I found this book oddly even-handed. Halberstam deftly showcases the intricacies surrounding military operations and the steps to launch them along with their potential consequences. The author also shows how the Clinton administration ( actually Clinton himself) drug his feet.

As an admitted moderate Republican, I thought at first glance that this book would be the ultimate trashing of the party (based on your average everyday journalistic bias), but Halberstam explains the positions of both parties, along with naming the good and bad guys in the Republican and Democratic camps.

I was especially fascinated with the portraits given of Tony Lake and former Def. Sec. Bill Perry and will be checking out their books to read more about American defense issues.

All in all, not a bad book. Could have been much shorter, so I can only give 3 stars overall.