INSIDE CENTCOM:
The Unvarnished Truth About the
Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
by Lieutenant General Michael "Rifle" DeLong, USMC, Ret.
(Former Deputy Commander of CENTCOM)
with Noah Lukeman
Introduction by General Tony Zinni, USMC, Ret.
Former Commander of CENTCOM, and author, with Tom Clancy, of the New York Times Bestselling BATTLE READY

Publisher:  Regnery

Pub Date:  September 25, 2004

Format:   Hardcover

Brief Description
INSIDE CENTCOM is a definitive behind the scenes of our country at war, from the military perspective of  Tommy Franks' #2 commanding General.  It offers a behind the scenes look at the planning and execution of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and sheds light on top administration officials in a warlike situation, including George Tenet, Donald Rumsfeld and President Bush.
(see below for Full Description)

Accolades:
* #1 Amazon Bestseller in the "Afghanistan" Category
* #2 Amazon Bestseller in the "Iraq" Category
* #3 Barnes & Noble Bestseller in the "Diplomacy and International Politics" Category
* A Selection of the Military Book Club
* A Selection of the Conservative Book Club

visit the site:

www.insidecentcom.com

Buy it on Amazon ($19)

Media Appearances:
* PBS-NewsHour with Jim Lehrer 11/20
* Fox & Friends 11/19
* CNN-Lou Dobbs--11/3
* Fox Special Report with Brit Hume--11/1
* Kudlow & Cramer - 11/1
* Hardball with Chris Matthews--10/19
* Don Imus--10/18
* CSPAN--10/17
* Kudlow & Cramer - 10/12
* Tina Brown (INSIDE CENTCOM recommended as a "hot pick") - 10/10
* DaySide with Linda Vester - 9/23
* Kudlow & Cramer - 9/21
* Fox & Friends - 9/21
* O'Reilly Factor- 9/20
* National Geographic Channel (to air in March 2005)
* Dozens of national radio shows

IN PRINT
* Wall Street Journal--11/1
* National Review Online--11/1
* New York Post--10/25
* Wall Street Journal--10/12

Endorsements
"I can't think of a finer Marine or a finer person that serves anywhere in this armed forces.”
--General John Abizaid,
current Commander of CENTCOM

“Mike ‘Rifle’ DeLong was the best Deputy Commander I could have imagined.  Seasoned in Vietnam as a young helicopter pilot, he never forgot the lessons of war:  loyalty, focus, commitment to mission and the troops.  Rifle was “Joint” to the core.  He had the respect of all who served with him.  A manager and a leader of the highest caliber, I am proud to call him friend.”
--General Tommy Franks,
former Commander of CENTCOM and author of New York Times bestselling AMERICAN SOLDIER

“From the point of the bayonet to the crisis of the conference room, General DeLong has spent a lifetime serving his country in war and peace, in combat and in preparation.  His experience from Mogadishu to Tampa, from fighting terrorists to dealing with Washington (for a military man maybe even more terrifying) gives him a unique vantage point from which to help his fellow Americans understand the world they live in, and the challenges they face.”
--Newt Gingrich,
former Speaker of the House

“General Tommy Franks and General Mike DeLong were masters at warfighting, managing the sensitive relationships in the region, and holding together the complex coalition put in place to deal with the significant threats that faced us.  General Delong was the unsung hero of these efforts.  His savvy, intellect, common sense, professional competence, and honesty come through in this book, and give us a rare insight into critical events that have shaped our course at the beginning of this troubled century.”
--General Toni Zinni USMC ret,
former Commander of CENTCOM,
author, with Tom Clancy, of TOM CLANCY'S BATTLE READY

"General Delong did an outstanding job on General Tommy Frank’s behalf in dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Meyers, and the President himself.  General Delong was also the ‘go-to’ guy for the 60 plus countries that participated in the Afghanistan and Iraqi campaigns.  This is truly an insider's view of these history-making events." 
--General Joseph Hoar USMC ret,
former Commander of CENTCOM

