserves more criticsm for his patronizing "criticism" of the Bush administration's post-Iraq war failures.
Woodward has long been held in high regard by the conservative elitists as he has long traded inside access for less-than-scathing stories about the corruption and ineptitude of our various political leaders.
Very little within this book comes as "news," let alone as shocking as very little was reported that wasn't covered within the various 'evening news' programs. Furthermore, Woodward does little to corroborate the testimonies of the various interviewees (such as cite documents or statistical analysis.)
Truth be told, there is a much more sinister story to be told and Woodward never attempted to broach such controversy, instead relaying on the well publicized and unobtrusive truth that was known the world over.
I cannot fathom the beautification and brilliance that Woodward must have bestowed on the Bush White House in his previous accounts of the decision making of this embarrassment and dangerous power base. However, to his credit, most of those who are positioned to know may still have their informative hands bound behind their backs out of fear of violating their individual confidentiality contracts.
Obviously, Bob Woodward mcuh prefers to maintain his inside connections rather than telling the American people the entire truth of the corruption that led to the 2003 Iraq war.
I sought a truly insightful and informative book, instead, I read every passage feeling as though Bob Woodward is concerned more about his own status rather than telling the world of the truth within.
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