The Commanders

by Bob Woodward

It is impossible to examine any part of the war on terrorism in the twenty-first century without seeing the hand of Dick Cheney, Colin Powell or one of their loyalists. The Commanders, an account of the use of the military in the first Bush administration, is in many respects their story -- the intimate account of the tensions, disagreements and debates on the road to war.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Military Fiction, War, Biography, American History

400 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Robert "Bob" Upshur Woodward is an assistant managing editor of The Washington Post. While an investigative reporter for that newspaper, Woodward, working with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein, helped uncover the Watergate scandal that led to U.S. President Richard Nixon's resignation. Woodward has written 12 best-selling non-fiction books and has twice contributed reporting to efforts that collectively earned the Post and its National Reporting staff a Pulitzer Prize.

Reviews

[Anaszaidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

يتحدث الكتاب عن حرب الخليج..كيف واجهت الإدارة الأمريكية الأزمة.

لا يوجد به أسرار حقيقية..سوى تفاصيل بعض ما جرى وراء الكواليس. مثلا يتحدث عن كيفية اتخاذ الملك السعودي الراحل فهد قرار استدعاء القوات الأجنبية لحماية الأراضي السعودية. القرار اتخذ في اجتماع سعودي أمريكي، بحضور أفراد الأسرة الحاكمة. فقد بدأ الأمريكان بعرض المعطيات التي تشير إلى حشد عراقي على الحدود السعودية.

بعد انتهاء العرض، توجه الملك بالسؤال لكافة الحاضرين من الأسرة الحاكمة، بحضور الوفد الأمريكي الذي يضم السفير الذي يفهم اللغة العربية، بادئا (على ما بدا من نص الكتاب) بأقلهم رتبة ثم الأهم..إلى أن وصل إلى ولي العهد السعودي آنذاك، الملك الراحل عبد الله. قال عبد الله مثل ما قال من سبقوه بأن علينا ألا نستعجل في اتخاذ القرار. ينقل بوب وودورد بأن فهد الذي كان يستمع لنصائح التأني دون رد، قد ترك صمته هذا ليرد على ولي العهد عبد الله ليقول له: بأن الكويتيين لم يستعجلوا وههم ضيوف عندنا. لم يذكر الكتاب اسم الملك عبد الله صراحة، بل ذكره مؤلف كتاب المملكة من الداخل.

المهم أن القرار قد اتخذ في نفس الاجتماع، وبدأت المعركة التي استمرت 100 يوم لتحرير الكويت. بلغت تكاليفها كما قيل 680 مليار دولار.

أيضا مما لفت نظري، لما قرأت الكتاب في مرحلة مبكرة من عمري، تصريح قائد القوات الجوية دوجان الذي كشف خطة معركة عاصفة الصحراء، عندما تحدث عن تركيز القوات الأمريكية على تدمير البنى التحتية العراقية عبر القصف الجوي، قبل أن تبدأ المعركة البرية. هذا التصريح الذي كان قبل بداية الحرب، تسبب في فصل دوجان. وهو ما لفت نظري، عن وجود قيادات حمقاء، حتى في أكبر الجيوش. هل يمكن لقائد أن يعطي تصريحا في كيفية إدارة حرب مقبلة!.

أختم بالقول بأنك إذا أردت ملخصا هاما عن حرب الخليج..فانتبه إلى ما يلي، مما قد جرى الحديث عنه في بعض المصادر:
١- انتقاد العراق للكويت والإمارات بسبب إغراقهما للسوق النفطية ببراميل النفط، مما تسبب في انخفاض أسعار البترول، ثم ظهور الخلاف على حقل الرميلة الكويتي.

٢- توصيل رسالة من الأمريكان للعراقيين عبر وسطاء بأن عليه أن يرجع عديد جيشه المليوني إلى 100 ألف جندي فقط.

٣- اجتماع ما قبل احتلال الكويت، الذي ترأسه ولي العهد السعودي عبد الله بن عبد العزيز، مع ولي العهد الكويتي سعد آل صباح، مع عزت الدوري. حيث تدل محاضر الاجتماع على انعدام وجود جدول أعمال متفق عليه..أفضى إلى فشل ذريع للاجتماع. أيضا لغة العراقيين في الاجتماع كلغة العائل المستكبر. التفاصيل قد تطول ولكنها مهمة لفهم عقليات القيادات العربية.

