State of Denial
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III (ISBN 0-74-327223-X) is a book by Bob Woodward, originally due to be published October 2 2006, but unexpectedly released two days early by the publisher because of the demand for it, that examines how the Bush administration managed Iraq after the 2003 invasion[1]. This book follows Woodward's previous books on the Bush administation, Bush at War and Plan of Attack.
Based on interviews with a number of people in the Bush administration (although not Vice President Dick Cheney or the President himself) the book makes a number of allegations about the administration[1].
Newsweek magazine presented a special excerpt of the book. Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas and Senior White House Correspondent Richard Wolffe will report on the potential fallout for President Bush and Rumsfeld and analyze the administration's response. The article will hit news stands Monday, October 2. [3]
Reported in the book
According to Woodward's book:
- Andrew Card resigned because of concerns about how the public would perceive their handling of Iraq in the future and that he had twice tried to persuade President Bush to replace Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld[2].
- Henry Kissinger was meeting regularly with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to offer advice on the War in Iraq [3].
- The book alleges that Tony Blair repeatedly complained that the UK security services were being denied access to intelligence and that, even after George W. Bush promised to address the problem, officials within the The Pentagon side-stepped the issue by creating a parallel secure network.[4].
- Although members of the Bush administration were saying publicly that the situation in Iraq was improving, internal reports and memos distributed between various government agencies including the White House, and the The Pentagon acknowledged that the situation was worsening[1].
- The book reports that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said of Bush, “I just can't stand him”. The Democratic leader is so disgusted by the President that he can't bear watching his speeches and instead has aides brief him on them afterward.[5]
Sources
When a Woodward book comes out, public speculation starts about who the sources would have been, often because they end up looking good in his books:[6]
- "Andrew Card [former White House chief of staff],[6] who gives Woodward most of his Oval Office material as far as I can tell," is written up as some kind of hero for engineering his own removal as White House chief of staff," wrote Rich Lowry, editor of National Review. "From what I have read, there is no acknowledgment that some of Bush's difficulties might have been Card's doing, which is the advantage of being a Woodward source."[5]
- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
- The former Saudi Arabian ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan[6]
- George Tenet, former director of the CIA[6]
- Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage[6]
- Brent Scowcroft, the former national security adviser (to Bush senior)[6]
References
- ^ a b c David E. Sanger (2006-09-29). "Book Says Bush Ignored Urgent Warning on Iraq". New York Times. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
- ^ William Hamilton (September 29, 2006). "Card Urged Bush to Replace Rumsfeld, Woodward Says". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
- ^ Mike Wallace (September 28, 2006). "Bob Woodward: Bush Misleads On Iraq". CBS News. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
- ^ Sharon Churcher (September 30, 2006). "Bush 'kept Blair in the dark over Iraq'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
- ^ a b [1]Lowry, Rich, item on "The Corner" group blog at National Review Online Web site, 4:20 p.m., October 2, 2006, accessed same day
- ^ a b c d e f [2] Michiku Kakutani's New York Times book review, September 30, 2006
External links
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