Cobra II

The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

De: Michael R. Gordon, Bernard E. Trainor

Narrado por: Craig Wasson

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.

©2006 Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor (P)2006 Books on Tape

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A superb account and analysis of what went right and what went wrong in the Gulf War. All of the inside stories of the people and the policies, the triumphs and the blunders, are here." (Jim Lehrer)

3rd time through the book

I enjoy this book every time I go through it. Every time I pick up on something new along the way. Well written account that doesn't pull punches.

Valuable Strategic & Operational Perspective

While there are many tactical-level accounts of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), this book has provided the most comprehensive look at the strategic and operational-level decision making involved in planning for and executing the first few months of the war. My overall impression: 1) I can’t believe just how wrong our leadership was in our view of Saddam, the Iraqi military and government, and the limits of our capabilities; and 2) I better understand the perspectives of those that fought in the Vietnam war: they have a holistic understanding of the interplay between the state, military, and people, and had experienced first-hand the failure to those that took this for granted. I’m not surprised to learn from this book that Colin Powell was the one leader closest to forecasting the difficulties we would experience.

By the way...the narration was very good. A little dramatic at times, but he didn’t put me to sleep.

Makes a complex event easy to get into

The narration was very well done. Natural sounding emphases and stresses helped keep me engaged and enjoying the sometimes complex content. I very much appreciated the author's' reminders of some events and concepts; it helped maintain a sense of context while delving into the details.

standard

As a student studying religion and conflict cobra two is pivotal to understanding how operation araki freedom scuttled out of control

Outstanding read

This book creates an interesting dynamic for a war history. Providing a detailed account of the US and Bush administration and the parallel story of the Iraqi governments decisions before and at the start of the war. It goes through how both sides really sacked it on decision making and missed clear indicators. It then gives a boots on the ground recounting of the war with ties back to the effects from decisions made by leadership. The book ends by looking at how the US leaders were miss guided, miss informed, and ignorant on how to rebuild Iraq which is honestly more tragic than anything else. It's hard when there was potential and it ends with Iraqis viewing the US soldiers as occupiers rather than liberators. This is great history and I look forward to the next book where I can hear how a second administration sacks it and leaves the Iraqi people out to dry.

A Must-Read for Every OIF Veteran

Awesome, incredible amount of insight from the White House down to war fighters in the field.

Outstanding insight into the early stages of OIF

If we aren’t careful, Iraqi Freedom will become the next forgotten war along with Korea.
This book provides excellent background and a compelling narrative of the initial invasion of Iraq in ‘03.
Whether you agree or disagree on the reasons for the war, The race to Baghdad, even though it looked rather easy in the news, contained much more valor than even I was aware of, and I was there, overhead for most of it.
Definitely a good read/listen.

OUTSTANDING

This audio book is the finest in the area of Iraq.I study history and that's what this book is.This book is based on fact and is The best i have seen.If your interested in Iraq, this is the book you want.Best money I have spent on a book Period!!!!!

A victory that was ultimately lost

If you could sum up Cobra II in three words, what would they be?

The lost victory.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The most compelling aspect of the narrative was the planning was wrong for conquering Iraq.

What aspect of Craig Wasson’s performance would you have changed?

Mr. Wasson read well.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The lost victory.

Any additional comments?

Gen. Anthony Clement McAuliffe was the commander of the 101st Airborne Div (Screaming Eagles). In the book on page 368, he was mistakenly put as the commander of the 82nd Airborne Div (All American). There may have been some other mistakes in the book, but that one stood out.If you are a supporter of the Bush Administration (I am), this book will sting. If you opposed the war in Iraq, there will be some justification. Just keep in mind, all of us who are serving or have served since the early 1970s are VOLUNTEERS. We could have avoided military service by simply not walking into the recruiting office and signing up.I believe that the war in Iraq was a war of choice. -OIF Vet March-July 2008

compelling

Compelling macro and micro view and telling of Rumsfeld's hubris as harbinger to failure in Iraq.