Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq
"Powerfully argued and utterly persuasive, Wanting War offers the best account yet of the folly and miscalculation that resulted in America's heedless plunge into Iraq. In crisp, devastating prose, Jeffrey Record exposes the incoherence of the arguments offered to justify this unjustifiable and unnecessary war."  --Andrew J. Bacevich, author ofThe Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism"Why did Bush do it? The question Jeff Record tackles in this book is one of the most important of our time. You will learn much from reading this book, even if you don't agree with all his answers."  --Thomas E. Ricks, author ofFIASCOandThe Gambleand senior fellow, the Center for a New American Security"With his usual crystalline prose and piercing analysis, Jeff Record penetrates to the heart of the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq, laying stark all of the flawed assumptions and logic. Moreover, he grounds his critique solidly in history. While many Americans are so convinced that the September 11 attacks altered history that they approach the Iraq decision as unprecedented, Record demonstrates that it has important antecedents in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, both in how U.S. policymakers saw the world and in the effect that domestic politics had on strategic decisions. He also demonstrates how much ideas matter as Americans grapple with global challenges. For this, the book is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of American national security policy."  --Steven Metz, author ofIraq and the Evolution of American Strategy"Record's book is the first work on this subject to move beyond the blame game to set the decision for war in a broader historical context."   --Antulio J. Echevarria II, director of research, U.S. Army War College