60 Minutes: Bob Woodward

The leaks over this appearance are mighty. The fucking Tehran Times is reporting on this book already, spinning it's own nasty tyrannical spin on it! On the CBS web site, some funamental questions are asked, but the leaks have all but answered them, making 60 Minutes, a little less than must-see television. Still, Woodward, who once dated Leslie Stahl will be interesting. Wallace will do the interview, saving Stahl from a major conflict of interest.

Here's what CBS says on their 60 Minutes Page:

"(Bob) Woodward will answer the following questions, among others, in the interview with Wallace Sunday night:

"-How early did President Bush begin planning the war on Iraq?
-In the war?s wake, which top administration officials now barely speak to each other?
-What did the CIA say to President Bush to convince him that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction?
-Which foreign dignitary was told of the plans to attack Iraq days before even key cabinet members were briefed?
-Which key advisers did President Bush ask ? and not ask ? about whether he should go to war with Iraq?
-Why did the CIA think Saddam had been killed before the ground war even began?"

And here are some answers, via leaks:

How early did President Bush begin planning the war on Iraq?

According to Foxnews, "President Bush secretly ordered a war plan drawn up against Iraq less than two months after U.S. forces attacked Afghanistan and was so worried the decision would cause a furor he did not tell everyone on his national security team, says a new book on his Iraq policy."

In the war's wake, which top administration officials now barely speak to each other?

According to Reuters,"Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell are so upset with one another over the Iraq war that they are barely on speaking terms, according to excerpts from a new book published in the Washington Post on Saturday. The book, entitled 'Plan of Attack,' is not due to be released until next week but the Post's assistant managing editor, Robert Woodward, wrote it and the newspaper is reporting from it."

Which foreign dignitary was told of the plans to attack Iraq days before even key cabinet members were briefed?

(ed note 4/19: Originally, I wrote that this was Tony Blair. Of course, now we know it was Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia.)


Which key advisers did President Bush ask -- and not ask -- about whether he should go to war with Iraq?

According to the NY Times, "The exact timing of Mr. Bush's request to Mr. Rumsfeld to begin war planning had not been publicly known, and it had not been known that, as the book reports, Mr. Bush kept that request secret from other top advisers, including Mr. Powell, Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, and George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence."

Why did the CIA think Saddam had been killed before the ground war even began?

The New York Times reports: "The book also provides new details about the hurriedly arranged airstrike on March 19, 2003, in which the White House jump-started the war with a bomb and missile strike on the Dora Farms compound near Baghdad in a failed attempt to kill Saddam.

"The air raid, advocated by Tenet, had initially been opposed by Franks, the book says, but was approved by Bush and Cheney after they asked other advisers to leave the Oval Office.

"The strike was launched, the book says, on the basis of first-hand reports from Iraqi sources at Dora Farms enlisted by a network of 87 Iraqi spies, designated with the cryptonym DB/ROCKSTARS, who had been recruited by a CIA team that had infiltrated northern Iraq in the months before the war.

"In calls by satellite phone to the CIA team, the Iraqi sources reported that Saddam's sons Odai and Qusai were at the compound, and that Saddam himself would return there. After the strike, the book says, one Iraqi source reported that Saddam's body had been removed from the wreckage, prompting Tenet to celebrate what he thought had been a success.

"Even now, it is still not clear whether Saddam was at the site at all, though a CIA official said Friday that the agency maintains that Saddam was "probably" there and survived the U.S. raid. Woodward's book reports that the Iraqi security guard who was the main source of the intelligence was killed in the U.S. attack, but a CIA official said the Iraqi agents recruited by the agency had proved 'extraordinarily productive.'"

And, the Washington Post gives this excerpt:

"(Hans) Blix had told Rice, 'I have never complained about your military pressure. I think it's a good thing.' She relayed this to the president.

"'How long does he think I can do this?' Bush asked. 'A year? I can't. The United States can't stay in this position while Saddam plays games with the inspectors.'

"'You have to follow through on your threat,' Rice said. 'If you're going to carry out coercive diplomacy, you have to live with that decision.'

"'He's getting more confident, not less,' Bush said of Hussein. 'He can manipulate the international system again. We're not winning.

"'Time is not on our side here,' Bush told Rice. 'Probably going to have to, we're going to have to go to war.'

"In Rice's mind, this was the moment the president decided the United States would go to war with Iraq. Military planning had been underway for more than a year even as Bush sought a diplomatic solution through the United Nations. He would continue those efforts, at least publicly, for 10 more weeks, but he had reached a point of no return.

"The president also informed Karl Rove, his chief political strategist, of his decision over the holidays. Rove had gone to Crawford to brief Bush on the confidential plan for Bush's 2004 reelection campaign. While Laura Bush sat reading a book, Rove gave a PowerPoint presentation on the campaign's strategy, themes and timetable.

"Opening his laptop, he displayed for Bush in bold letters on a dark blue background:

"PERSONA:

"Strong Leader

"Bold Action

Big Ideas

"Peace in World

"More Compassionate America

"Cares About People Like Me

"Leads a Strong Team

"All things being equal, the president asked, when would you like to begin the campaign and active fundraising?

"Rove said he wanted the president to start that February or March and begin raising the money, probably $200 million. He had a schedule. In February, March and April 2003, there would be between 12 and 16 fundraisers.

"'We got a war coming,' the president told Rove flatly, 'and you're just going to have to wait.' He had decided. 'The moment is coming.' The president did not give a date, but he left the impression with Rove that it would be January or February or March at the latest.

"'Remember the problem with your dad's campaign,' Rove replied. 'A lot of people said he got started too late.'

"'I understand,' Bush said. 'I'll tell you when I'm comfortable with you starting.'"