State of Denial

I thought it best to get this book blog in before the inauguration of Barack Obama... sort of like closing one door before opening another.

I picked up State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III by Bob Woodward on the recommendations by numerous people I spoke with, both close friends and friends of friends, at the same time I picked up The Tipping Point. Both books seemed to be Zeitgeist around October 2007.

State of Denial is the third in Woodward's series on the George W. Bush administration and I was quiet interested to get into the book given the illustrious career of Bob Woodward. His style of writing definitely appeals to my appreciation for detail, in fact it is quite similar to Ron Suskind's writing as it is built on interviews and presented in a third-person omniscient narrative. Both The One Percent Doctrine and The Price of Loyalty make excellent supplemental reading to State of Denial. Combined, they provide quiet an interesting, almost 360 degree view on the George W. Bush administration.

What is interesting is that Woodward seems to have come 180 degrees (or at least somewhat off the original course) on his opinion of the administration and I think this makes for a great perspective - it's initially neither sycophantic nor overly critical so you feel like you are on the journey with Bob as makes his discoveries and forms his opinions. For example, Woodward believed the Bush Administration's claims of Iraqi WMDs prior to the war, but during this book the truth unfolds. As a consequence, you get a feel for how the mistakes were made and you can appreciate both sides of the coin, so to speak.

Now, it would be fair to state this book appeals to my world views on George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice & Donald Rumsfeld i.e. I think they have done terribly in executing their responsibilities of office and the results speak for themselves. Having said that, if you want a more balanced view on this book, check out MetaCritic.

Let's continue hoping that President-elect Barack Obama doesn't provide journalists with such material for books of this nature. I'd certainly recommend having a 'feel good' book queued up soon afterwards so you can get over your feelings of extreme frustration and disappointment quickly.

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posted by Lee Gale @ 4:10 PM,

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