٤- لقاء السفيرة الأمريكية بالعراق مدام غلاسبي بالرئيس العراقي، قبيل غزو الكويت. يشير اللقاء إلى محاولة صدام استئذان أمريكا في غزو الكويت. ولم تفعل مدام غلاسبي ما يكفي كي تثني الرئيس عن فعلته.

٥- محاولات الرئيس صدام التفاهم مع أمريكا على إبقاء احتلال الكويت بأي ثمن، عبر رسائل وتصريحات من طارق عزيز، وعبر دبلوماسي فلسطيني يدعى (م.ع).

تلك الأحداث تكفي كمنطلق كي تفهم أحداث حرب الخليج على وجهها الصحيح، وأيضا أن نفهم عقليات القيادات العربية آنذاك.

في العقل الأمريكي تشكل تلك الحرب مفخرة لهم.. بالبعد السياسي لها حين برزت أمركيا كقطب أوحد لم تستطع روسيا حينها أن تعترض أو تحمي العراق من مصيره. وبالبعد العسكري لها حين جرى تصوير التكنولوجيا الأمريكية المتقدمة وكأنها القول الفصل لحسم الحرب.

أهم ما كتب عن هذه الحرب تجده في مذكرات شوارزكوف، وكتاب حرب الخليج دفعتني للاستقالة لوزير الدفاع الفرنسي جان بيير شيفنمان، وكتاب حرب الخليج لمحمد حسنين هيكل، وكتاب مقاتل من الصحراء لقائد القوات السعودية آنذاك خالد بن سلطان. وباقي الكتب تأتي تكملة لأجزاء الصورة.

[Alex Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bob Woodward's 1991 "on-the-ground narrative", The Commanders, does its best to portray the events that shaped former President George Bush Sr.'s term in office, but is incredibly dated, and is only worth a read for the most hardcore Washington-politic fanatics.

This book is dry. Really dry. Despite Woodward's best attempts, the characterization of Bush Sr.'s cabinet in the runup to the first Persian/Iraq war just isn't as exciting as he tries to make seem. Various chapters consist of the background intrigue behind... the hiring of a new staff member, and how quick Bush worked to secure his top aides. There were so many names and titles across the pages that my eyes just glazed over at several points and I stopped caring.

It doesn't help matters that the point-of-view character is Colin Powell, who's about as by-the-book and boring as you'd expect. Long passages are set from his perspective, and every time you think the rest of the book will focus on someone like Dick Cheney, it just goes right back to Powell. Someone on here mentioned that this was like "the best episode of Nightline never filmed", but it's just pedestrian and rote most of the time.

There are a few good anecdotes, like Cheney's press secretary being caught offguard when his boss was announced as a key cabinet member on Bush's team, or some of the subterfuge that was going on between the various branches of the military and government. However, most of that is lost in long asides about the background of various employees and yawn-inducing arguments. This is no Watergate situation.

I suppose The Commanders works as a time capsule of the mood and zeitgeist leading up to the first Iraq War, but admittedly, I couldn't finish the book. It's only worth a read for historical junkies and fans of American politics. Shame, too, since I love so many of Woodward's other books.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one of Bob Woodward's instant insider history books, published soon after the first war against Iraq. As ever, one wonders what the author amended to maintain the confidence of the figures he depends upon for information. As ever, one wonders how much of this book is Woodward's, how much that of his assistants in this ongoing industry.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacks footnotes or references and the index is not only inaccurate but incomplete

[Christine]

For a book that goes into the details of the high-level military workings of the Bush Sr. presidency, it's a surprisingly quick read. Woodward presents the key players in the story as people with emotions and personalities. It's uneven on the personal insights, likely as a result of having uneven information, and yet compelling.

What the book seems to focus on is the struggle Bush's administration faced trying to re-establish the US military as a vital organization in the United States after the end of the cold war. All of the Commanders work in the shadow of the Vietnam war. The two international conflicts addressed are the overthrow of General Manuel Noriega in Panama and the first Iraq War. In both cases, the focus is on having first an incredibly thorough plan and second more than adequate people and materials on hand to overpower the enemy.

It worked both times.

