Plan of attack
by Bob Woodward · first published 2004
6mentions
3recommended by
6HN commenters
2009–2022first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
Account of how and why President George W. Bush, his war council, and allies launched a preemptive attack to topple Saddam Hussein and occupy Iraq. Based on interviews with 75 key participants and more than three and a half hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…Journalists anymore so they are looking more and more to other sources. As for saving journalism I don't think true journalism needs it. My favorite modern example of true journalism is Bob Woodward's book "Plan of Attack". During the 2004 election it was recommeneded by both the Bush and Kerry camps and it was a best seller because of it. Because truth appeals to everyone.
on “Ask HN: Good idea to save journalism?” ↗I'll drop references which might interest some of you if you are interested in learning more about the subject: Plan of Attack, by Bob Woodward Decision Points, by George W. Bush No Higher Honour, by Condoleezza Rice Known and Unknown, by Donald Rumsfeld At the Center of the Storm, by George Tenet In My Time, by Dick Cheney…
on “Flurry of Calls Among Saudi Staff and Spy Coincided with 9/11 Hijackers’ Arrival” ↗…ignored. This is not a case of "they did the best with the information they had." This is a case of "they made their conclusions first, and looked for the evidence second." Books that touch on this subject: "Plan of Attack" and "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward; "Legacy of Ashes" by Tim Weiner; "Your Government Failed You" by Richard Clarke.
on “printf("goodbye, Dennis");” ↗It's extremely unlikely most of the top people involved didn't know. See: https://theintercept.com/2016/02/18/trump-is-right-bush-lied... There's also a link in there to a section of Bob Woodward's book Plan of Attack claiming Powell knowingly altered evidence for his UN presentation.
on “Eric Holder says Edward Snowden performed a 'public service'” ↗…actually true. It doesn't seem like it was deeply cynical and nefarious like that; it was more of an overly-simplistic moral crusade: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/books/review/to-start-a-w...: > In “Plan of Attack,” Bob Woodward described Bush as being beset by doubt about the case for war, and suggested that Tenet’s affirmation had been “very important.” Draper disagrees. The issue wasn’t the evidence. It was…
on “The 212-story skyscraper in Melbourne, Australia” ↗…teachers by making it less safe for the children? For example, would it be ok for the teachers to carry tasers to protect themselves in case a child attempts to assault them? [1] Woodward, Bob (2004). Plan of Attack. p. 150.
on “In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me” ↗