49 "The interagency dynamic": Kristen Silverberg, author interview.

50 "very, very focused": Administration official, author interview.

51 "I've never heard him": White House official, author interview.

52 "I thought the vice president": Frederick Jones, author interview.

53 "they're in the last throes": Dick Cheney, Larry King Live, CNN, May 30, 2005, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0505/30/lkl.01.html.

54 "Where did that come": Meghan O'Sullivan, author interview.

55 1,330 civilian deaths: Iraq Body Count compilation. Iraq Body Count attempted to track civilian casualties in Iraq by assembling all public reports of killings, from media accounts to hospital and morgue records to official and nongovernmental organizations. http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/.

56 366 had been killed: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, known as icasualties.org, http://icasualties.org/iraq/ByMonth.aspx. Note that this link goes to the page showing all coalition casualties; to get the American casualties requires using the filter at the bottom.

57 "final acts of desperation": Dick Cheney, In My Time, 43334.

58 "was obviously wrong": Hayes, Cheney, 477.

59 "getting really bubbled": Woodward, State of Denial, 399400.

60 "disconnected from reality": Kevin Whitelaw, "Hit by Friendly Fire," U.S. News & World Report, June 19, 2005, http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050627/27bush.htm.

61 "It was analog, not digital": Person close to George W. Bush, author interview.

62 "No one other than the president": Michele Davis, author interview.

63 wear a metal bracelet: Peter Baker and Dana Milbank, "Bush Says War Is Worth Sacrifice," Washington Post, June 29, 2005.

64 "Like most Americans": George W. Bush, address to nation, Fort Bragg, June 28, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050628-7.html.

65 "our mission and our goal": Cannon, Dubose, and Reid, Boy Genius, 296.

66 "doing something good for someone": White House summary of the meeting, provided to author.

67 "There was little support among": Brian Hook, author interview.

CHAPTER 22: "WHACKED UPSIDE THE HEAD".

1 delivering a sealed envelope: Notes from senior administration official, provided to author.

2 Franks again spoke against: Person familiar with meeting, author interview.

3 his home-state favorite: Peter Baker, "Unraveling the Twists and Turns of the Path to a Nominee," Washington Post, July 25, 2005.

4 "It's O'Connor": George W. Bush, Decision Points, 9799.

5 "It has been a great privilege": Sandra Day O'Connor to George W. Bush, July 1, 2005, http://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/oconnor070105.pdf.

6 "What makes this harder": Toobin, The Oath, 209.

7 "You're one of the great Americans": Notes of call, provided to author. George W. Bush a few days later wrote O'Connor a heartfelt two-page handwritten note. "Your call reminded me of how lucky we are as a nation to have a decent, honest, and brilliant citizen, you, serve the country," he wrote. "Thanks for a life of public service that will shine the light for others to follow." Letter from Bush, July 4, 2005. George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/Photos-and-Videos/Photo-Galleries/Sneak-Peek-Document-Gallery.aspx.

8 "He doesn't quite fit": Leonard Leo, author interview.

9 "You can and should do": Boyden Gray, author interview.

10 "I don't like it when a friend": George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, Lyngby, Denmark, July 6, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/07/20050706-3.html.

11 "Sure, I would really like": Laura Bush, interview on Today, NBC, July 12, 2005.

12 "I didn't realize she'd put": George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, Oval Office, July 12, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/07/20050712-1.html.

13 gave each a tour: Michael Luttig, author interview.

14 "Why would that be": Ibid.

15 earlier had issued a ruling: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, July 15, 2005, http://www.mc.mil/Portals/0/Hamdan%20v.%20Rumsfeld,%20415%20F.3d%2033%20(D.C.%20Cir.%202005).pdf.

16 also by Bush's longtime friend: Donald Ensenat, e-mail exchange with author.

17 Cheney supported Luttig: Administration officials, author interviews. See also George W. Bush, Decision Points, 98. In an interview with the author, Cheney did not dispute Luttig was his choice, saying only that Luttig was "one of the top three candidates we had."

18 thirty-nine times: John Roberts, official White House biography, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/judicialnominees/roberts.html.

19 "It probably means Roberts": Gray interview.

20 "You're going to love": Baker, "Unraveling the Twists and Turns of the Path to a Nominee."

21 "I just offered the job": Peter Baker and Jim VandeHei, "Bush Chooses Roberts for Court," Washington Post, July 20, 2005, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/19/AR2005071900725.html.

22 "Does your mother know?": Crawford Greenburg, Supreme Conflict, 209.

23 "We're gonna have to grab": Gillespie, Winning Right, 195.

24 "Congratulations on Roberts": Gray interview.

25 "I'm glad you liked my appointment": Person present for conversation, author interview.

26 slipped a veto threat: Barton Gellman, Angler, 351.

