The War Within: Bob Woodward's Iraq War Book Title Announced

NEW YORK — The suspense didn't quite compare to the identity of "Deep Throat," but we now know the name of Bob Woodward's fourth investigative work on the Bush administration, just three weeks before the book's release.

"The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008" will be published Sept. 8 by Simon & Schuster with an announced first printing of 900,000 copies. Simon & Schuster is keeping the book under strict embargo _ although such embargoes are often broken _ and had even held back the title.

"There has not been such an authoritative and intimate account of presidential decision making since the Nixon tapes and the Pentagon Papers," Woodward's longtime editor, Alice Mayhew, said Tuesday in a statement. "This is the declassification of what went on in secret, behind the scenes."

According to Simon & Schuster, Woodward's book "takes readers deep inside the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq.

"Based on extensive interviews with participants, contemporaneous notes and secret documents, the book traces the internal debates, tensions and critical turning points in the Iraq War during an extraordinary two-year period."

The Washington Post, where Woodward currently serves as an associate editor, will run excerpts on Sept. 7. That night, Woodward will be interviewed on CBS television's "60 Minutes." (Both CBS and Simon & Schuster are owned by Viacom, Inc.)

Woodward's three previous works on the Bush years have been No. 1 best sellers on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction list and their tone, like the president's approval ratings, has evolved from the essentially positive take of the first book, "Bush at War," to the far more critical "State of Denial," which came out in 2006.

Woodward's literary representative, Washington attorney Robert Barnett, declined comment when asked whether President Bush, who spoke with Woodward for the first two volumes, had been interviewed for the current book. According to Barnett, Woodward only finished "The War Within" three weeks ago.

Woodward is also known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting with fellow Washington Post writer Carl Bernstein. In the 1970s, they collaborated on the groundbreaking stories of the Watergate scandal that helped bring down President Nixon and on two best sellers about the Nixon administration, "All the President's Men" and "The Final Days."

Comments

[Vinca]

Bob Woodward Is a highly respected writer, I hope he sells a trillion books

[JNagarya]

He was a highly-respected writer when he didn't play political footsy with his subjects -- and published the news when it was news, instead of sitting on and saving it for his next best-seller, without regard for the consequences for the country.

There were facts he knew to be reported before the 2004 election; facts which could have changed the outcome of that election. But he withheld those facts until after the election, for his next book/best seller.

The latter, of course, is sufficient for extremist right-wingers to praise him: they, being moral relativist­s/nihilist­s, have all along been at war with fact and truth.

[w&cheneysuck]

Could this be another book of "T A L K I N G P O I N T S?"

[JonG345]

Repeat after me

Obama:

Right about Iraq.

Right about Afghanistan.

Right for America.

[Marksalot]

With so many people berating the MSM and big media conglomerates, while debating Woodward's book, don't forget that Michael Powell, the champion of media mergers and conglomerates, is one of McCain's advisors. Despite the public's overwhelming disapproval for more media consolidation during the FCC's comment period about it, Powell still tried to push it through while he was the FCC Chairman.

To hell with Bob Woodward and his new book. More focus needs to made upon who McCain is surrounding himself with for advice and possible positions in his administration if he gets elected.

[ilovemydoggy]

At this point I consider him a "Sell-Out" like everyone in the MSM and in Was DC.
But he sure accomplished something during the Nixon years...

Baby boomer views: http://www.Vaboomer.com

[revko]

Love the photo.

Go ahead pull his finger...

ANOTHER BOOK!!!

[dadw5boys]

Just like the 20 books Mc Cain "wrote" in 4 years. "Wrote" is can only assume is what someone else did.

[StevieRae]

I'm not sure I can trust anything Bob Woodward writes anymore. Last year Bob admitted that maintaining access to all of one's government contacts and sources in Washington is more critical to survival, at the expense of reporting what may be really going on in our government.

[tesspantaz]

Ron Suskind is the best investigative journalist of our time. So here we've got the media once again fawning over Woodward's latest, which I'm guessing will ultimately add very little to what we already know about this administration. Three weeks in advance of pub, we've got AP coverage - of the book TITLE, no less - and then we get to see Woodward yet again on 60 Minutes, likely reviews in the NYT, obviously major coverage in the Wash Post.

And the revelations in the Suskind's THE WAY OF THE WORLD get Olbermann and the blogs. Unreal.

[PurplePhase]

Bob Woodward has been a formidable journalist from the 70s to the early years of this decade. "Has been" are the key words because like most of the MSM, Woodward dropped the ball and gave the current administration the powder puff treatment instead of investigating and asking tough questions. Now he writes books and makes money on what they did wrong. He should have figured that out back then when they were setting themselves up for the debacles we are now dealing with.

His name will ensure the next book will be a best seller but his reputation is tarnished. Journalistically, he is a toothless clawless version of the tiger he was in the past.

[Pam4Waters]

I'm starting to think his only qualification has always been "looks good in a suit".

