Rating: 
Summary: Conspiracy of truth - Revelation of facts!
Review: The only FREE PRESS we have left is the individual author and researcher like Woodward, who makes us think and evaluate our biased corporate-media feed and mal-nurtured minds. As a life long moderate Republican, I cannot let my ideology and prejudices obscure the fact that our President is the most ignorant, deceitful, flippant, embarrassing, and shameful President during my lifetime. I'm 60+ and have voted Republican since Eisenhower. Infringement of our Constitution and Bill of Rights all under the guise of National Security does not bode well for the US and our children's future. The author clearly knows his facts and can prove them. He outlines and reveals the massive lies, propaganda, and deceit of Bush and the neo-cons leading up to the Iraq war. An un-called for war, and a war that put U.S. Soldiers in harms way, needlessly. All the while the Bush administration was cutting military pay, combat pay, and Veterans benefits. Not to mention the billions he cut from the Veteran's Administration budget, denying aid to newly disabled veterans. Shame on them, but mostly shame on our President. The frantic, blind, and zealous followers of King Bush, (King because he was appointed by the Supreme Court and not elected),
Rant and Rave that this is yet another lying assault on their hero. If this is a book of lies, then why does President Bush endorse the book on his re-election site? Perhaps because, our "Republicant and donut read wells." (Sorry, my attempt at humor) Seems like the standards of Presidential excellence; the ability to orate and write brilliantly, the deep understanding of history, politics, and the Constitution/Bill of Rights, have died. Shamefully this President has the lowest IQ of ANY President in the history of our country. Several independent studies have evaluated his IQ or lack thereof. It appears a President can start an illegal war, invade a foreign country based on outright lies and deceit, and be a hero to about 50% of Americans. What does that say about that particular segment of our citizens? People who refuse to find and seek the truth and act on it; people who value bluster, bragging, showing off, insincerity, lying, passing the buck, and puffery over intellect, truthfulness, and fairness. Read Woodward, and astute, intelligent, logical author with actual facts. Woodward, Clarke, Dean, and the list goes on; are heroes, even if I don't always agree with them, they all have one thing in common. They give us different points of views, decent, alternative arguments, which make ourselves objective and aware. Soldiers, firemen, and policemen are heroes because the risk their lives for us every day, usually unappreciated and underpaid. Why has my president dishonored my fellow American Veterans by not having time to attend NOT ONE funeral of a soldier from a war he started. Yet he's taken more vacations and spent more time at home than ANY President in history. You cannot discount Woodward, he is a savvy Washington reporter and insider who can back up his FACTS, FACTS, and more FACTS! On other conspiracies: if you are open minded and looking for those books begging for its pages to be turned...look no further. I just read a copy of Alien Rapture, by Edgar Fouche, which also blew me away. Fouche was a Top Secret Black Program 'insider', whose credibility has been verified over and over. I also really liked Dan Brown's 'Deception Point,; and 'Angels and Demons.' Want to be shocked, check out Dr. Paul Hill's; 'Unconventional Flying Objects,' which N-NASA tried to ban, and always read the Amazon reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: Kudos for Woodward : Raspberries for Bush
Review: There are over 80 reviews of this book on the Amazon list.
Therefore, in this succinct space I will give you my brief impressions of this long book on what is turning into a long war in the quagmire of Iraq.
Bush and his team wanted to get Saddam in reprisal for the Gulf War of 1991. Mr. Bush sought to link Saddam with the 9-11 horror at the World Trade Center.
Bush pursued a policy of working on covert efforts to oust Saddam from power while at the same time working for a peaceful diplomatic solution to the problem working through the UN.
Here is how the cabinet members stack up:
Powell-He and undersecretary of state Richard Armitage are my favorites in the Bush administration. They sought a judicious plan of working through our allies and the UN to deal with Saddam.
Donald Rumsfeld the Secretary of Defense is a technocratic but innovative Secretary of Defense. He does what he is paid to do and does it well in getting the military shaped up to deal with the nation's three pronged war against 1. gloabal terror; 2.Afghanistan and 3. Iraq.
Dick Cheney is a right wing hawk who urged Bush to go to war against Iraq.
Condie Rice's purpose in life seems to be to keep peace between Cheney and Colin Powell at State.
Woodward tells the story of our involvement in the Iraqui war from early planning to the day the war began in March, 2003.
Bob Woodward is an outstanding reporter. I consider him the best journalist on the scene. He knows the players, the issues and the Washington scene based on over three decades in D.C.
Woodward's reporting is reason for we Americans to thank our
Constitution for guaranteeing us a free press.
Bob Woodward has done a wonderful job for the American people in describing our descent into war. Excellentlly done!
Rating:
Summary: Timely reminder
Review: This book develops a sound hypothesis and presents balanced, compelling information to support it. It reminds us how MUCH good journalism can uncover and, at the same time, how LITTLE journalists and the general citizenry know about the true workings of the intelligence community. Woodward's narrative is as telling for the facts presented as it is for the facts omitted. Such omissions are not necessarily a reflection of author bias (indeed, this work is one of those rare books that seems to be truly committed to objectivity); no, these omissions are inherent with any discussion of intelligence and military planning. There is some material that is simply not available now; some that will never be. Woodward's work is remarkable for how much he actually uncovered. Readers may agree or disagree with his findings, while respecting his objective, vigorous research. Current history at its most provocative.
