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State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III Paperback – Illustrated, September 3, 2007

by Bob Woodward (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 399 ratings
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Bob Woodward's third # 1 New York Times bestseller on President George W. Bush's wars tells the detailed, behind-the-scenes story of how the Bush administration failed to tell the truth about the Iraq War.
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  1. Book 3 of 4
    Bush at War
  2. Print length
    576 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    September 3, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.48 x 8.44 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0743272242
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0743272247
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"State of Denial feels all the more outraged for its measured, nonpartisan tones and relentless reporting. It is nothing less than a watershed.... The full story of the Iraq War will be told by historians....This book...will be at the top of their shelves as they proceed to the altar of judgment."

-- Ted Widmer, The Washington Post Book World

"Serious, densely, even exhaustively reported, and a real contribution to history in that it gives history what it most requires, first-person testimony....This is a primer on how the executive branch of the United States works, or rather doesn't work, in the early years of the 21st century."

-- Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal

"Never-before-reported nuggets in every chapter....It offers the most revealing in-the-room glimpse of the Bush administration that we have so far."

-- Walter Shapiro, Salon.com

"State of Denial is brimming with vivid details about White House meetings, critical phone calls, intelligence reports, and military affairs....Impressively detailed and eye-opening revelations about the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war and its aftermath."

-- Chuck Leddy, The Boston Globe

"Woodward's book is packed with details about the gulf between the information the administration had and the picture it presented."

-- USA Today

"Woodward's trilogy on the Bush administration at war is essential, and compelling, reading."

-- Foreign Affairs

About the Author

Bob Woodward is the author of three consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers on President Trump—Fear (2018), Rage (2020), and Peril (2021) with Robert Costa—and an audiobook of 20 interviews with Trump. He has authored 22 bestselling books, 15 of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, covering every president from Nixon to Biden.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (September 3, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743272242
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743272247
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.48 x 8.44 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 399 ratings

About the author

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Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward

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Bob Woodward is an associate editor of The Washington Post, where he has worked since 1971. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, first in 1973 for the coverage of the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein, and second in 2003 as the lead reporter for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

He has authored or coauthored 18 books, all of which have been national non-fiction bestsellers. Twelve of those have been #1 national bestsellers. He has written books on eight of the most recent presidents, from Nixon to Obama.

Bob Schieffer of CBS News has said, “Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time.”

In 2014, Robert Gates, former director of the CIA and Secretary of Defense, said that he wished he’d recruited Woodward into the CIA, saying of Woodward, “He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill [their] guts to him...his ability to get people to talk about stuff they shouldn’t be talking about is just extraordinary and may be unique.”

Gene Roberts, the former managing editor of The New York Times, has called the Woodward-Bernstein Watergate coverage, “maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time.” In listing the all-time 100 best non-fiction books, Time Magazine has called All the President’s Men, by Bernstein and Woodward, “Perhaps the most influential piece of journalism in history.”

In 2018 David Von Drehle wrote, “What [Theodore] White did for presidential campaigns, Post Associate Editor Bob Woodward has done for multiple West Wing administrations – in addition to the Supreme Court, the Pentagon, the CIA and the Federal Reserve.”

Woodward was born March 26, 1943 in Illinois. He graduated from Yale University in 1965 and served five years as a communications officer in the United States Navy before beginning his journalism career at the Montgomery County (Maryland) Sentinel, where he was a reporter for one year before joining the Post.

Photos, a Q&A, and additional materials are available at Woodward's website, www.bobwoodward.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
399 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book informative, interesting, and full of astonishing details about the Bush administration. They describe it as a great, excellent, and good read on current events. Readers praise the writing style as well-written, highly readable, and like a novel. They say the pacing is thought-provoking and engaging. Overall, they describe the journalistic effort as excellent. However, some customers feel the management is grossly incompetent and horrible.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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Information qualityReadabilityWriting stylePacingJournalistic qualitySlantManagement
31 customers mention "Information quality"31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative, interesting, and full of facts. They appreciate the author's credentials and painstaking research. Readers also mention the book is comprehensive and well-written.

"This book may be helpful for students of organizational psychology in particular and many other academic fields in general...." Read more

"...of Woodward's books on the presidency, State of Denial is impressive in its detail and masterly in its organization and clear presentation of that..." Read more

"...Now, it is still that but is rapidly becoming good history as well. It is, of course, only a beginning of that history...." Read more

"...It is full of an insider's knowledge and perspective of the workings of government, drops well-known names on every page, and tells a riveting..." Read more

31 customers mention "Readability"31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great, fair, and excellent. They say it's good reading on current events and one of Woodward's best. Readers also mention the book is powerful, educational, and informative.

