Bob Woodward – Bush at War - Review

In 2004, during Iraq II, Bob Woodward published Bush at War. At the time, I was searching for reasons, other than the main stream narrative, why the US was pushing so hard in the middle east. This text gave me a few answers, but never the entire story. Yesterday the Washington Post published an expose' on Afghanistan, revealing a failed war, a war without direction, telling us that government and the military has been lying to us for many years. Indeed, 1 in 4 vets after a few tours of duty commit suicide. In a recent poll, over 60% of vets believe the US and its allies should pull out of Afghanistan completely. We should listen to them. I wrote this review in 2004, and believe it continues to be relevant today.

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Bob Woodward is an international media legend. The cause of his world renown was, of course, unearthing the Watergate scandal, leading to the eventual resignation of a president. Because of his long tenure at the Washington Post and reputation as a `pure' reporter, we expect great things from this man; at least reporting the facts in a bipartisan fashion. In Bush at War, he focuses on the Bush administrations response to 9/11 in the form of the invasion of Afghanistan, as many have deemed the "forgotten war".

Woodward reveals an administration, at times, hysterically, grasping at a way to attain some kind of retribution for 9/11. A war cabinet at odds with each other, all seeming to have their own agendas, and in the end, after Afghanistan was supposedly won; only a few al Qaeda terrorists were captured, (16 of the top 22 leaders were still at large, and the arch enemy, bin Laden, well hidden and laughing at us from his secret hideaway) though the oppressive Taliban was disbanded, ironically and sadly, Afghanistan still remains a potential haven for al Qaeda terrorists. (Many have mover to Syria)

One should not include this text as just another `Bush bashing' exercise, because the president is depicted as a passionate and determined leader, albeit inexperienced, hell-bent on bringing those responsible for 9'11 to justice.

Woodward skilfully puts the reader in the shoes of the president, and we feel his anger, frustration and one-eyed goal for retribution. The president's cabinet, however, are depicted as mostly floundering during the crises, fighting with one another, vying for power, in the pursuit of their own particular goals. The vice president is a crafty fellow, a smiling political assassin, so to speak, while Rumsfeld is depicted as your basic playground bully. There is a scene in the book where Rumsfeld pokes his finger with force into Woodward's chest during an interview, pushing the reporter off balance - this action speaks worlds. As an administrator, Rumsfeld is meticulous, arrogant and definitely not a team player, (my way or no way) and, to my mind, holds the majority of responsibility for the current mess in Afghanistan and the present "quagmire" situation we now have in Iraq. Technically, the buck stops with the president, though Rumsfeld has a lot to answer for...

Although not emphatically stated, Bush at War begs the question: did Afghanistan accomplish anything in terms of combating terrorism? Is the world a safer place as a result of many lives lost and literately millions of dollars spent on bribing the Afghani Northern Alliance? Well, the answer is in the results - and they speak for themselves.

This book  is by no means a revelation about this administration. One has only to look out the window, turn on the television or open a newspaper, to see where this administration is leading us. However I recommend this text as a close as possible `true' historical record of the Afghanistan `incursion', and how the military machine operates in war conditions.