"War" by Bob Woodward
I wish I were writing about "War" weeks ago so more details were fresher in my mind, but with the passing of the election this book is now less a warning to voters than a somber appreciation for how competent and efficient the Biden administration is.
In "War," Bob Woodward shuttles back and forth between the key crises Biden has faced and the plotting, scheming and machinations of the incoming guy. Woodward focuses in particular on Ukraine and the Middle East. Woodward goes beyond the headlines to more fully develop Jake Sullivan, Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Kamala Harris and CIA director Bill Burns.
Woodward also contrasts the relationships between Biden and Putin and Trump and Putin, occasionally violating his famous objectivity to point out the dangerous deficiencies of Trump (something he did in "Rage" and "Peril" as well). He includes but does not dwell on Trump's legal woes and preparation for his campaign. Woodward doesn't avoid discussion of questions about Biden's ability to go on another 4 years, nor discussion of issues at the border. I was a little surprised he didn't draw a link between Biden's fatigue, the perception that he was not on his game, and his debate performance with the stress of what was unfolding in Gaza and his difficult dealings with Netanyahu. This is just a personal observation, but I felt the unexpected trauma of October 7 and Israel's response to it, along with Netanyahu's unwillingness to take any advice was responsible for what people were perceiving to be Biden's issues, and that it took a visible toll on others as well, especially Blinken.
I wish there was more in "War" about Biden's personal reflections about what is transpiring in Gaza, or some indication of moral struggle or moral reckoning within the administration. It may be mentioned in passing (I don't remember it, though).
What is so predicable and impressive about Woodward is his refusal to allow a sentence that does not further his narrative or impart information. His trademark prose style remains lean and propulsive. "War" is right up there with his best work, and maybe more "exciting" in the sense that unlike "Fear" his narration concerns these two momentous wars--trying to avert, terminate or win them. There is a sense that so much is at stake and that these people care deeply about these crises--something I don't recall ever sensing with the prior administration.
Woodward includes an inside look at our impressive intelligence capabilities, and the decisions within the administration to make public information that under normal circumstances would remain classified.
In light of the disastrous results of the election, reading it now might be an even more poignant experience than reading it when it first arrived in bookstores, because of the overwhelming and sad reality that we will soon lose this stellar level of responsiveness, competence and engagement with the world.