Two more books:

I've gotta put a couple more book recommendations out here. I seem to be on a kick right now of reading books about subjects I originally heard or read about as "current events". In watching CNN politics, the opinions of David Gergen are always the most authorative. Part of that is his demeanor and a good part of that is his experience. I didn't know how extensive that experience was until I read Eyewitness to Power. Gergen worked in four White House administrations and in this book he details what he's learned about what it takes to an effective leader. Fascinating reading!

So is Thirteen Days, Robert Kennedy's account of the Cuban missle crisis in 1962. He details the difficult decision making process of the US response to the USSR's placement of missles in Cuba, how the sea blockade consensus was derived, how it was communicated, how it was executed, and how plans were put in place for the actions that would need to be taken if the blockade failed. One of the details of the plan that impressed me was the consideration that Russia might try to fly materials into Cuba rather than send them by sea. It was determined that if they did that, they would have to refuel in one of a couple western Africa countries. Those countries were contacted early on and a commitment obtained from them that they would not permit the refueling of any Russian aircraft. These were very detailed, finely crafted plans, designed to avoid provoking Russia and give them all of the room they needed to back down without losing face.