Sept. 4, 2008
Bob Woodward: U.S. Spied On Iraqi PM
Washington Post: Book Paints New Picture Of Bush And The Surge, Says Covert Techniques Shaped Course Of War
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"The War Within" is is Bob Woodward's fourth to examine the inner debates of the Bush administration and its handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
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The Bush administration has conducted an extensive spying operation of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his staff and others in the Iraqi government, according to a new book by Washington Post editor and author Bob Woodward.
"We know everything he says," according to one of multiple sources Woodward cites about the practice in "The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008," scheduled for publication by Simon & Schuster on Monday, Sept. 8.
This Sunday on 60 Minutes: Correspondent Scott Pelley interviews Bob Woodward. Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
The book also says that the U.S. troop surge of 2007, in which President Bush sent nearly 30,000 additional U.S. combat forces and support troops to Iraq, was not the primary factor behind the steep drop in violence there during the past 16 months.
Rather, Woodward reports, "groundbreaking" new covert techniques, beginning in 2007, had enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to locate, target and kill insurgent leaders and key individuals in extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Woodward does not disclose the code names of these covert programs or provide much detail about them, saying in the book that White House and other officials had cited national security concerns in asking him to withhold specifics. But he quotes "several authoritative sources" as saying that "85 to 90 percent of the successful operations and 'actionable intelligence' had come from" these breakthrough techniques.
Overall, Woodward writes, four factors combined to reduce the violence: the covert operations; the influx of troops; the agreement by militant cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to rein in his powerful Mahdi Army; and the so-called Anbar Awakening, in which tens of thousands of Sunnis turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and allied with U.S. forces.
The 487-page book is Woodward's fourth to examine the inner debates of the Bush administration and its handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Washington Post will run a four-part series based on the book beginning Sunday. Fox News published a news story about the book on its Web site tonight after obtaining an embargoed copy.
The new book concentrates its attention on Bush's leadership and governing style, based on more than 150 interviews with the president's national security team, senior deputies and other key players in the intelligence, diplomatic and military communities. Woodward conducted two on-the-record interviews with Bush in May 2008.
The book portrays an administration riven by dissension, either unwilling or slow to confront the deterioration of its strategy in Iraq during the summer and early fall of 2006. Publicly, Bush maintained that U.S. forces were "winning"; privately, he came to believe that the military's long-term strategy of training Iraq security forces and handing over responsibility to the new Iraqi government was failing. Eventually, Woodward writes, the president lost confidence in the two military commanders overseeing the war: Gen. George W. Casey Jr., then commander of coalition forces in Iraq, and Gen. John P. Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command,
In October 2006, the book says, Bush asked Stephen J. Hadley, his national security adviser, to lead a closely-guarded review of the Iraq war. That first assessment did not include anyone from the military, however, and proceeded secretly because of White House fears that news coverage of a review might damage Republican chances in the midterm congressional election.
"We've got to do it under the radar screen because the electoral season is so hot," Hadley is quoted as telling Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is described as challenging the president on the wisdom of sending additional troops to Iraq when "we're not getting a clear picture of what's going on on the ground."
The quality and credibility of information about the war's progress became a source of ongoing tension within the administration, according to the book. Rice complained about the Defense Department's "overconfident" briefings during the tenure of Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Rather than receiving options on the war, Bush would get "a fable, a story . . . that skirted the real problems," Rice is quoted as saying.
According to Woodward, the president maintained an odd detachment from the reviews of war policy during this period, turning much of the process over to Hadley. "Let's cut to the chase," Bush told Woodward, "Hadley drove a lot of this."
Nor, Woodward reports, did the president express much urgency for change during the months when sectarian killings and violent attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq began rising, reaching more than 1,400 incidents a week by October 2006 -- an average of more than eight an hour. "This is nothing that you hurry," he told Woodward during one of the interviews, when asked if he had given his advisers a deadline for revising the war strategy.
To a question about how the White House settled on a troop surge of five brigades after the military leadership in Washington had reluctantly said it could provide two, Bush said, "Okay, I don't know this. I'm not in these meetings, you'll be happy to hear, because I got other things to do."
The book presents an evolving portrait of the president's decision-making. On the one hand, the book portrays Bush as detached, tentative and slow to react to the escalating violence in Iraq; on the other, once he decides that a surge is required, he is shown acting with focus and determination to move ahead with his plan in the face of strong resistance from his top military advisers at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Meanwhile, Woodward reports that Casey, the president's commanding general in Iraq from 2004 to 2007, came to believe that Bush did not understand the very nature of the war in Iraq, that the president focused too much on body counts as a measure of how the conflict was going.
"Casey had long concluded that one big problem with the war was the president himself," Woodward writes. "He later told a colleague in private that he had the impression that Bush reflected the 'radical wing of the Republican Party that kept saying, 'Kill the bastards! Kill the bastards! And you'll succeed.' Since the beginning, the president had viewed the war in conventional terms, repeatedly asking how many of the various enemies had been captured or killed."
