War by Author’s Name

“War” covers the period of Biden’s presidency primarily from about six months before Putin’s Russia invaded the Ukraine through Biden’s Announcement in July of 2024 that he was no longer running for reelection. The war in the Ukraine and and the war that Hamas started October 7 with Israel are very important centerpieces in this narrative. It shows many of the interactions in managing these conflicts in which the USA is actively supporting Ukraine and Israel while not taking an active role in the combat.

While the narrative centers primarily on Joe Biden’s presidency and his inner staff during this wartime period, Donald Trump also has some coverage in this book along with Kamala Harris to a lesser degree as a part of Biden’s presidency. I was personally glad that Woodward covered both the capable administrator Joe Biden and the “Well meaning old man in decline”. It would be dishonest not to present both.

There was a part of me that sometimes wanted to cry over the events described in the Ukraine and Israel (October 7 Hamas attack). I also had the terrible feeling that it was a preview of World War 3. The very best that can be said is that Biden was able to navigate the difficult role of supporting both the Ukraine and Israel without getting the US directly involved in the fighting. Honest people can agree or disagree on if the Biden administration had any impact on why these these situations started, But it seems clear that his administration did everything practical to both support the Ukraine and Israel in their conflicts while doing its best to prevent US soldiers being in armed conflict. Also Biden seemed to try his best to control collateral damage to the civilian population of Gaza. There is a deep irony that foreign policy is often the primary area the President is responsible for, while at the same time the US president has limited influence on other governments. Add to that the intense legal pressure on Biden’s son Hunter and in a way its not surprising that Biden has aged before our eyes despite a long career in government.

Donald Trump gets some mention, part of it because he is a significant part of the US political landscape. Another part is the contrast between Biden’s approach and Trump’s approach. Obviously both are willful men, and both are self confident. Donald Trump tends to operate on “instinct” while Biden is a more conventional executive. The advantage of “instinct” is that it’s prone to quick decision, the big disadvantage is that if “instinct” is wrong, it can make big mistakes.

This is the 3rd recent Woodward book I have read. It’s obvious that Bob does his homework to the degree that you feel you are there during some of the hard decisions – You get details. Unlike some books and authors I found that Bob did a good job of conveying the story and information mostly without using obscure words and terms without explaining them. In other words, the book is readable.

If you are interested in current events, I can definitely recommend this book. I read it on the Kindle App from Amazon so I could get my copy immediately (and save a few dollars).

To anyone interested in reading this book let me tell you this is absolutely 100% falsified. I thought Bob Woodward would be credible enough to read considering his expose of the Watergate scandal. However, his bias and leaning towards Biden/Harris is absolutely clearly highlighted. Investigative books are suppose to be unbiased and based on clear rationale reporting this book even lacks that element. To sum it up he wrote this book as a campaign toolkit for the Harris 2024 campaign. This book is nothing but one sided designed to stabilise the Trump campaign. However it failed to make a mark as the actual mandate of the American people was with Trump. Don’t read !

I have been increasingly concerned about the international scene , especially the lack of attention to it in the election campaigns, and when this book came out I did the almost unprecedented step of buying it almost immediately and at full price.
It was worth it.
It is FULL of EXCELLENT information about the complexities of the Mideast and Ukrainian fronts, and I came away much better informed but even more worried.
Two criticisms:
I was shocked at the fairly poor proofreading for such a well-known author and a major publisher.
The beginning was a bit of a turnoff. It began with a critical portrayal of Donald Trump, a stance that I do not disagree with, but it made me fear the whole book would be that way. Never fear; it DID get to the main topic fairly quickly.

great writer, super

This is a must read for anyone who is interested in what has gone on in/from The White House under the Biden administration. Bob Woodward is probably the best investigative journalist of our time. He writes beautifully, has inside information, fact checks, puts it all together and it makes compulsive reading.