A personal encounter with scandal

Joshua Bishop

“The War Within,” by Bob Woodward is an in-depth observation of the Bush administration during the Iraq War and the build up to the “surge.”
It is specifically a study of the miscommunication and political backstabbing that became a staple of the Bush legacy.This book is one of nearly a half dozen on the subject by Woodward, but what truly makes this one stand out is its devotion to detail.

Woodward writes like a novelist. The backgrounds and personalities of every character, from General Petraeus to the President himself, are painstakingly detailed.

By the end of the book one feels as if they know every presidential staff member and every hardened marine general like a brother.

Furthermore, every military operation in Iraq and every heated argument in the White House is detailed personally.

The information revealed is intimate and sometimes so horrifying that there are several times when the reader must remind themselves that what they are reading is a true account and not fantasy, a point that the book drives home with sobering reality.

On the surface, “The War Within” is a dissection of the Bush presidency and the Iraq war, but hidden in the pages, this book is truly about fear, misunderstanding and the people caught in between.

If you’re looking to learn more about the Iraq war, this is the book for you, but keep in mind that “War Within” doesn’t clear the fog of war, it just makes it a little easier to see through.

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

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