Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Iandgt;Plan of Attackandlt;/Iandgt; is the definitive account of how and why President George W. Bush, his war council, and allies launched a preemptive attack to topple Saddam Hussein and occupy Iraq. Bob Woodward's latest landmark account of Washington decision making provides an original, authoritative narrative of behind-the-scenes maneuvering over two years, examining the causes and consequences of the most controversial war since Vietnam. andlt;BRandgt; Based on interviews with 75 key participants and more than three and a half hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush, andlt;Iandgt;Plan of Attackandlt;/Iandgt; is part presidential history charting the decisions made during 16 critical months; part military history revealing precise details and the evolution of the Top Secret war planning under the restricted codeword Polo Step; and part a harrowing spy story as the CIA dispatches a covert paramilitary team into northern Iraq six months before the start of the war. This team recruited 87 Iraqi spies designated with the cryptonym DB/ROCKSTARS, one of whom turned over the personnel files of all 6,000 men in Saddam Hussein's personal security organization. andlt;BRandgt; What emerges are astonishingly intimate portraits: President Bush in war cabinet meetings in the White House Situation Room and the Oval Office, and in private conversation; Dick Cheney, the focused and driven vice president; Colin Powell, the conflicted and cautious secretary of state; Donald Rumsfeld, the controlling war technocrat; George Tenet, the activist CIA director; Tommy Franks, the profane and demanding general; Condoleezza Rice, the ever-present referee and national security adviser; Karl Rove, the hands-on political strategist; other key members of the White House staff and congressional leadership; and foreign leaders ranging from British Prime Minister Blair to Russian President Putin. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Iandgt;Plan of Attackandlt;/Iandgt; provides new details on the intelligence assessments of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction and the planning for the war's aftermath.
Review
"[R]iveting....[P]roving once again that [Woodward] is the grand master of his genre." Publishers Weekly
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"[E]ngrossing....[An] often harrowing narrative....Plan of Attack has a more choral-like narrative than many of the author's earlier books....The resulting volume is [Woodward's] most powerful and persuasive book in years." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
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"[A] serious book it is, instantly essential, matching America's most celebrated political reporter against the most secretive administration in our history. For once, a hyped product has lived up to its billing." Ted Widmer, The New York Times Book Review
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"Bob Woodward is the most accomplished political reporter of his generation, and Plan of Attack gives us the best glimpse of life in our republican court that we are likely to have..." Walter Russell Mead, The Washington Post
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"A remarkable book, one that fulfills the too often ephemeral promise of what has come to be called investigative journalism....The American people seldom have been given this clear a window on their government's most sensitive deliberations." Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
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"Richly detailed, awesomely sourced...a granular record of the nation's march to war with Iraq, gleaned from interviews, memos, phone records, and PowerPoint presentations." David Cook, The Christian Science Monitor
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"Buy this book....[Woodward] finally unveils what many observers suspected: Vice President Dick Cheney is the power behind the throne. After [the] disappointing Bush at War...Woodward appears to have regained his footing." Baltimore Sun
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"[A] worthwhile read. It gives a good inside account of the Bush administration's drive to war, and provides some insight into the president. And it gives both Bush's allies and his critics more information for the fall's political battles." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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"[A]n incomparable inside story....If you want to learn how we got ourselves into a situation where kids from Wisconsin are getting blown up and shot to pieces with more troops and billions of tax dollars headed to Iraq then read this book." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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"While Woodward does a tremendous job of researching, interviewing, and reporting, he says he hasn't found all of 'the key turning or decision points that remain secret for years.' But he's found enough." Boston Globe
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"[Woodward is] a journalist without peer and...that comes from someone who was throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him just a few years ago....He simply lays it out, unvarnished, and leaves it to you to decide what to make of it." New York Observer
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"[T]here's plenty of juice here. Woodward is good at conveying the personalities of the players and detailing their debates, conflicts, quirks. Plan of Attack is flesh-and-blood history." Houston Chronicle
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"[A] book everyone should read because no one in it...denies talking openly to Woodward about everything....Do read it for the most coherent account so far of how and why we attacked Iraq on March 19, 2003..." Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram
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"[Woodward's] most compelling book about a living U.S. president since All the President's Men and The Final Days....[W]ell worth reading." Cleveland Plain Dealer
Synopsis
Plan of Attack delivers an astonishingly intimate portrait of President George W. Bush, his war council and allies as they launch a preemptive attack on Iraq, toppling Saddam Hussein and occupying the country. Woodward's fly-on-the-wall account reveals the secret meetings, key decisions, conflicts and raw emotions of war as they are rarely seen in contemporary history.
Synopsis
Now in paperback Woodward's bestselling landmark account of Washington decision-making that provides an original, authoritative narrative of behind-the-scenes maneuvering over two years, examining the causes and consequences of the most controversial war since Vietnam.
About the Author
Bob Woodward is an assistant managing editor of The Washington Post, where he has worked since 1971. He has authored ten 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. His two other books, The Choice and Maestro, were national bestsellers. He lives in Washington, D.C.