Swords to Plowshares

Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
Book review by Ernesto Estrada

In 2003 I crossed the Kuwaiti border into Iraq inside an M1A1 tank courtesy of the Marine Corps’ First Tank Battalion. Sitting inside the dark cramped gunner’s hole my view of Iraq was usually filtered through my gunner’s sights. While I was well informed as to day-to-day operations, I knew very little of the overarching plan.

At the time I took comfort in knowing that we were going north and that the quickest way home was straight through Baghdad. In Cobra II Michael Gordon, chief military correspondent for The New York Times and retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Bernard E. Trainor, provide a comprehensive military history of the run-up to the Iraq war, the invasion of Iraq, and its immediate aftermath—answering my many questions.

Gordon and Trainor conducted exhaustive research interviewing senior civilian and military officials, their staff, and those on the frontline. Embedding journalists within individual units gave Gordon unprecedented access to commands and units throughout Iraq. Their research took them to the White House, Department of Defense, Central Command, State Department, and military headquarters from the Persian Gulf to Texas, North Carolina, Kansas, Georgia, Nevada, and California. Indeed, this research is the most valuable characteristic of Cobra II.

Beginning with the run-up to war, Cobra II gives many examples of the Bush administration dismissing the advice of senior military officials. Even counsel provided by the Joint Chief of Staffs was ignored. And while the authors are very critical of Washington, they are also just as critical of the military for its reluctance to admit to the growing insurgency.

Those who took part in the invasion will appreciate the level of detail, especially in explaining the military operations. I found myself thinking, “Oh, that’s what we were doing” and “So, that’s why we were there.” In fact, Cobra II is perhaps the most comprehensive blow-by-blow account of what happened on the ground during the invasion, rejecting the assumption that it was a cakewalk. Indeed, the battle accounts are often quite graphic and equally tragic.

Unfortunately, only the immediate post-invasion occupation is covered. Those interested in the full post-invasion occupation may find Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone, much more complete. In the end, I highly recommend this book. Those who read it will have a much better understanding of the reality of how we got into this war.