Rating:
Summary: A book more revealing than perhaps intended
Review: This is a book perhaps even more revealing than the US Administration intended, since it does anything but inspire confidence in the electorate on how Iraq is being handled. It is all well researched and equally scary.... Just in fact as Winston Churchill found back in 1921 when he similarly had to create a stable Iraqi government from scratch after years of bloodshed. We must learn from history. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHURCHILL'S FOLLY: HOW WINSTON CHURCHILL CREATED MODERN IRAQ (Carroll and Graf, 2004)
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.
Rating:
Summary: Woodward has hit another home run
Review: What a great follow up to Woodward's "Bush at War".
Woodward continues to be effective at keeping his bias in check. He presents the information in a responsible manner, showing great intellectual honesty. Don't expect this book to parrot the typical partisan perspectives - what you will experience is the current administration and world leaders as humans with their convictions and failings.
I knew I wanted to read this book after reading the last Woodward book, but when I saw Woodward being interviewed about "Plan of Attack" by Larry King - and watched him prevent various callers from twisting his words to suit their political purposes, I knew that I had to read this book immediately! The book held quite a few surprises, getting some intimate revelations from the likes of Ellie Wiesel and Saudi Prince Bandar and others of world reknown. The mechanics of going to war were also unexpected, much of it revolving around General Tommy Franks and his dealings with the Pentagon and the combat institutions. If you enjoyed "Bush at War", then this book is required reading!
Rating:
Summary: Read It!
Review: While it was clearly not written as an anti-Bush polemic, this book is nonetheless disturbing. It gives the reader an inside track of an administration that was obviously obsessed with starting a war with Iraq. It is clear that the intelligence supporting WMD and the Iraqi/Al Qaeda link was vaporous, and that the claims of the Administration were grossly embellished. Woodward leaves no doubt in my mind that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al were all aware of the fact that the intelligence was insufficient to support either their claims of WMD in Iraq or an Iraqi link to international terrorism. What is unanswered is why they were so doggedly determined to place tens of thousands of Americans in harm's way while diverting attention and resources from real and necessary counterterrorism efforts. Was it because they believed that an invasion of Iraq would be a political quick win -- to impart a sense of security (albeit a false one) to millions of frightened post 9/11 Americans by demonstrating "resolve" and attacking (in a manner sanctioned by the Al Saud family, of course) an Arab nation? Was it because of concerns over the long term viability of the Al Saud family and the perceived need to install a puppet government in Iraq to secure a source of oil in the inevitable event that the Al Sauds are overthrown by Saudi Arabia's Islamist majority? Or was it to vindicate Dubya's daddy? Can one really believe that the war with Iraq will somehow bring stability to the Middle East? I would like to think that Woodward's book will stimulate readers to question the real motives of the second Bush Administration, although I am less than optimistic that this will happen. Hopefully we will all learn the answers sooner than later, however. Whatever the reasons, after having read Plan of Attack, it is more obvious to me now than ever before that the Bush Administration lied to and played upon the fears of Congress and the American people to legitimize its own political agenda. And while some may excuse Bush's actions as demonstrating resolve and others (including Dubya himself) may call it divine influence, to my way of thinking, it is insanity.
Rating:
Summary: methods and rewards
Review: Woodward will probably go down in history as one of the journalists with the most access to the most people in Washington. Part of the reward of reading his books is having a 400+ page glimpse into how the "transparent" world of the federal government actually works.
"Plan of Attack" will give pause to both sides of the debate on the Iraq War. Not only does it show the importance of gambling on intelligence and betting on diplomats' and other executives' stances in the matter of war, but it also shows how strong Bush case was at different points along the road to toppling Saddam. In many ways this book unearths what should have been on the table months prior to going to war. And part of the journalist in me wonders why he didn't break confidentiality to get some of the news to the people who needed it most -- the average citizens most affected by the war (Granted this would have made Woodward liable under Cohen v. Cowles).
His on-background methods, both a hallmark and, some would say, watered down writing of history is as rewarding as it is frustrating in his reconstruction the he-said, she-said politics in the run up to the war. But for anyone who enjoys Woodward's strong writing and compelling story telling, "Plan of Attack" is a "slam-dunk" read.
Rating:
Summary: A private war
Review: Woodward's new book, based on interviews with 75 White House insiders--including the President--is a chilling example of what happens when the Chief Executive of the most powerful country in the world decides he's going to war--or, as Condoleezze Rice puts it, engages in "coercive diplomacy." According to Woodward, Bush decided as early as November 2001 to wage war against Iraq, and diverted several hundred millions of dollars from the Congressional Afghanistan campaign appropriation to develop war plans. None of the inner circle except Rice was informed of the President's plans. He told Woodward that he didn't feel the need to discuss the plans because he knew his people were on board. Desperate for a way to sell the war to the American public, Bush pressed George Tenet for assurances that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Tenet gave the thumbs-up (himself, no doubt, feeling pressure to provide the answer Bush wanted), and the war was just a matter of time. Whenever counterevidence to Tenet's insistence that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction showed up--as with Hans Blix's UN reports--senior advisors to the President accused the authors of the reports of deliberate deception. One of the surprising themes in Woodward's book is just how intent George Bush was on waging war with Iraq. The story on the street, of course, is that Bush was manipulated into war by his senior advisors. But if Woodward is correct, Bush played this one himself. He was undoubtedly influenced by people like Cheny and Rumsfeld, but he made the decision himself. He wanted a war, and he got it. This book deserves to be read alongside other recent ones: John Dean's _Worse than Watergate, for example, or Ron Suskind's _Price of Loyalty_. Thought the imperial presidency died with Richard Nixon's resignation? Think again.
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