"Bush at War"

Paper Summary:

Bob Woodward's "Bush at War" depicts a confident, charismatic President Bush who knows what he wants and uses the resources of his cabinet to discover the best method for achieving his goal. This is not to say that he won't listen to his advisors, but his focus is on making reality conform to his vision rather than vice versa. The paper examines how some of Bush's advisors, such as George Tenet, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, are depicted in the book as taking a hard-line stance on America's war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, while others, such as Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell, voiced concerns about the U.S. war effort. Bush listened to both sides and, although he decided to invade Afghanistan in the wake of September 11, the plan was affected by the input of those who had concerns about the war. The paper shows that ultimately, Woodward paints the picture of an administration firmly controlled by the president, but also shows that the vibrant and sometimes heated debates within the administration do ultimately affect policy.

From the Paper:

"The precipitating event, of course, for the invasion of Afghanistan was the September 11, 2001, attacks on America. Following a string of evidence which had mounted from previous attacks on American targets, including the previous attempt at bombing the World Trade Center, the administration decided that the terrorist force known as Al-Qaeda was responsible for the attacks and that much of the financial backing and overarching organizational structure of Al-Qaeda lay in the hands of Osama bin Laden. Since, bin Laden was known to be in Afghanistan, and since Afghanistan's ruling Islamic fundamentalist government, the Taliban, controlled the country and was known to support terrorists, the U.S. decided invasion was necessary to strike back at the terrorists in the heart of their organization."

More papers on "Bush at War":

• Book Review # 97997 : "Bush at War"
• Analytical Essay # 68374 : "Bush at War"
• Book Review # 94704 : "'Bush at War'"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: