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Title details for Cobra II by Michael R. Gordon - Available

Cobra II

The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

by Michael R. Gordon
Craig Wasson
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Informed by unparalleled access to still–secret documents, interviews with top field commanders, and a review of the military’s own internal after–action reports, Cobra II is the definitive chronicle of America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq—a conflict that could not be lost but one that the United States failed to win decisively. From the Pentagon to the White House to the American command centers in the field, the book reveals the inside story of how the war was actually planned and fought. Drawing on classified United States government intelligence, it also provides a unique account of how Saddam Hussein and his high command developed and prosecuted their war strategy.
Written by Michael R. Gordon, the chief military correspondent for The New York Times, who spent the war with the Allied land command, and Bernard E. Trainor, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general and former director of the National Security Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cobra II traces the interactions among the generals, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and President George W. Bush. It dramatically reconstructs the principal battles from interviews with those who fought them, providing reliable accounts of the clashes waged by conventional and Special Operations forces. It documents with precision the failures of American intelligence and the mistakes in administering postwar Iraq.
Unimpeachably sourced, Cobra II describes how the American rush to Baghdad provided the opportunity for the virulent insurgency that followed. The brutal aftermath in Iraq was not inevitable and was a surprise to the generals on both sides; Cobra II provides the first authoritative account as to why. It is a book of enduring importance and incisive analysis—a comprehensive account of the most reported yet least understood war in American history.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 28, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780739353332
      • File size: 724667 KB
      • Duration: 25:09:43

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Journalist Michael Gordon and General Bernard Trainor offer an intricately reported account of the Bush Administration's planning of the Iraq War and its subsequent prosecution. COBRA II is not a polemic, but history as current and detailed as it comes. Craig Wasson's matter-of-fact tone hits the ear flatly at first, but it is a stylistic choice that works well in piling on the details of political posturing, bureaucratic infighting, questionable weapons reports, murky inter-agency communication, and clashing assumptions that preceded the war. His dispassionate tone is less successful at rendering the chaos and emotional detail of battle, but on balance it's the right choice for this exhaustive document of the controversial war's contentious beginning. M.G. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 1, 2006
      On one level, narrator Wasson's mostly neutral delivery is apt. The authors' dispassionate prose imparts their impeccably researched story of the 2003 Iraq invasion—from concept to insurgency. Sourced at the highest levels, Cobra II
      captures the fog of war and war planning. But Wasson's read too often feels routine, as if recounting a local board meeting. Because he renders the numerous players and backdrops with equal tones, differentiating between them can be a challenge. This style of narration creates an anti-tension when juxtaposed with the book's revelations that an invasion plan was being formed not long after September 11, despite administration denials. Strictly supervising the plan was defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who was intent on transforming the military into a lighter, leaner force. False assumptions, faulty intelligence, willful ignorance, personal politics and a lack of foresight all fed into the invasion strategy and subsequent messy outcome. During the audiobook's second half, which documents the march to Baghdad and enemy engagements, Wasson's energy picks up and he paints some impressive scenes of war. But in the end, a more vibrant read would have better complemented the significance of this penetrating work. Gordon reads the introduction and epilogue. Simultaneous release with the Pantheon hardcover.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The Iraq War has certainly has been controversial, with the planning, execution, and post-invasion conduct of operations being the targets of much criticism and acrimony. Gordon and Trainor have written a book that is certainly critical of many aspects of the war though they do give credit to the American troops involved in it. This abridgment has two narrators: Gordon himself and Craig Wasson. Gordon is OK in reading an introduction and an afterword but is sometimes flat in his performance. Wasson's performance displays his experience and training. His voice is strong and his tempo steady. He has an expert way of giving expression in his delivery without being overwhelming. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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