Political fact is certainly more exciting than fiction. Atleast, that’s what I think after reading Bob Woodward’s, The Commanders. Published by Simon and Schuster in 1991, this book is ’’an account of U.S. military decision making during the 800 days from November 8, 1988, when George Bush was elected President, through January 16, 1991, the beginning of the Persian Gulf War.’’ Its a reasonably detailed account, yet well edited to stick to the broad story and not get lost in the morass of officalese. Though the book is set during Bush’s Presidency and does carry his picture prominently on the cover (The Hard cover version has it in the center), it does not talk very much about Bush himself. Instead there is a lot said about Colin Powell, who was then Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dick Cheney, then Secretary of Defense, is also quite the center of attention. I guess it is obvious since this book is about ’’military decision making’’. But what is great about the book is that there is very little interpretation or opinion from the author. Which is the way investigative journalism should be.
The entire book stays with the facts and is a compilation of what can be directly attributed to some one (as in interview transcripts or public quotes) or what was stated directly to the author. There is no emotional spin on events or ’’what must have been going through his mind’’ at the time of the event. Excellent writing makes this book everything it is. Many of us need to learn to write like Bob Woodward who seems to prefer simple sentences to complex ones and I dont think there are too many compound sentences! Totally unputtdownable, The Commanders is a must read for students of politics and literature alike. For the politician in you, you will find that politics in America is as earthy as it is in India. Individuals make huge differences at key points in time. And it helps to be as smart as Colin Powell who is not just a brilliant General but a scholar in his own right.
The only downside of this book is probably that it does not go into the war itself. The book ends with the start of ’Desert Storm’. And when you consider that the war lasted only 45 days, it leaves you a little frustrated. Full marks to Bob Woodward for a totally engrossing account of the pre-Gulf War months!