"...We know why....Richard Armitage seems wise, honest, and very capable. He speaks fluent Vietnamese as well as several other languages...." Read more

"...When released, it was good reading on current events. Now, it is still that but is rapidly becoming good history as well...." Read more

"...The most depressing line in this excellent book was the last sentence: "With all Bush's upbeat talk and optimism, he had not told the American..." Read more

"...Woodward's "All the President's Men", will be a valued resource of secondary source material, direct quotes, and context within which policy was..." Read more

17 customers mention "Writing style"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style well-written, easy to read, and highly readable. They say it reads like a novel. Readers also mention the author is good, but the subject matter is not.

"...Woodward made it all clear and readable and put it together in a decent prose style...." Read more

"...Woodward is astonishingly good as a writer here...." Read more

"...His writing is made more believable because we see the same people are making the same mistakes as we head into 2007. Although Don Rumsfeld is gone...." Read more

"...Well written. Whether it stands the test of time or not, we will see.Highly recommended." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing interesting, thought-provoking, and engaging. They say the truth is beautiful and necessary.

"...woodward is not sensationalist but neither does he shy from exposing ugly truths...." Read more

"...Truth is beautiful, and ever so necessary, and becoming all too rare. Really too rare." Read more

"...why he is a Pulitzer Prize winner in this informative and engaging look into the inner workings of government...." Read more

"...We can hear the credibilty of his words. Very thought provoking and this should raise many subsequent questions about how one in Washington power..." Read more

5 customers mention "Journalistic quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an excellent journalistic effort.

"...This is a real journalistic accomplishment, and a must-read piece of work. Sylvia Starr" Read more

"...Overall, this is an excellent journalistic effort. When released, it was good reading on current events...." Read more

"...Even more important than the Watergate Papers. An outstanding book by an outstanding reporter." Read more

"Bob Woodward is one of the finest investigative journalists of our time...." Read more

4 customers mention "Slant"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book totally free of bias, partisan, and unbiased. They also say it's well-written.

"...It is as free from bias as anyone could write in the circumstances...." Read more

"...that is, it is unbiased, painstakingly reported and well-written. woodward is not sensationalist but neither does he shy from exposing ugly truths...." Read more

"...clinical analysis and assessment which appears to be totally free of bias, absolutely fearless, and in no way tilted to further an agenda...." Read more

"Bob Woodward once again shows his ablity as a writer. His book is not partisan and clearly states the background regardin Bush' decision to take the..." Read more

8 customers mention "Management"0 positive8 negative

Customers find the management in the book grossly incompetent, with errors in judgment and management. They say the behavior is inexcusable, especially during a time of war.

"...communication issues, cabals, quid pro quos, quashing of dissent, incompetence, cultural and historical ignorance, myopia, and a leader who has..." Read more

"...The errors in judgment and management...." Read more

"...The Administration as portrayed by Woodward is clearly incompetent...." Read more

"...That behavior is inexcusable, especially in a time of war when thousands of Iraqi and American lives were lost...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

K. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars A Case Study For The Future
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2007
Verified Purchase
This book may be helpful for students of organizational psychology in particular and many other academic fields in general. Also, anyone working in any organization can gain insights on what *not* to do by reading "State of Denial."

Obviously, hundreds of reviews and comments on this book have been made already. So this review will attempt to shed light on a few things not mentioned much or at all by this time, if anyone by this point, cares.

What I constantly see in this book are bureaucratic organizations, management approaches, communication issues, cabals, quid pro quos, quashing of dissent, incompetence, cultural and historical ignorance, myopia, and a leader who has little idea of what is going on both within the administration, and the outside world.

However....this is not a negative book. It isn't an indictment against any individual, organization(s), or administration. It simply examines the details and actions of the many figures involved in the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 up to late 2006. And, there are many individuals involved. And there are numerous organizations involved (as stated above). Many personalities, management styles, and inter-agency turf battles exemplify the distrust, cultural ignorance, and egotistical yes-men and women who are considered "the brightest" and most apt for the job.

Coordination between the DoD, NSC, State, CPA, DIA, and Bush administration among others, presents the reader with a myriad of broken cob-webs, miscommunication, intra-agency grudges, individual and organizational scrimmages, inter-agency secrecy and uncoordinated goals. One serious question is: what were the goals? They didn't know then and they don't know now.

Some of the many anecdotes that may keep a reader's interest are:

General Tommy Franks referring to Doug Feith as a "stupid motherxxxxxx. The stupidist motherxxxx I've ever seen." Yet, Feith was one of the top people in charge of Phase IV.

Another person of intrigue is Paul Bremer. How did "Jerry" get the job?

General Eric Shinseki simply answered questions from Senator Carl Levin about the number of troops needed for post-Saddam Iraq at the Armed Services Committee on February 25, 2003. Ivy League career civilians publicly admonished and chastised him. At Shinseki's retirement party, not one civilian showed up. All for telling the truth, when asked a question.