Historically, these are two events that made the US military heroic again for many Americans so it's interesting to see how the situations developed.

Personally, the first Gulf War had a huge impact on my life. My family lived in Riyadh when Saddam invaded Kuwait. This is the first time I've researched the Gulf War at all and it was useful to get a clear idea of who was making the decisions, but the book stops on the day Desert Storm begins and I have a lot of remaining questions.

[Marko]

I have the german version.

[Don Siegrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very matter-of-fact history of the inner workings of the early years of the George H.W. Bush (he's the first one) administration. That is meant as a compliment simply because so much action occurred in those two short years that grandiose language is not required. Woodward takes you through the initial senior personnel selection process (surprising how subjective it was), the Panama invasion and the First Iraqi War. Provides a stunning picture of the enormous pressure these men (they were all men) were under 24 hours a day. One wrong move could mean countless deaths.
Its clear that Woodward obained the most access from Colin Powell (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) and Dick Cheney (Defense Sec'y) as they come off as cool and collected while most of their colleagues are portrayed as reckless or indecisive. Would be interesting to hear the other's perspective. This is why true history is ultimately unknowable.

[Joseph Stieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is what Bob Woodward is all about: inside access. He provides an interesting and fairly quick moving account of the Bush administration's major military decisions in the Panama and Iraq crises from 1989-1991. Woodward basically just gives you the narrative along with some interesting tidbits and anecdotes. You get a solid if somewhat piecemeal account of how the decisions to do X or Y developed and some really vivid portraits of certain decision makers. This book is especially good for getting to know Cheney and Powell. You get a sense that Cheney was a more deliberative, less insanely hawkish figure than he eventually became. He handled the crisis quite well and pressed the military planners to sharpen their preparations. Something must have happened between then and 2003 to make him into the monster we all see now.

You get a sense of Powell as a very cautious, restrained person with a major aversion to the use of force. He advocated containment rather than war with Iraq and also didn't really want to do Panama. It was interesting to note that he didn't back up a certain policy by saying he believed in it (thereby staking his reputation and credibility) but by more passively saying that other policies should be explored and considered. On one hand, this is good because it respects the boundaries of civil military relations. On the other hand, it shows a tendency for Powell to value team consensus and not want to put himself behind the position he believed in. I think this trait came back to bite him from 2001-2003 in his failure to push Bush II away from war.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tremendously excellent book. It was incredibly engrossing, detailed, and I found it to be enlightening. The gist of the book is that it recounts George H.W. Bush’s administration actions in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to use military force in Panama and in defense of – and eventual liberation of – Kuwait. Woodward proclaims that he wanted to write a book on the command structure and decision making of the Pentagon; it is clear that this is a Byzantine organization with numerous webs that cannot truly be untangled. Woodward hints at various departments within the Pentagon who just kind of exist and run simulations about things that no one really knows about and never see the light of day, with no oversight.

The “heroes” of the story are Colin Powel, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Dick Cheney, the Secretary of Defense. The first section of the book briefly recounts their appointments to their respective positions. From there we dive into their specific roles and their decisions that eventually lead to their advice to the President to engage in armed conflict using the most devastating tool of diplomacy at our country’s disposal: the military.

It is fascinating to be introduced to the “Good Republicans” in this way. I read this book in 2022 – about 30 years after the events depicted in the book. This is also a post-Trump administration world and post January 6th world wherein Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to overthrow our government. Trump, of course, is a Republican and he has a plethora of elected officials in Congress and across the nation who are also Republicans. As such, many folks more recently have expressed a longing for the “Good Republicans” of yesteryear such as both George Bushes and their various administration officials. Dick Cheney’s daughter, Liz Cheney, similarly, has become an icon of democracy and standing up to the despotism of Trump.

Dick Cheney, an icon within the GOP for many years, is no “good guy.” He’s been painted since his time in the George W. Bush administration as a warmonger, liar, and manipulator. However, in The Commanders, he is portrayed more or less as the smart, in tune Secretary of Defense. The book does hint at his tendency to manipulate, to be secretive and opaque, and to use force to remove those he finds to be jeopardizing United States interests. His distaste for Congress and congressional oversight is also on display. One can almost see the direct through line from this book to the decisions made in the war in Afghanistan and the second Iraq War.

