Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander [Hardcover]

Rowan Scarborough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

Here is the untold story of how Rumsfeld shook up the military brass and outmaneuvered national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and other administration officials to remake America's military into Special Forces-driven institution.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If there were an official Donald H. Rumsfeld Admiration Society, Scarborough would be a leading candidate for its president. The Washington Times Pentagon reporter has written a paean to the Secretary of Defense that all but paints a big "S" on his chest. To Scarborough’s credit, though, he makes his opinion immediately clear: "History will surely judge Rumsfeld one of America’s most important defense leaders," he writes in the introduction. Nevertheless, Scarborough casts a revealing eye on "Rummy’s" campaign to make the Pentagon heel to his foreign policies. The book is full of juicy tidbits—most of them in the first two chapters—gleaned from classified documents. For instance, a full six months before asking the United Nations to endorse the use of force in Iraq, Scarborough writes, President Bush signed a secret National Security Directive establishing the goals and objectives for going to war with the country. Scarborough also relates how a top secret military unit code-named "Grey Fox" contributed to the assassination of Al Qaeda planner Qaed Senyan al Harthi by turning on his satellite phone without his knowledge and exposing his position in a convoy speeding across the Yemini desert. Other anecdotes serve to emphasize Rumsfeld’s "preference for military, special forces solutions to law enforcement scenarios." A later chapter is devoted to his skills as a manager. "In assessing Rumsfeld, clichés work," Scarborough writes. "His life is an ‘all-American story.’ He does not ‘suffer fools gladly.’ And, Donald H. Rumfeld is ‘the right man at the right time.’" Readers already convinced of Rumsfeld’s talents as a leader will enjoy this enthusiastic book, but those looking for a balanced assessment of the Defense Secretary’s job performance may prefer James Mann’s level-headed study The Rise of the Vulcans.
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Review

"Rumsfeld's War presents the best inside look at the global war on terrorism published to date..." -- Bill Gertz, defense reporter, the Washington Times

"Truly a remarkable work of research and reconstruction..." -- Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Buster Glosson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895260697
• ISBN-13: 978-0895260697
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Pentagon junkies and powerbrokers alike, February 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander (Hardcover)

Rowan Scarborough's inside look at Donald Rumsfeld is seminal reading for those of us who've long admired Rummy -- from his work in several presidential administrations as well as his masterful press conferences carried live on CNN. Scarborough, one of Washington's best and most unsung national security reporters, paints more than a historical portrait of Rumsfeld's imprint on national defense. His behind the scenes accounting of war strategy co-mingled with Rumsfeld's sturdy approch to leadership is a must-read not only for those interested in military gamesmanship but also those interested in managerial moxie. The book might look like brainy, inside baseball at first, but once the reader gets a few pages in, it reads quick and sharp, not unlike Scarborough's dispatches at The Washington Times. This is bigtime reporting and writing with a simple flair. Rumsfeld emerges as a model leader and decent guy -- a CEO of sorts for the nation at war.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really good, but Rise of the Vulcans is better., May 6, 2004

By 

"mr_arch_stanton" (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander (Hardcover)

Don't get me wrong, I really liked this Rumsfeld's War. The author obviously had the full cooperation of Don Rumsfeld in the writing of this book (including obtaining a classified threat analysis report, which is reproduced in the Appendix -- fascinating!). There are great anecdotes about Rummy that really give good insight into his personality, e.g. the fact that he still plays squash with the old "hard" balls, and on the court regularly bests men half his age. That said, if you could only purchase one book on Rumsfeld, I would recommend Jim Mann's "Rise of the Vulcans", which is more comprehensive, reflective, and objective. I would say that "Rumsfeld's War" is for fans of Rummy, but "Vulcans" is for serious students of the War on Terror.

18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good on facts and backround, too much praise to be credible., September 21, 2004

By 

Hugh Claffey (Co. Kildare Ireland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander (Hardcover)

The author is a Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Times and therefore can be assumed to have good backround and contacts. I was quite interested in Rumsfeld because of his prominence and eloquence. The book gives a good account of decision making in regard to the Afghan and Iraq wars, and gives the motivation behind the ongoing transformation of the US armed forces which is Rumsfelds particular concern. I was quite interested in Rumsfelds backround - in particular his time in private business. He was CEO of JD Searle, the firm that made a fortune from Nutrasweet - somehow its difficult to associate Rumsfeld with sweetners!. Overall he is displayed as decisive, change-orientated, pugnacious, eloquent but fair. In between the lines you get the impression that he is a formidable political infighter.
I have, however, a basic credibility problem with the book - how can the author continue to work as a Pentagon journalist if he paints a negative picture of Rumsfeld?. I come away wondering if the books analysis is accurate, I'm sure the facts are, but what about the inferences. Tommy Franks, in retirement, regrets Rumsfelds micromanaging style - something not apparent in this book. Is Rumsfeld's transformation of the military - and his adherence to Special Operations, flexibility and agility - likely to bring about victory in the ongoing struggles for dominance in Iraq or Afghanistan? It may bring about an ability to concentrate firepower in any corner of the globe, but what happens thereafter? This is not discussed and I think is a central part of the debate. I also think that Rumsfelds is the most talented political operator and communicator in this Administration, but is this a good thing? Does he concentrate power in the Pentagon to the detriment of the diplomacy that is needed in order to win Allies for the War on Terror? Again you won't find a whisper about this topic in the book.
So overall a good grounding, some solid backround facts, however I am left wanting more critical analysis of this transformative and forceful Defense Secretary.