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neglet's review against another edition
I was given this as a gift ... it wasn't polemic at all, just a very intriguing picture of how the Bush administration was assessing the Iraq War and preparing to make changes. Well written, informative, involving. I was surprised, but I liked it.
anvil's review against another edition
3.0
With perspective of time I was ready to read Woodward's take on the Bush Administration..... This one being his fourth book I think made me sympathetic to president Bush. I think Woodward's narrative is very forgiving even as he comes to the conclusion that Bush was a weak unsuccessful President that left the country (specifically with his war) worse than he found it. He failed to provide leadership desperately seeking one of his advisors to lead.
If you are ready to go through and re-consider that time period this book is definitely on the list.
If you are ready to go through and re-consider that time period this book is definitely on the list.
davybaby's review against another edition
2.0
I recently began work at a new bookstore, and my commute is way longer. Like an hour longer. So I've been listening to pretty much whatever audiobooks I've found at work. Hence the randomly starting on the fourth of Woodward's series of books on the W presidency. So I'm sure that made it harder to follow this.
It pretty much chronicles a series of meetings and decisions about the Iraq War, where no one agreed or really knew what was going on. This made it the powerful combination of boring and unpleasant. Maybe that's a bit harsh. Woodward's writing was fine, but I didn't know who most of the midlevel decision-makers were, so they were mostly just names that popped up to provide advice to Bush before he made decisions like a child.
So in conclusion, the reason I didn't really like this book is probably because it was a bad choice for me. I feel slightly more informed (which was the point), but I can't really say I enjoyed the experience.
It pretty much chronicles a series of meetings and decisions about the Iraq War, where no one agreed or really knew what was going on. This made it the powerful combination of boring and unpleasant. Maybe that's a bit harsh. Woodward's writing was fine, but I didn't know who most of the midlevel decision-makers were, so they were mostly just names that popped up to provide advice to Bush before he made decisions like a child.
So in conclusion, the reason I didn't really like this book is probably because it was a bad choice for me. I feel slightly more informed (which was the point), but I can't really say I enjoyed the experience.
barrysweezey's review against another edition
Woodward's access to so many highly placed sources is amazing.
barry_sweezey's review against another edition
Woodward's access to so many highly placed sources is amazing.
papablues050164's review against another edition
3.0
The members of Bush's war cabinet didn't know their asses from a hole in a ground, let alone how to manage 'regime change'. The Iraq war is a study in chaos-management, most of it self-inflicted. I just want everybody to remember this as our current Tweeter-in-Chief assembles his own war cabinet.
saras's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating. Both for historical importance and portrait of a dysfunctional management process that can apply to many organizations.
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