Colin Powell is presented as the unerring General with untainted integrity and a willingness to speak to truth to power. Except we see that Powell was incredibly aware of public opinion and the political winds. He is cautious – and does not take his role lightly – however we also see him refuse to countermand or challenge President Bush in his decision making. He is also relegated to the sidelines on occasion by the other officials in the Bush administration. Powell was a spectacular war planner and one who’s general strategy of overwhelming military force persists to this day. He is also very caring and concerned for casualties. Vietnam looms large in Powell’s memory, as well as the other generals and they do all they can to avoid comparisons to Southeast Asian entanglement.
Overwhelming military force has a price tag. And these are supposed to be conservatives making these decisions. The waste of the military is not on full display, rather we have to read between the lines. There is no expense spared to shift forces across the world. No hint of the logistical costs of all of this maneuvering. However, entire divisions made up of thousands of soldiers and their equipment are moved like pieces on a chess board with little regard.

George H.W. Bush comes out much like his son would later be accused of being: a cowboy. The first President Bush has a chip on his shoulder throughout due to claims that he is a wimp by various people in the media. He is willing to prove his critics wrong by having the military extricate combatants and those he sees as enemies from difficult situations. We see that Bush is hot tempered, makes problematic statements, and doesn’t seek alternative options. The whole plan to go to Iraq and Kuwait was never questioned and was never redesigned. We also see Bush stumble through the diplomatic process. However, success has a way of coloring our perception. The Panama operation was utterly successful; the Desert Shield and Desert Storm war was brutally effective and proved that the U.S. Military possessed unmatched capabilities. Therefore, Bush’s own personal failed decision-making and his inability to get out of his own way becomes more forgivable and overlooked.

Therein lies the problem. The military and the Pentagon possess nearly bottomless resources and tons of experts and professionals that the President and his administration can leverage for making the best, most informed decisions possible. However, we see that the real decision makers are a small, homogeneous group of Bush’s inner circle – a good ‘ol boy club. Potential for groupthink is outrageous and we see that both Powell and Cheney understand that there is no changing Bush’s mind so they remain silent in the face of poor decision making. Yet it all works out. Panama is a near perfect operation. The first Iraq War is over in 42 days. Another Vietnam quagmire is avoided.

The lessons learned by “The Commanders” are that the military is a strong political opinion apparatus that can be wielded to instill fear, get the Congress to fall in line, and achieve results. What’s more, if the public doesn’t see it, it can’t be that bad and will lay outside of public awareness. These are the wrong lessons learned and these are the wrong people to learn them. With the benefit of hindsight we can see that two more wars in the middle east lasting many years and trillions of dollars and unfathomable loss of life are the result of the successful military operations in Panama and the first Iraq War. Still, this is a truly stunning book and is made even more compelling with that benefit of hindsight.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the invasion of Panama and the run-up to the Gulf War. Since I was of an age to be aware of the Gulf War but not of Panama I did appreciate having the two together. There are some very telling parallels and contrasts with Iraq II (which may be artifacts of Woodward's presentation). On the similar side, both Bushes are remarkably similar in their appetite for detail and emphasis on loyalty. On the difference side, there was very strong concern about keeping the Gulf War from being another Vietnam, something completely absent in 2002. I wonder if they thought "It went great last time despite our worries, so no need to worry this time"?

[عبدالرحمن محمود · Rating 3 out of 5]

ﺃﺳﻠﻮﺏ ﻫﺬﺍ الكﺗﺎﺏ يذكﺭﻧﻲ ﺟﺪﺍ ﺑﺄﺳﻠﻮﺏ ﻫﻴﻜﻞ ﻓﻲ ﻃﺮﺡ ﺍﻟﺄﺣﺪﺍﺙ وﺗﻨﻆﻴﻤﻬﺎ وﺗﺘﺎﺑﻌﻬﺎ ,ﺃﺳﻠﻮﺑﻪ مﺷﻮﻕ ﺍﻟﻰ أبعد حد.
ﺃﻣﺎ ﻣﻦ نﺍﺣﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻀﻤﻮﻥ ﻓﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﺪﺧﻠﺎﺕ الﻋﺴﻜﺮﻳﺔ لﻟﻮﻟﺎﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪﺓ ﻭﺷﺮﻋﻴﺘﻬﺎ ﺃﻣﺮ شﺍﺋﻚ جﺩﺍ.

