The War Within (Woodward book)

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The War Within: A Secret White House History (2006–2008)
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III 
Followed byObama's Wars 

The War Within: A Secret White House History (2006–2008) is a

Iraq "surge" strategy implemented in 2007.[1] Simon & Schuster editor Alice Mayhew said in an official statement that "There has not been such an authoritative and intimate account of presidential decision making since the Nixon tapes and the Pentagon Papers. This is the declassification of what went on in secret, behind the scenes."[1]

Writing the book

The author spoke extensively with officials from every level of the federal government.[1] He conducted 150 interviews, spending three hours with Bush in the Oval Office.[2] Politico called the Bush administration's cooperation with Woodward "remarkable".[1] Before its publication, Woodward posted key excerpts and points of synopsis on The Washington Post's website.[3] Press Secretary Ari Fleischer has said, "The message got down to everybody: 'Talk to him'".[4]

Bush had decided to speak to Woodward despite the fact that he had declined Woodward's requests for his previous book

off the record information for the writing.[4]

Statements in the book

Synopsis

The book states that President Bush "rarely leveled with the public to explain what he was doing and what should be expected... The president was rarely the voice of realism on the Iraq war." It also calls him "the nation's most divisive figure" and described his foreign policy as a failure, saying "He had not rooted out terror wherever it existed... He had not achieved world peace. He had not attained victory in his two wars." At the same time, the book largely supports the

'surge' strategy and lauds the President for adopting it.[5]

The book describes Bush as largely leaving the management of the war to Generals

House of Representatives or the Senate.[2]

After the

David H. Petraeus.[2] The book describes deep infighting within the administration.[1][2]

Allegations

Alleged comments by Senator John McCain

The book reports that

spin" coming out of the White House.[5]

Alleged secret eavesdropping program

Woodward states that the US government has constantly

anonymous source says in the book, "We know everything he says."[6]

Alleged secret U.S. killing program in Iraq

Woodward asserts that the U.S. is implementing a secret killing program in

Task Force 77. The secrecy surrounding the program can, according to Woodward, in some ways be compared to the Manhattan Project during World War II in which the atomic bomb was developed amidst an unprecedented veil of secrecy. Following the publication of the book, U.S. National security adviser Stephen Hadley acknowledged the existence of the described strategy.[7]

Response

According to

Nielsen BookScan, The War Within sold just 159,000 copies as of June 2009. This is far below Woodward's earlier work State of Denial, which sold more than half a million. The New Republic reported that Woodward was "lamenting" this drop.[4]

Bush administration response

Initially, unofficial responses from members of the Bush administration's were very favorable as they saw the book as reflecting the success of the 'surge' strategy.

Stephen J. Hadley released an official statement on September 5 disputing some of Woodward's interpretations and opinions expressed in the book, though not with his record of the facts.[8]

Critical response

Fox News has described the overall tone of the book towards Bush as "mixed".[5] However, International Herald Tribune reviewer Michiko Kakutani states that it "reaches a damning conclusion about the presidency". Kakutani also highly recommended the book.[9]

conservative magazine National Review labeled Woodward's leaking of the government's eavesdropping program "disgraceful" and stated that it "would be helpful for the United States to be in a position to know, and to do so without having the fact publicly advertised."[6]

Foreign Affairs praised the book's "focused" account and argued that it was the best out of Woodward's four books about President Bush.[11] The New York Times generally praised the book and referred to its reporting as "wonderfully illuminating".[12] Its review concluded:

Woodward's own judgment of the war and of Bush doesn't really matter. In the course of four books he has given readers the conversations and documents we need to reach our own judgments. He has also, however unevenly and imperfectly, supplied enough synthesis and analysis to make that judgment genuinely informed. Sure, these books can be a slog. But they stand as the fullest story yet of the Bush presidency and of the war that is likely to be its most important legacy.[12]

The New York Sun gave a critical review, stating that "Mr. Woodward so drowns the reader in clutter that few arguments, except the obvious, emerge."[13] As well, The New Republic alleged that the figures in the book were portrayed better if they had talked to Woodward beforehand.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^
    Politico.com
    . By Mike Allen. Published 8/18/08.
  2. ^
    Politico.com
    . By Mike Allen. Published 9/8/08.
  3. ^ Pre-released Articles at washingtonpost.com
  4. ^ a b c d Sherman, Gabriel. "Plan of Attack". The New Republic. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d In New Book, Woodward Says Bush 'Failed to Lead,' Even as Surge Succeeded. Fox News. By Bill Sammon. Published September 04, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d e General Issues. National Review. Published September 12, 2008.
  7. CNN.com
    . 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  8. Politico.com
    . By Mike Allen. Published September 5, 2008.
  9. ^ Book Review: Bob Woodward's 'The War Within'. International Herald Tribune. Reviewed by Michiko Kakutani. Published September 5, 2008.
  10. Bloomberg.com
    . By Craig Seligman. Published September 8, 2008.
  11. ^ Book Review. By Lawrence D. Freedman. Foreign Affairs. January/February 2009.
  12. ^ a b The Final Days. By Jill Abramson. The New York Times Published September 26, 2008.
  13. ^ "A Few of the President's Men: Woodward's 'The War Within'". The New York Sun. September 11, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2009.

External links

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