A breathless quotation on the back of "War" suggests that Bob Woodward may be "the greatest journalist ever." This is irritating hyperbole, and it neglects to take into account the major weakness of "War," which is a weakness in many, if not all, Woodward books, i.e., Woodward is utterly credulous when he speaks to a cooperating interviewee.
One makes a trade: One donates one's time to Woodward, with the promise that one's own self-serving narrative will appear, unquestioned, in full, in Woodward's upcoming book. The most egregious example of this trend has to do with Lindsey Graham. It's clear that Graham "co-authored" Woodward's book, because every time Graham appears, he has a sensible, pithy remark at the tip of his tongue. He always seems to be popping up next to Trump, showing fearlessness in Trump's presence, guiding and scolding Trump (with impunity). This is a fairy tale; it's almost wholly implausible. If Woodward took the time to present at *least* one contrasting account of these Graham/Trump meetings, his book would acquire a bit more "weight."
Obviously, the other intriguing character in this book is Joe Biden. Oddly enough, since Biden did *not* cooperate with Woodward, Woodward is able to give us a plausible sketch of Biden's complex character. We see Biden swearing in private. (In Biden's account, Bibi is "one of the two biggest assholes in the world.") We see Biden stumbling, in embarrassing ways, at certain fundraisers--but rallying, and seeming awake, at other fundraisers. Also, Biden sometimes appears completely opposed to propositions regarding Ukraine--but a certain aide understands that this is just an act. (When Biden seems shut off to new ideas, he is actually indirectly encouraging the interlocutor to keep pushing the new ideas. The apparent intransigence is just a way to *test* the idea....If I'd known this while Biden was pretending to be fully averse to the idea of stepping down, I might have had a calmer July.)
A fascinating scene: Biden is having dinner with a friend, when his son, Hunter, interrupts. Hunter launches into a self-absorbed monologue about his personal future (and his related fears). Joe Biden closes his eyes, and breathes out slowly. (Later, we see Joe as he holds a photo of his daughter, who died in the fateful car crash that also claimed the life of Joe's wife. Joe apparently picks up and studies this photo every single day. This kind of detail is priceless.)
Despite my frustration, I still have to give this book a solid B.
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