ﺍﻟﻤﻠﺎﺣﻆ أﻧﻪ ﺣﺘﻰ ﻟﻮ ﻛﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﺪﺧﻞ ضد نﻇﺎﻡ فان ﺍﻟﺎﻋﺘﺒﺎﺭﺍﺕ ﺍﻟﺎﻧﺴﺎﻧﻴﺔ تتساقط ويﺻﺒﺢ ﻗﺼﻒ ﺍﻟﺠﺴﻮﺭ وﺍﻟﻤﻨﺸﺎﺕ ﺃﻣﺮ عاد ﻣﻦ أجل تحقيق اﻟﻨﺼﺮ ,ﻭﻫﺬﺍ مما ﻟﺎ يقبل فيه ﺃﻱ تبرير ﻣﻬﻤﺎ ﻛﺎﻥ.ﻟﻘﺪ اﻧﺤﺮﻓﺖ اﻟﻮﻟﺎﻳﺎﺕ المﺗﺤﺪﺓ اﻧﺤﺮﺍﻓﺎﺕ مﺗﺘﺎﻟﻴﺔ حتى وصلت ﺍﻟﻰ الحالة ﺍﻟﻤﺰﺭﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ عهد بوش الحمار أقصد ﺍﻟﺎﺑﻦ ﺛﻢ ﺃﻭﺑﺎﻣﺎ الﻋﺠﻴﺐ.

ﻳﺒﻘﻰ ﺍﻟﺴﺆﺍﻝ ﺑﻠﺎ جواب ﺣﺘﻰ ﻟﺄﻧﺼﺎﺭ ﺻﺪﺍﻡ ,لماﺫﺍ ﻏﺰﺍ صدام الكﻭﻳﺖ وﻟﻤﺎﺫﺍ تعﻧﺖ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺨﺮﻭﺝ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ,ﻫﻞ كﺍﻥ يظن ﺃﻧﻪ سﻳﻬﺰﻡ اﻟﺠﻴﺶ الأمرﻳﻜﻲ ,ﻟﻮ ﻛﺎﻥ ﻫﺬﺍ فهو ﺷﺪﻳﺪ اﻟﻐﺮﻭﺭ ﻭﻟﻮ ﻇﻦ ﺃﻥ أمريﻛﺎ لن تحارﺑﻪ فهذا ...ﻟﻠﺄﺳﻒ أﻇﻦ ﺍﻟﺤﻞ الثاني ,ﺭﺣﻢ الﻟﻪ ﺻﺪﺍﻡ وﻏﻔﺮ له.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book much more satisfying than the last Woodward I read (The War Within). The Commanders seemed to have left fewer holes. All the vital decisions made by the elder Bush, Powell and Cheney felt vigorously described. I get the feeling that Cheney is the missing link. It looks like he cooperated with Woodward on this book, and perhaps gave the author the cold shoulder on War Within. Reading The Commanders I am struck by how many characters involved in the Panama invasion and Gulf War I crop up again in later conflicts, namely Gulf War II.

[R. Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's well-written, and very informative and easy to access even for someone who doesn't know anything about the Gulf War, or President H.W. Bush's military actions in Panama. It focused on the three important military players at the time: Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, and the president himself, as well as a myriad of other generals and commanders in chief. I found it to be a little too Powell-centric for my tastes; while I can appreciate the desire to have a central character to propel a narrative, I was really hoping to get a better view of the President himself.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the first book that got me interest in government. I had always followed politics for being so young, but I had never put much thought into what went on behind the scenes. When I read this as a young teen in the 90's, my eyes opened. Ever since then, I've been less concerned about the political games of election politics, and much more about the everyday politics of actually running the nation. It's not only about what you see on the television news.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know a lot about the American invasion of Panama, nor do I know nearly as much as I really should know about the first Gulf War, so reading this was a great way to get caught up. Woodward's writing is very readable, you're getting a history lesson without having to endure dry historical narrative. Interesting (to me) learn about the machinations of the US president and his closest advisors, and their relationship to the Pentagon.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is like stepping back in time. My favorite line went something like - they were able to communicate fast because of something called electronic mail (Email). HOwever, Woodward does not disappoint. The Commanders covers the lead up to the Gulf War and does a nice job of covering the personalities in the White House and the Pentagon - same folks of course as just a few years back.