[Pleidian]

Company Men always do ;o)

[PurplePhase]

He is a suit inside and out. He sold himself to the establishment and lost his edge.

[Lion24]

Turns out that "D e e p T h r o a t" was merely a disgruntled Justice Dept operative, who liked to go after anti-war protestors with a vengeance.

[JNagarya]

Who would approve the "going after" of any segment of the population for political "reasons"!? Does no one recognize, any longer, political corruption for what it is!?

Does no one know, anymore, the difference between, on on henad, rule of law, and on the other, politics? The First Amendment protected those protestors -- but politics and abuse of our system is trumpeted as if constructive instead of destructive.

[Lagrangian]

It looks like some of what should have been in "Plan of Attack", now that it's more fashionable.

[bluegrit319]

For most of my life I have thought the theory of reincarnation was kind of an exciting idea. Now, however, the thought fills me with an overwhelming dread.
How bad would it be to come back in some future generation who gets to try and figure out how an entire country completely ignored the Constitution and waited for the next New York Times bestseller to explain how the Bush Administration destroyed America from within.
Stop with the books! Do your job or find something else to do. This is like one continuing version of O.J.s If I Did It.
Please, please, please tell me that there are other people out here who are sickened by the fact that all of these guys are keeping vital information secret simply so they can get a butt-load of money from a book. This whole period in history is so humiliating.

[nellieh]

I am one. It seems everyone and their brother (sister) writes a book disclosing egrigious mis-deeds by appointees and office holders AFTER the fact.. They want you to think they are doing something by disclosing inside baseball when what they arre doing is just as bad as incriminating themselves. Not disclosing a source doing something illegal seems to me as making themselves an accomplice.

[ebbasta]

unfortunately, you are correct, but we arent doing anything from this childish posts either. unless we take to the streets, and tear down advertising signs, billboards, deface their property, the corporate media machine that is the ultimate authority in determining what crap gets published and what doesnt, it will never give up, it will never be stopped. we as a society must rise up and deface the prideful glare of the whorish monster known as national media conglomera­tes.......­..clear channel could be a good start

[Destin]

They, the many book writers, only care about the money. They could care less about doing what's right for the Country. They just want that massive payday.

[Lion24]

Bernstein is smarter and much more interested in going after actual FACTS.

[dillydawg]

Wasn't this the same cheerleader in the run up to the war? I'll save my money thank you, he has nothing credible to say that's worth listening to or buying.

[Whatevah]

Seems kind of cynical. Woodward's last book was extraordinary. "State of Denial" documented the way the Bush White House repeatedly lied and misled the American people. Everybody involved had to admit Woodward got the facts straight.

I can hardly wait to read this next one. If it lives up to the title, it will be great.

[atomic]

This will be nothing more than a puff piece with a few seemingly juicy stories to make us think he's giving us a sneak peek at the real deal. They only way that would be true was if he illustrated how Bush and Cheney working with the shadow elite orchestrated the biggest crime in history using a false flag terror event to make sudden and sweeping changes including invading countries that did not threaten us, defecating on our constitution, and handing out sick amounts of cash and power to their fellow criminals.

The main stream media will eat the book up as if it's the best thing ever while it continues to ignore actual books and facts that show how Bush and Cheney betrayed this country and should be thrown in jail and executed for murder and crimes against the constitution.

The main stream media of which Woodward is part of will continue along with traitors like Feinstein, Pelosi, and Leiberman to protect Bush and hide the truth from the American people until it is too late. That time is not far away as they know full well ... all of them are buying time and stalling while more criminal acts are under way many of which are designed to insulate them from the coming world financial collapse and subsequent mass hysteria and death.

[fourex]

One must remember that Woodward was deep inside the WH when multiple crimes were being committed and reported nothing. In fact he was part of the cover.

[riggedelection]

They bring out these books to overshadow books from real truth writers like RON SUSKIND latest book, "The Way Of The World". Woodward and Scott McClellan are both stooleys of Bush.

[norkas]

I am reading The Way Of The WORLD , great book and very meaningful.

[w&cheneysuck]

I just finished "What Happened" and I believe that S cott was very naive. He believed all of the B S that B ush C Heney and co. had to say. It had to be very embarassing for him to see things from the latter v antage point. These c riminals have brought this country to its k nees and still wants us on our backs begging for more. W ashington is a s h i t h o l e of people (mainly R E P U B L I C A N S) who only seek power and don't care about the people any more...we are just p awns....in a game of six di m ensional chess where only the r i c h est of r i ch win.

There won't be anything new or r evealing in the book; only a c onfirmation of what we already know. I am looking forward to reading R on S uskind's book....

[jazzman]

Keep writing Woodward. From your first fantasy fairy tale, Bush at War, to your more realistic portrayal of Bush later you may actually get back from being the court pet to taking up your old profession as an investigative reporter once again. You know the one that doesn't get you instant access, celebrity and invitations to the parties. The one where you have to dig for the information; kind of like Seymour Hersh.

[GeoLee]

I think Bernstein was the better half of the team.