Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander

by Rowan Scarborough

Book Overview

Here is the untold story of how Rumsfeld shook up the military brass and outmaneuvered national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and other administration officials to remake America's military into Special Forces-driven institution

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0895260697
• ISBN13: 9780895260697
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

portrait of an intellectual

I was as profoundly impressed with Scarborough's book as with the subject. This is as detailed a history as anyone would ever want. From his early years as a contemporary of Gerald Ford and his influence in that administration after the Nixon disaster, to the man who claims title as the youngest and oldest secretary of defense our nation has known. Rumsfeld's War is fascinating. Whether you like Rumsfeld or not, it is convincing in portraying a strong intellectual leader at the head of our country's military. One note: I've been especially disturbed that some "reviewers" here have apparently not read the book--they don't mention the book or if they do, they pretend they are presenting new (and supposedly damning) info, when in fact the book presents and deals with the same information openly and completely. This type of intellectual fraud should not be tolerated. If you don't agree with what you have actually read, then say so.

short read with great insight

i don't mind saying i am a big fan of rummy. this is a fascinating inside account of what transpired over the last 3 years at the highest levels of government. thank goodness someone like rummy took a radical approach to the war on terror and the dod bureaucracy. what shocked me is the continued pettiness among our nation's military leaders with their vendettas and political sniping. eric shinseki is a puss. plain and simple. bureaucrats who turn out volumes of useless reports have clearly never spent time in the private sector. rummy actually reads this stuff and throws it back when the quality is weak. score one for sanity!

A must read for Pentagon junkies and powerbrokers alike

Rowan Scarborough's inside look at Donald Rumsfeld is seminal reading for those of us who've long admired Rummy -- from his work in several presidential administrations as well as his masterful press conferences carried live on CNN. Scarborough, one of Washington's best and most unsung national security reporters, paints more than a historical portrait of Rumsfeld's imprint on national defense. His behind the scenes accounting of war strategy co-mingled with Rumsfeld's sturdy approch to leadership is a must-read not only for those interested in military gamesmanship but also those interested in managerial moxie. The book might look like brainy, inside baseball at first, but once the reader gets a few pages in, it reads quick and sharp, not unlike Scarborough's dispatches at The Washington Times. This is bigtime reporting and writing with a simple flair. Rumsfeld emerges as a model leader and decent guy -- a CEO of sorts for the nation at war.

a magnificent surprise

I expected a puff piece. Instead, I missed the bus stop because I wasn't paying attention to anything but the book. And I'm only on page 100. Terrific inside stuff...and I work in the Pentagon. This book shows how little I know about what's happening next door.

A great account

A very sobering and illuminating account of the character and deeds of Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of Defense under George Bush. This book details the very active role of the secretary in directing the war on terror, from his 'punchy' press conferences where he came into his own all the way to the White House briefings where he encouraged the administration to change its tactics. A very interesting account of one of the most dynamic members of the Bush administration and the most memorable secretary of Defense since Edwin Stanton.