[Tunjung · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's The Lord Of The Rings of non-fiction,so many detail in it that it's hard to pick up the pace of my reading for fear of missing one of many bit part scattered around it.But nontheless,thoroughly engrossing,and keeps me wondering how extensive web of inside connection Woodward has to be able to tell such story.

[Amber Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a lot, but this was a very, very dense book

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed journalistic account of the George H.W. Bush Administration's first two years of foreign policy deliberations, based on off-the-record interviews. While lacking the usual supporting evidence of an academic history, Woodward's book contains a lot of information and some classic "insider" bits of information. Woodward, of course, went on to write many similar books about later administrations.

In "The Commanders" Woodward focuses on two crises (the Panama intervention of 1989, and the First Gulf War of 1990-91) along with the more "routine" diplomacy of the waning Cold War. The story is told to a large degree through the eyes of two key players: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Dick Chaney. The various threads of this account illustrate clearly the dynamic of the "two-level game" of international politics. Negotiations between governments occurred along side of, and influenced, the bargaining within governments. We only get the American side of the second level here, but the messy interpersonal and inter-departmental maneuvering was highly complex. The many conflicts and conflicting policy agendas within the Bush Administration suggests that who was in which role clearly made a difference to the final outcome.

This book would be of value to those looking for a political history that reads a bit like a novel, strong on personalities and inter-personal dynamics. The fact that most of the key information was given off-the-record and necessarily reflects the informants' own agendas should be kept in mind, however.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the domestic political, foreign policy, and military administration of the Bush actions invading Panama and then pushing Saddam out of Kuwait.

The Dude: I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man.

With Bush and Powell common to both, I find myself more drawn to Powell for his terse and effective leadership principle akin to what I read in Leadership in the New Normal: A Short Course, particularly the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force and clear goal with political backing as well as his Secretary Powell’s 13 Rules:
1. It ain’t as bad as you think! It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done.
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

[Marcus Cicero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very insightful account into military and executive decision-making during the events surrounding the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War. A lot of insight is provided into structure of military decision making in the White House, and the personal involvement of Powell and Cheney, among others.

Personally, I found the writing to be quite interesting, both in terms of the personal aspects involved in tough decision making, as well as the background suspense around the political events, especially when it came to the tense escalation in the Gulf War.

Perhaps the only negative point I'd give to the book is that it seems a bit doubtful to what extent these accounts are accurate, although it seems that the book is well sourced.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book from 1991 about Panama and Desert Shield... but worth reading. Colin Powell should have been President. Bush 1 doesn't come out great. Cheney comes out better than you expect. Interesting to see how Cheney, Powell, and the Joint Chiefs operated. Had we entered into OEF and OIF with the same sense of caution and thoughtfulness, I'm convinced we would've had better outcomes. Interesting that Cheney and Powell were there for Iraq 2; Powell was much less powerful as SECSTATE than CJCS and that had to impact his ability to steer. Having finished this book, I have a hunger for one that looks at the run up to OEF and OIF similarly.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Woodward's work, the author takes you behind the scenes. In this case, it's the First Gulf War circa 1991-92. Focused on the aftermath of the Gulf War and the complex challenges facing military leaders, Woodward portrays the inner workings of the Pentagon and the White House. Through detailed interviews--because Woodward is the king of the source!--and intensive research, The Commanders lays bare the decision-making processes of military civilians and generals, and their interactions with political leaders. A powerful study on personality and power!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always wondered about the inner working of Panama and Iraq under Bush. This book explained it well, especially about Powell's role.

[S Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

too briefly touched on Sam Nunn and his negative role in the run-up to the Gulf War

[Gilbert G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book.

[Joe Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting enough, even though this is (mostly) just telling you about shit that Colin Powell did.

[Matthew Gaines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like a protocol guide for an invasion/setup than anything, was annoying at the end when the whole book led up to Desert Storm and then summarized what happened in a paragraph.

[Joseph Hurtgen]

Nice to get an insider's understanding of the events that occurred during your childhood.

[Patrick Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to understand how the military leadership actually functions. Panama invasion and 1st Gulf War.