Other interesting tid-bits are, the role of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and his relationship with civilian "masters."

Title X.

General Dick Meyers "mind-meld" with Rumsfeld.

Admiral Vern Clark's refusal to be selected as Chairman of the JCS.

Condoleeza Rice was not considered a great head of the NSC, and isn't currently considered a great Secretary of State. Why all the attention to this person in the political arena when she has no voting record? We know why....

Richard Armitage seems wise, honest, and very capable. He speaks fluent Vietnamese as well as several other languages. He has proven ability to relate to people and is efficient. He once stated, "never accept a job when you don't know who your boss is going to be," when refusing a high level position.

Colin Powell was indeed fired as Secretary of State.

In "State of Denial" Woodward examines the 'implementation' aspect of this debacle. But as for the cause: the major reason for the American invasion of Iraq was the PNAC.

The American public supported this PNAC charade in the guise of "democracy, freedom," and liberty." Look at history and you'll know it is all about ________. You fill in the blanks.

One critical question I find myself asking is: how can people who are considered the most knowledgeable, most experienced, and smartest, be so incompetent?

This isn't a political question. It's really an organizational question.

This is what American society and every society, should ask themselves about people in leadership positions. They have power over people's lives.
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Sylvia Starr
5.0 out of 5 stars State of Denial
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2007
Verified Purchase
State of Denial is the third of a three volume series on the George W. Bush presidency by Bob Woodward, Assistant Managing Editor of the Washington Post and legendary investigative reporter. The title itself - State of Denial - suggests criticism and this suspicion may explain the fact that none of the key players in the Bush administration themselves - neither Bush, Cheney, nor Condoleezza Rice - consented to a direct interview for the preparation of the book. Background interviews in person and via telephone with key figures close to the Whitehouse and the Pentagon provided most of the source work. They are carefully documented chapter by chapter in the end notes, with dating and additional comments.

Like others of Woodward's books on the presidency, State of Denial is impressive in its detail and masterly in its organization and clear presentation of that detail. Complicated stuff, indeed, but Woodward pulls it together to impose on it the demands of a clear narrative.

The story is not pretty. State of Denial start with the earliest chapters of the Bush presidency - back to the earliest days of his initiation and neophyte information-gathering on foreign policy before his election, through the beginning of the war in Iraq and on to the final - and at the time of the writing, most secret - acceptance of the possibility that Iraq is a failed war. These form the substance of the picture of denial which Woodward creates - the politics and policies which held out for so long a public face which amounted to a sort of elitist, arrogant optimism.

State of Denial immediately becomes a highly political book in its implications. It will be accepted or criticized according to the reader's own political persuasion. Not many reader's will enter its pages pure in their expectations and bias. Admitting that much, it still seems to me that many of us will find much in the book that is scary - scary indeed. The errors in judgment and management. The elitist attitudes, the inaccessibility of the a wartime administration to public questions, demands, and participation - in particular the very disturbing isolation on the part of administration leaders to the results of their own policies and ineptitudes. But regardless of of the reader's political persuasion, the extensive, conscientious reportage State of Denial provides has to be admired. Woodward made it all clear and readable and put it together in a decent prose style. This is a real journalistic accomplishment, and a must-read piece of work.

Sylvia Starr
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
It is as good as new. Delivered without delay
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Ygouf de Varese
5.0 out of 5 stars Invited at the heart of power
Reviewed in France on October 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very professional investigation and subtle analysis, Bob Wodward is a perceptive witness of Bush's presidency, who invite us at the heart of the power
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2016
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Perfect
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Mairead ryan
4.0 out of 5 stars Read this Bok and weep about your government
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
Gives us a great insight into the dysfunctionality of Whitehouse relationships and how they contributed to the utter mess that was being played out in Iraq at the time. Condoleza Rice comes out of the mess looking like she learned something and probably wishes she had never left academia. Not to have provided the military personnel on the ground with interpreters was criminal in itself and demonstrates the contempt with which the Iraqi's were treated. Imagine having your home searched by people who cant communicate with you or understand what you are trying to tell them. " Man has been to the moon but that is nowhere in terms of how much he needs to learn about himself" to misquote Anais Nin.
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E. Hoef
2.0 out of 5 stars Woodward "oublie" de parler de l'organisation mercenaire "Blackwater"
Reviewed in France on January 31, 2009
Verified Purchase
Comme beaucoup de journalistes/politologues ou historiens américain Bob ward "occulte" complètementl'organisation mercenaire "Blackwater" qui travaille pour le compte des USA. Qui sont imunisés à 100° de toute poursuite pour actes illicites ou crimes de guerre! Pas un mot non plus de l'influence des lobby's israeliens aux états-unis.
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