Rent Plan of Attack

Synopsis

Investigative reporter Bob Woodward had unusual access to the Bush White House in researching and writing this insider account of the George W. Bush administration's march to war against Saddam Hussein. While almost all of his many sources spoke off the record (an exception being the President), Woodward's narrative of events reveals the key roles played by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Gen. Tommy Franks, and the people around them, in helping to carry out the Bush plan. He reveals Bush's decision to recruit Secretary Rumsfeld to secretly update the battle plan against Iraq, the attempt to build a case against Saddam based on his possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the efforts of Secretary of State Colin Powell to get the international community on board. Woodward's revelations include the privileged access that the Saudi prince had to the White House, and a secret CIA operation, coded DBROCKSTARS, that used highly placed Iraqi informers to reveal Saddam's comings and goings and the intricacies of his defenses. While there are revelations of backbiting, power playing, and one-upmanship, PLAN OF ATTACK is never gossipy or sensationalistic. One does come away with the impression that there was a clear difference of views and camps, most notably Powell on one side advising caution and restraint, and Cheney, et. al, on the other, who were decidedly more hawkish and determined. Woodward's narrative portrays a decisive president with a confident, if secretive, staff. PLAN OF ATTACK follows closely after Woodward's BUSH AT WAR, which described the Bush administration's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the war in Afghanistan. A New York Times Notable Book for 2004.

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