Asked about his interest in body counts, Bush told Woodward, "I asked that on occasion to find out whether or not we're fighting back. Because the perception is that our guys are dying and they're not. Because we don't put out numbers. We don't have a tally. On the other hand, if I'm sitting here watching the casualties come in, I'd at least like to know whether or not our soldiers are fighting."
The discord between Bush and Casey is one manifestation of the often debilitating rift that Woodward portrays between the U.S. military and its civilian leadership. The book describes a "near revolt" in late 2006 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who feel that their advice is not reaching the president. Adm. Mike Mullen, then-chief of naval operations, expressed fear that the military would "take the fall" for a failure in Iraq. According to the book, Casey and Abizaid resolutely opposed the large surge that the president ultimately ordered, as did Rumsfeld. Casey went as far as to refer to Baghdad as a "troop sump." Within the administration, only the NSC staff strongly supported the surge plan.
In the midst of the surge debate, Bush decided to replace Rumsfeld, who had served as Defense Secretary throughout the war and had long argued that the United States needed "to take the training wheels off the Iraqi government." Bush chose Rumsfeld's replacement, Robert M. Gates, without consulting Vice President Cheney, Rumsfeld's chief patron, the book reports. Bush informed Cheney of his decision on Nov. 6, 2006, the day before the mid-term elections. "Well, Mr. President, I disagree," Cheney is quoted as saying, "but obviously it's your call."
Woodward's account also includes a portrait of Gen. David H. Petraeus, who replaced Casey in Iraq. In one scene in the Oval Office in January 2007, Bush tells his new Iraq commander that the surge is his attempt to "double down." According to Woodward, Petraeus replies, "Mr. President, this is not double down. This is all in."
"The War Within" tells the story of retired Gen. Jack Keane, a former Army vice chief of staff who has used his high-level contacts in the White House and the Pentagon to influence war policy and major military personnel moves. A friend and mentor to Petraeus, Keane made regular visits Iraq to advise the new commanding general, and then briefs Vice President Dick Cheney about each trip. In turn, Woodward reports, Bush used Keane to send a backchannel message to Petraeus, circumventing the chain of command.
In a critical epilogue assessing the president's performance as commander-in-chief, Woodward concludes that Bush "rarely was the voice of realism on the Iraq War" and "too often failed to lead."
During the interviews with Woodward, the president spoke of the war as part of a re-centering of American power in the Middle East. "And it should be," Bush said. "And the reason it should be: It is the place from which a deadly attack emanated. And it is the place where further deadly attacks could emanate."
The president also conceded, "This war has created a lot of really harsh emotion, out of which comes a lot of harsh rhetoric. One of my failures has been to change the tone in Washington."
By Steve Luxenberg
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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See all 66 CommentsPosted by airmanc5 at 09:41 PM : Sep 04, 2008
No I really like this book don''t you? Kinda makes McSame''s arguments on the SURGE pretty lame indeed! Obama 08
They were fighting for their lives and the lives of Americans and the lives of civilian Iraqis!
Can anyone tell us we don''t have enough ammunition to put this insane warmonger behind bars forever?
We have a spineless Congress and Senate, if they can''t find a reason to prosecute this guy--they all need to find another line of work--they do NOT represent America!!!!
YES WE WILL!!!!!!
Obama''s level head and cool reserve is the better choice over that baracuda mentality when it comes to war.
I am afraid McSame will say "I will cut your taxes to the bare bones" and win the election regardless of this Iraq mess. The U.S. Military Industry will be very happy. Americans are simply worst than Idiots.
On May 15, 1948, the American President advocated the creation of the State of Israel in the heart of the Muslim Middle-East. 2 years later, 4.5 millions Palestinians were forced out of their homes and lands without compensation.
I am not going to say that this is the 1st act of Terrorism but I will say America is bleeding Treasury and blood because of one religious decision 60 years ago. This bleeding keeps exploding with our continue UnConditional Support to Israel. I cannot believe Americans cares much more about Israel than of America.
2 weeks after 9/11, Osama Bin Ladin released his 1st video. In the video, he clearly listed the top 3 reasons for bombing the twin towers. The 1st reason was the US military base 60 miles from their Muslim''''s holy Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The 2nd reason was the Palestine crisis. Now, Bush wants a State of Palestine. Osama is really winning BIG here.
On Osama Bin Ladin 2nd released video, Osama states that they will destroy America Economically and not Militarily. So far, Osama is really winning Big here.
According to our US State Department, Anti-Semitics is exploding around the world:
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1334791720080314?feedType=RSSfeedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true
Thank you Israel for destroying America and therefore yourself.
Just to **** liberals off!