27 News reports revealed: Newsweek reported on July 10, 2005, that Karl Rove talked with Matthew Cooper about Joseph Wilson's wife, citing the e-mail Cooper sent to editors immediately after their conversation. See Michael Isikoff, "Matt Cooper's Source," Newsweek, July 17, 2005, http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2005/07/17/matt-cooper-s-source.html. On July 15, the New York Times reported that Rove had spoken with Robert Novak, who mentioned that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and had been involved in sending him to Niger. The paper reported that Rove replied, "I heard that too." See David Johnston and Richard W. Stevenson, "Rove Reportedly Held Phone Talk on C.I.A. Officer," New York Times, July 15, 2005, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/politics/15rove.html?pagewanted=all.

28 "whacked upside the head": McClellan, What Happened, 259.

29 simply told the reporter: Rove, Courage and Consequence, 329.

30 "If someone committed a crime": George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, news conference, July 18, 2008, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/07/20050718-1.html.

31 the 319th day either partially: Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker, "Vacationing Bush Poised to Set a Record," Washington Post, August 3, 2005. By the time he left office after eight years, Bush had spent 490 days at the ranch, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio correspondent and unofficial White House archivist, compared with Reagan's 335 days. Bush also spent part or all of 487 days at Camp David, according to Knoller's count, meaning he spent roughly one out of every three days while in office at one or the other.

32 they were leather shoes: Stephen Hadley, author interview.

33 "There was like a hierarchy": Steve Atkiss, author interview.

34 devastating roadside explosion: John Kifner and James Dao, "Death Visits a Marine Unit, Once Called Lucky," New York Times, August 7, 2005.

35 "That really got him": Hadley interview.

36 referring to her as "Mom": Richard W. Stevenson, "Fallen Soldier's Mother Vows Vigil to See Bush," New York Times, August 9, 2005, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/world/americas/08iht-protester.html.

37 "Don't let the president": Joe Hagin, author interview; Cindy Sheehan, e-mail exchange with author.

38 "We are not going to": Ibid.

39 "I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan": George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, August 11, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050811-1.html.

40 no way the Iraqis would make: Administration official, author interview.

CHAPTER 23: "THIS IS THE END OF THE PRESIDENCY".

1 its cruising altitude: Peter Baker, "Vacation Ends, and Crisis Management Begins," Washington Post, September 1, 2005, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083101283.html.

2 "It's devastating": Ibid.

3 "The challenges that we face": George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, August 31, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050831-3.html.

4 "He has to get off his": Baker, "Vacation Ends."

5 "perhaps a little complacent": McClellan, What Happened, 279.

6 "The forecast we have now": Transcript of conference call, August 28, 2005, http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/2413906.

7 "I can't get it through their heads": Joe Hagin, author interview.

8 "This is going to be a really, really big storm": Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, author interview.

9 "We're going to need everything you've got": Ibid. See also Evan Thomas, "How Bush Blew It," Newsweek, September 19, 2005, http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2005/09/18/how-bush-blew-it.html.

10 "What's the situation?": Cooper and Block, Disaster, 16061. See also Michael Brown, interview with Brian Williams, NBC News, March 2, 2006, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11595834#.UT99fI5RWps.

11 He did not realize Martha Raddatz: While White House reporters traveling with Bush were kept in a separate press area, Raddatz was traveling with Donald Rumsfeld and happened to be backstage with Pentagon officials.

12 "He's going to be at ten thousand": Scott McClellan, author interview.

13 At least don't bring: Dan Bartlett, author interview.

14 "Mr. President, I definitely need": Brinkley, The Great Deluge, 41314.

15 "I just ballparked it": Blanco interview.

16 behaving like a "crack head": Brown and Schwarz, Deadly Indifference, 11920.

17 "They'll welcome the sight": Rice, No Higher Honor, 397.

18 "overreach constitutionally": Steven Blum, author interview.

19 "What the hell is taking": William Burck, author interview.

20 "Tell 'em," Bartlett said: Draper, Dead Certain, 32829.

21 "The results are not acceptable": George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, South Lawn, September 2, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050902.html.

22 "What's that?" he snapped: Brinkley, Great Deluge, 54445.

23 "Your guys, Mike Brown": Hagin, Bob Riley and Michael Chertoff, author interviews. In an interview years later, Riley stood by his assessment for his state: "I could not have asked for anyone to be more attentive than Mike was for Alabama."

24 "Brownie," he said, "you're doing": George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, Mobile, Ala., September 2, 2005, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050902-2.html.

25 "Would you please be quiet?": George W. Bush, Decision Points, 309.

26 "near nervous breakdown": Brinkley, Great Deluge, 570.

27 "Who's in charge of the city?": Blanco interview.

28 "I'll talk to him again": Ibid.

29 "I want you to sign it": Ibid.

30 "I was in a position": Blum interview.

31 "I'm not signing anything": Blanco interview.

32 "could unleash holy hell": George W. Bush, Decision Points, 309.

33 "I don't care if we have to": Bartlett interview.