Good Reads: "War" by Bob Woodward

Occasionally, I will share about what I've been reading. For the last full week of October, I read this book. If you're so moved, read on.

War by Bob Woodward
Non-Fiction, Current Events, Politics

Thoughts: I'm not sure there's a good way for me to talk about this book without stirring up a hornet's nest — such is the era in which we live. It is an era, to be sure, of news entertainment instead of news, an era of propaganda and confirmation bias instead of facts, and an era where understanding and nuance are almost wholly unacceptable and unwelcome in the public arena.

With that in mind, I'll talk about the latest book I read, "War," by Bob Woodward. Woodward (of Watergate fame and a 50-plus year career of distinguished skill and reputation as a reporter — covering every president from Nixon to Biden) has written a gripping and compelling 435-page account of the last two-plus years of the Biden presidency — years marked by dual wars in Ukraine and Israel. He deftly weaves in the 2024 presidential race with its many, many twists and turns.

Reading long-form works about politics and world events is so much better than watching cable news or reading only curated news (my opinion: it's rotting our brains and making us worse as a people) or the constant barrage of opinion pieces and commentary that masquerade as "news."

Woodward shows us the world is (and conflicts are) very complex and black-and-white narratives don't work well to explain it. He also shows the stereotypes we've seen about Joe Biden as a doddering, senile old man are, simply, ungracious at best. To be sure, Woodward shows Biden as an aging man who lacks the vigor often needed to handle the hardest aspects of the job of president and who is frequently gaffe-prone in public (he is unsparing about his June debate performance, for instance), but a leader who also possess skills in closed-door international negotiations that, so far, have kept the United States from boots-on-the-ground wider conflicts in two major conflicts happening in Ukraine and Israel. Biden's conversations with Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Benjamin Netanyahu are gripping to read (as are reporting on Trump's past and current conversations with many of the same actors in these conflicts).

Woodward also deftly shows, again and again, the need for leaders who can deal with extremely complex and fragile world issues with clear thought and deliberation — and who can listen to others' thoughts and deliberations — to make clear decisions for the good of the country. He doesn't sugarcoat Biden's shortcomings (or Harris's, for that matter) but he also argues Donald Trump is still uniquely unqualified to hold this office. Woodward details Trump's weakness for those who flatter him (read: dictators and authoritarian leaders who flatter Trump and then do whatever they want to do — at the cost of freedom around the globe and people's lives). He writes "Trump was the most reckless and impulsive president in American history and is demonstrating the very same character as a presidential candidate in 2024." (p. 362)

I realize the above paragraph has probably triggered about half of the people who will read my small thoughts, but, instead of getting angry at me, I urge you to read the book for yourself and see what your thoughts on the matter will be.

The delicate balance of world events is a tightrope act few can handle. We ignore this at our peril. Woodward shows the reader the CHARACTER of a leader weighs heavily in the role — and affects all of us on this globe. Not the leader's PERSONALITY, but his character (let the reader understand).

This book is an illuminating reminder. I urge you to turn off your favorite cable news outlet, your podcasts with hosts offering their own commentary on the news, and your curated news feed — designed to confirm your already existing point of view — and read real-deal news reporting — such as is found in "War."