America, home of the credit card economy. Maybe McCain will send us all more Stimulus Checks to bribe us into 4 more years of complacency.
And, Bush should face a war crimes trial.
Now, someone else can suggest that Bush be hanged after calling him a b@stard, but I can''t say what I said! How screwed up is that?!
I swear, it''s easy to see that the media is NOT free and independent, but HIGHLY controlled!
shorter dmw...blah blah blah
When you get off YOUR dead horse, maybe then you can tell other folks how to use their free speech rights. But right now, you ain''t got the "experience". LOL.
"I hope Bush runs wild on November 5th.
Just to **** liberals off!"
Did he find his long forgotten coke stash?
He no longer does cocaine, but he still loves the smell of it.
BTW, this is why I don''t post as much any more. Various people---mostly rightwing nutjobs---are allowed to threaten death or murder of so-called liberals on these pages with immunity, as well as any other non-substantiated claim, calumny, assertion, lie, they want. But, let ANYONE else do the same, and FORGET IT, the post gets suppressed!
Unfortunately, even CBS has the thumbscrews being applied to it by this administration.
Are they reporting the news as it happens or are they making the news so it will happen?
Just to **** liberals off!
Posted by republic1776 at 10:39 PM : Sep 04, 2008
Just another day on the "horseless" Crawford ranch...
Wouldn''t want our imperial puppets making "unauthorized" decisions without our permission.
Their definition of patriotism is wrapping themselves up in the red, white, and blue and stupidly nod and smile at every piece of drivel their Decider-in-Chief tells them. This type of irrational behavior resembles a nationalism, not unlike the Nazis back in the 1920''s and 1930''s.
Very scary.
I frankly won''t believe anything he writes he has had agenda since Nixon..
Please like anyone in the Bush Administration is going to tell Bob Woodward anything..
And what about the federal judge appointee? Principal qualification: must be conservaturd zealots!
I think that line says it all about the Republican Party.
The reason the US wants to stay in Iraq is they don t want the Russians signing contracts for Iraqi oil.
Before the Iraq invasion & occupation Russia was one of Iraqs largest oil customers. Russia is the second largest supplier of Oil on the planet. They are the Saudis competition.
The Saudis and BIG OIL used Bush to get rid of Saddam because he was undercutting their oil sales and profits by selling cheap to Russia. This caused a depression of oil market prices which hit historic lows prior to the Iraq invasion.
Our tax dollars at work!
Posted by mbskoczen]
For Gawd''s sake - get your head out of the sand and read something besides neo-con propaganda. Bush has acknowledged these interviews with Woodward.
Explain how the Democrats have "lead". LOL! critisism is not leading.
Our government should spie on all America''s potential enemies, what side does that put the terrorist supporting, Bush hating libs on? If the shoe fits!
I''m done with his traitorous reports.
These interviews have been acknowledged by the administration. God neo cons are dumber than dirt.
[Posted by ddhinnyc at 10:26 AM : Sep 05, 2008]
classic ... don''t like what he says ... even if it''s true ... so attack the messenger. do you have other information that says what he states is inaccurate or not true? do you have the connections he has to insiders and those in the know ... do you even have one?
he''s basing his claims on sources within the system ... as he has with all his writing ... what are you basing your claims on ... ideology?
Lord help us. Woodward''s first book was, I believe, quite favorable toward W. As the administration fell apart, the news coming out of the White House relected that. I voted for this nitwit, but I have realized the error of my ways. This Bush and his cronies have made me rethink my political views. I encourage you all to listen to Jesse Ventura. He is truthful, unlike the lies, lies, lies, that have come from Bushie.
The Vicar: Nobody cares
But what would you expect from a guy who evaded the draft by joining the Texas Air National Guard, had a few pictures taken of himself in uniform to show everyone he was in the military, then went AWOL and finally deserted!
The military isn''t all that innocent either. You have a military run by generals and admirals who act more like politicians and are totally out of touch with what is happening to the grunts at the front!
And yet, the neocon Fascist Nazi Republicans are saying the Great Emperor Bush II is the greatest military leader since George Patton. At least Patton LEARNED from history and used that against the enemy. The Great Emperor Bush II fell asleep in history class, if he ever attended it!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!!
sig heil, I''M A POW AND DON''T FORGET IT, McCain!!!!
sig heil, PISTOL-PACKIN'' MAMA, Palin!!!!!
Study up on journalism. Remember Deep Throat? I''m not arguing that all of these sources need identity protection in the same way that Deep Throat did, but he''s writing about very sensitive stuff. Do you think all sources would reveal information if they new their names were going to be made public?
Not for the likes of a populist simpleton like Obama.
One of the sources was President Bush. What I do not understand is how Bush gave Woodward an interview knowing he wrote ''State of Denial''.
Bush is worst than Nixon in soul.
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