| 商家名称 | 信用等级 | 购买信息 | 订购本书 |
 |
 |
Bush at War |  |
 |
|
Bush at War | |
作者简介 Bob Woodward, a thirty-two-year veteran of The Washington Post, has authored or coauthored nine New York Times #1 bestsellers, including Bush at War, Shadow, The Agenda, The Commanders, Veil, Wired, The Brethren, The Final Days, and All the President's Men.
媒体推荐 书评
Amazon.com
Bush at War focuses on the three months following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, during which the U.S. prepared for war in Afghanistan, took steps toward a preemptive strike against Iraq, intensified homeland defense, and began a well-funded CIA covert war against terrorism around the world. The narrative is classic Woodward: using his inside access to the major players, he offers a nearly day-by-day account of the decision-making processes and power battles behind the headlines. Woodward''s information is based on tape-recorded interviews of over a hundred sources (some unnamed), including four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, along with notes from cabinet meetings and access to some classified reports.
Woodward''s analysis of President Bush''s leadership style is especially fascinating. A self-described "gut player" who relies heavily on instinct, Bush comes across as a man of action continually pressing his cabinet for concrete results. The revelation that the president developed and publicly stated the so-called Bush Doctrine--the policy that the U.S. would not only go after terrorists everywhere but also those governments or groups which harbor them--without first consulting Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, or Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is particularly telling. Other principals are examined with equal scrutiny. Though National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice emerges as soft-spoken and even tentative during group meetings, it becomes clear that Bush is dependent on her for candid advice as well as for conveying his thoughts to his cabinet. The relationship between Powell and Rumsfeld (and to a lesser degree Powell and Cheney) is often strained, exposing their differences regarding how to deal with Iraq and whether coalition building or unilateralism is most appropriate. Woodward also describes how CIA director George Tenet prepared a paramilitary team to infiltrate Afghanistan to set the groundwork for invasion, and how this ushered in a new era of cooperation between the defense department and the CIA. A worthwhile and often enlightening read, this is a revealing and informative first draft of the Bush legacy. --Shawn Carkonen --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Quoting liberally from transcripts of National Security Council meetings and hundreds of interviews with those in the presidential inner circle, including four hours of interviews with Bush himself, the Washington Post assistant managing editor, best-selling author and Watergate muckraker manages to provide a nonpartisan account of the first 100 days of the post September 11 war on terror. While Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, President Bush and CIA Director George Tenet are impressive, Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz come off as hawkish and reactionary, repeatedly calling for a strike against Iraq in the first days of the conflict while pushing for a more widespread, global war. Woodward does an excellent job of exposing the seat-of-their-pants planning sessions conducted at the highest levels of power and the hectic diplomacy practiced by Powell and Bush in trying to get the air war against Afghanistan off the ground. He also brings to light the divisions among the planners concerning the bombing in Afghanistan, which made little impact until late in the game, when the Taliban lines were finally hit. In addition to recounting the heated arguments about when and how to retaliate against Al Qaeda, Woodward also follows Special Ops agents flown into Afghanistan with millions in payoff money weeks in advance of any other American presence. Living in harsh conditions with little to no support, these "110 CIA officers and 316 Special Forces personnel," in this account, ran the show, and effectively won the war with their intelligence gathering operations. While at times relying a bit too heavily on transcribed conversations, Woodward nonetheless offers one of the first truly insightful and informative accounts of the decision making process in the war on terror. 16 pages of b&w photos.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Woodward drew on hundreds of interviews for this behind-the-scenes report.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
From AudioFile
"The decision to go to war defines a nation to the world--and perhaps more importantly--to itself," reads Woodward stiffly from his preface. It''s a relief, therefore, when James Naughton takes the microphone and the tangle of current events becomes a clear and absorbing narrative. Naughton''s deep voice has just the right gritty edge. You can almost hear tank treads on stone. There are boxes of cash and another box with dry ice for Bin Laden''s head. "I''m not a textbook player," Bush says. "I''m a gut player." Nobody knows yet how the war on terror will end, but Woodward shows you how it started. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
From Booklist
Those who''ve caught Woodward making one of his innumerable publicity appearances have probably heard the juiciest parts of his look at the Bush administration''s response to the events of September 11: the rivalry between Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld; the way war with Iraq came up almost from the first; the president''s proclamation that he''s a gut player who believes in fate. Throughout, Woodward uses a straight reportage style incorporating information from National Security Council meetings (no word on how he obtained those) and many interviews, including several hours of talks with the president. He makes no evaluations of the events he''s writing about, nor does he add much to the narrative in the way of background information. Sometimes, this is a detriment. For instance, what are readers to make of the anecdote in which a CIA operative is told to bring Osama bin Laden''s head home in a box? Was this for real? Apparently so, since the operative took a cardboard box and dry ice with him. As with other of Woodward''s books, he finds himself in strange places--for instance, inside the head of Condoleezza Rice as she prepares for bed--but mostly this follows the events in chronological order, giving the view of the action from many sides, although those who cooperated the most with Woodward, such as Powell and Bush himself, seem to come out looking the best. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
Thomas Powers
The New York Times Book Review
Remarkable...Bush at War is akin to an unofficial transcript of 100 days of debate over war in Afghanistan.
Evan Thomas
Newsweek
Human and convincing in its telling detail.
Steve Neal
Chicago Sun-Times
Woodward has produced the best book yet written about the September 11
terrorist attacks on America and how Bush fought back.
Fred Barnes
The Weekly Standard
Woodward...is the best pure reporter of his generation, perhaps ever. He uncovers more things than anyone else.
James Rubin
The New York Observer
A great read...Bob Woodward has unearthed important new information on the behind-the-scenes struggles that have led to success -- and failure -- in President Bush''s War on Terror.
Fouad Ajami
The Washington Post Book World
A work of spareness and authority...We are fortunate to have this
richly detailed view of our nation''s central policy command.
