Bush at War: Inside the Bush White House

Written by Bob Woodward

Narrated by James Naughton

With his unmatched investigative skill, Bob Woodward tells the behind-the-scenes story of how President George W. Bush and his top national security advisers, after the initial shock of the September 11 attacks, led the nation to war.
Extensive quotations from the secret deliberations of the National Security Council - -- and firsthand revelations of the private thoughts, concerns and fears of the president and his war cabinet - -- make Bush at War an unprecedented chronicle of a modern presidency in time of grave crisis.
Based on interviews with more than a hundred sources and four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, Bush at War reveals Bush's sweeping, almost grandiose, vision for remaking the world. "I'm not a textbook player, I'm a gut player," the president said.
Woodward's virtual wiretap into the White House Situation Room reveals a stunning group portrait of an untested president and his advisers, three of whom might themselves have made it to the presidency. In Bush at War, Bob Woodward once again delivers a reporting tour de force.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Nov 1, 2002
• ISBN: 9780743561426

Bob Woodward

DR BOB WOODWARD was born in 1947 in Gloucester, United Kingdom. Having studied at state and Steiner schools, he became a co-worker at the Sheiling School in Thornbury, a centre of the Camphill Community, based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). He remained within the Camphill Movement for some forty years, teaching children with special educational needs, retiring in 2012. He took a special interest in understanding autism in children and young people. At the age of 46, Bob received an MEd degree from Bristol University, followed by an MPhil at the age of 50 and a PhD from the University of the West of England at the age of 64. As well as being a qualified educator, he is a spiritual healer and the author of several books, including Knowledge of Spirit Worlds, Journeying Into Spirit Worlds and Karma in Human Life. He has been married for some 46 years and has five grown-up children and currently ten grandchildren.

Reviews for Bush at War

[maxernst11 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Over de reactie op 11/9/01 en de oorlog in Afghanistan. Gebaseerd op verslagen van de Nationale Veiligheidsraad en uitgebreide interviews met alle hoofdrolspelers

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Over de reactie op 11/9/01 en de oorlog in Afghanistan. Gebaseerd op verslagen van de Nationale Veiligheidsraad en uitgebreide interviews met alle hoofdrolspelers

[gopfolk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Woodward did what he does best......Woodward documented the days/weeks/months following the September 11th attacks and how the White House handled the situation in a very even handed and exposed way.There was little room for question in this book as Woodward gave you every angle from the people who were there.

[loptsson_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting look at the personalities and interactions in the highest government levels dealing with the 9/11 attack and the buildup and invasion of Afghanistan. It is interesting after living through the events to be able to take a step back from the images in ones head and look at what was going on in the government and other countries around the world.

[grandeplease_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bob Woodward was given incredible access to the key players - including four hours with President Bush - and the book moves through the first 100 days after 9/11 as one would expect a news reporter to travel . . . facts, no analysis or speculation. Seven years has not been enough time to allow history to shadow the reality - Bob Woodward revealed Richard Nixon to be a genius by comparison . . .

[chellinsky · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Even with my reservations about Woodward the journalist, I found his Bush at War offered a valuable insight into how the NSC and the Bush Administration operated between September 11th and late 2002. Surprisingly, I found myself agreeing with some of the comments from principles whose policies toward Iraq I find deplorable, yet they got the immediate response correct. The means employed in Afghanistan seemed correct and proper given the reality of the country at the time (regardless of how things are continuing to deteriorate as attention continues to concentrate elsewhere).Nonetheless, much of the time I found myself wondering why Gary's advice--CIA operative on the ground--did not travel up the chain of command? It seemed like, as many NSC committees apparently do, this NSC group spent a lot of time arguing the same points continuously rather than seeking new information from the ground proactively in an effort to move the process forward. The more I read about the working of the NSC, the more I understand where the bureaucratic political theorists come from. This is just a group of people working with varied tools and beliefs to solve complex problems--something duplicated in numerous organizations everywhere. Understanding this process and how to game it correctly seems to contain a piece of the puzzle to understanding foreign policy formation in the U.S.

[ubutl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting insight into the first 100 days of the US response to the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001. Amazing difference in the responses between the US Armed Forces and the CIA.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Woodward's inside account of the Bush White House in the moments after 9/11.