Plan of Attack

Rating:
Summary: woodward isn't woodward anymore
Review: No one can get the skinny like woodward can get the skinny. There are few reporters who get to spend hours interviewing the president, but Woodward did for this book.

Woodward gets this kind of access because he is the most important investigative reporter in America. If you don't tell him, someone else will. But like any good reporter, Woodward is concerned about keeping his sources, and while this book is informative about what was going on in the White House around the time of the start of the war in Iraq, it fails to take the White House to task for the mistakes made in those early days of the war. Its still an important book, becuase of the access Woodward recieved, but in the future no one will remember Plan of Attack like they remember All the Presidents Men.

Rating:
Summary: Still poignant after the election
Review: Bob Woodward's detailed account of the planned invasion of Iraq provides insight into the leaders of the current administration. The personal characteristics and interactions shown enable the reader to better understand how decisions and policies are made. Importantly, Woodward's own observations and opinions are minimilized.

For example, peronalities and interactions such as those with Secretary Powell are on display. While the rocky relationship between Colin Powell and President Bush that led to Powell's resignation has been documented, it is interesting to see how Rice, his successor, was often present in meetings between the two. In fact her influence upon the President can be seen as substantial. Other such intricacies also arise throughout the narrative.

As for the ease of the read, it is fairly straightforward and as opposed to some of his other works, it does not inundate the reader with an endless list of names. It is however, filled with plenty of facts that may seem daunting. There are, however, plenty of choice phrases said by the major players that at least stop it from seeming like a textbook.

If you're interested in reading about this administration, this book provides an opportunity to do so. Although it is an information laden book that may appeal to you a little less now that the election is over, it is a compartively easy read with still pertinent info.

Rating:
Summary: Read Jabanoski's SCARECROW Instead
Review: Perfect, precise, analytical reporting by Mr. Woodward as always. Unfortunately, these aren't times for "perfect, precise, analytical reporting." 50,000 or more Iraqi civilians are dead, 1,300 of our soldiers are dead, and Osama bin Laden is not only very much alive and well, but has been proved correct about America's intentions to destroy the Islamic people in the minds of the great majority of Arab people. To hell with "perfect and precise" and polite interviews. Read Bill Jabanoski's novel reported out of Iraq called SCARECROW. It has all the passion, horror, and direct damnation at the lies and intent on genocide of the Bush administration that you won't find in this book. In case you're wondering, I am Jewish, and have lived half my life in Israel, so I suppose most people think I'm supposed to hate Muslims. No! I refuse to fall into that trap! This insanity of slaughter of innocent people on all sides has to stop somewhere. Jabanoski gives you the real hell caused by this "President" and a possible solution. All Woodward does here is sit back in his corner office at The Washington Post and play the political game with a winking bend to the left.

Rating:
Summary: Fact-filled Account of the Planning of the War in Iraq
Review: This is the second book by Bob Woodward that I have read, the first being Bush at War. Those who were fans of that book will find this one interesting as well. It provides more insight into the inner-workings of the George W. Bush administration and the politics provide planning the first preemptive war in American military history.

I think the most important thing to note about this book is that Woodward provides a roadmap or diagram of the processes behind planning the war. He outlines the varying steps and decisions that had to be made along the way to go from the initial planning stages to the actual implementation and the first days and months of the War in Iraq. This book is NOT, however, an analysis of those decisions and the actors involved in the planning process. Those readers looking for a critique of the Bush administration should look elsewhere. This book is designed to provide the reader with the necessary information in order to reach their OWN opinion with no interference from the author.

That being said, this book offers incredible insight into Bush's cabinet, especially Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and, to a lesser degree, NSA Condi Rice and President George W. Bush. While Woodward was allowed to interview President Bush on two separate occasions for several hours each time, Bush is not the "strongest" character of the book. Instead, his cabinet members are flushed out considerably and their personal policy preferences become relatively apparent. Increasingly apparent is how the administration pushed aside the views and preferences of Secretary of State Colin Powell in favor of the apparent fervor of going after Iraq displayed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney.

At almost 450 pages, the book does get tiresome, especially because it is, simply put, a timeline of events throughout the months leading up to the start of the war. Towards the end of the book I was ready to be done with it so I could move on to something else. This may be do to my poor attention span rather than the book itself. Never the less, this book offers an insight into the decision-making process of the administration. Since Woodward does not interject his own opinion throughout the book, it allows the reader to form their own opinion. This should also lend some credibly to the book and should be accepted by both the left and the right as an accurate account and description of the current administration.