Reviews
"MICHAEL DeLong's memoir of his three years as deputy commander of Central Command (CENTCOM) is fascinating….Unlike Bob Woodward, who fires vast, ill-focused barrages, DeLong writes briskly and pointedly…..DeLong's argument is all the more compelling because of his hard work forming the Afghanistan and Iraq coalitions….DeLong offers interesting, if understated, revelations."
--The New York Post

"INSIDE CENTCOM lives up to its title: it's unvarnished, and it's a deep look into the inner workings of the Central Command and America's war-fighting apparatus.....For anyone interested in the military's war on terror, behind-the-scenes, INSIDE CENTCOM is essential reading."
--LateFinal.com

“Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks are clearly two of the biggest stars in the war on terrorism….But for every four-star general and high-profile Defense secretary, there are the aides who work behind the scenes to make their bosses look good. Such a man is Michael DeLong….CENTCOM’s vital status alone makes DeLong's book important. And he draws you in at first by sketching vivid profiles of Rumsfeld and Franks….INSIDE CENTCOM provides a good narrative on just how Rumsfeld and his top commander, Franks, came up with two war plans for Afghanistan and Iraq.”
--The Washington Times
(Ronald Scarborough, author of the New York Times Bestseller Rumsfeld’s War)

"DeLong is known as "Rifle" DeLong, and not just because he was a crack shot with a rifle (and other common Marine Corps fashion accessories such as pistols and helo-mounted rockets.) The nickname stuck because, as DeLong rose in rank, and he and his subordinates had to make life and death decisions, DeLong learned to be a tough grader. He gave his people just one shot to get it right....When you have a president who is smart enough to turn Tommy Franks and Rifle DeLong loose on the bad guys, you have a president who can win the war."
--National Review Online

"Lt. Gen. Mike DeLong was Gen. Tommy Franks' right-hand man in conceiving and executing the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. While Franks was in the field, former Marine combat pilot DeLong ran Central Command ("CentCom"), the nerve center of both wars--where he was an active participant in discussions involving President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Franks, George Tenet, and many others. Now, Gen. DeLong offers the frankest and most authoritative look inside the wars--how we prepared for battle, how we fought, how we toppled two regimes--and what's happening now on these two crucial fronts."
--Human Events online

Full Description
          Plan Of Attack.  Against All Enemies.  Bush at War.  Farenheit 9/11.
            America is desperate for insider knowledge of what really happened at the highest levels of this administration leading up to and during the events of 9-11 and through the Iraqi war.  Could 9-11 have been prevented?  What intel did we really have?  Was Bush really focused on Iraq from the start?  Were we right to attack Iraq?  What intel did we have on Saddam Hussein and his WMD?  How did we plan and execute these wars?  What really happened behind the scenes?
            These questions and more are burning in the minds of Americans and the world.  For answers, they have turned to Bob Woodward, Richard Clarke and Michael Moore.  It’s time that they turned to someone who really knows, someone who was truly on the inside, who was an active participant (unlike them) in the most sensitive, classified meetings with Bush, Rumsfeld, Tenet, and countless others.
            This source is Three Star General Mike DeLong, USMC, who was the #2 General at CentCom and Tommy Franks’ right hand man, from the bombing of the U.S.S Cole through his recent retirement in November, 2003.  General DeLong has also been one of the most active American visitors in Iraq since his retirement, having more lengthy, significant conversations with Iraqi tribal chiefs than just about any other American.
            Aside from General Franks, General DeLong is also the only other high-ranking insider to retire, and thus is in a position to offer more insider information than any other.  INSIDE CENTCOM will offer what these other books cannot:  both a political and military overview of what really took place during this time period.  It is the most authentic source possible.
            INSIDE CENTCOM will stand alone as the definitive behind the scenes of our country at war.  It will reveal the inner workings within the halls of power, where life-and-death decisions were made without the benefit of hindsight.  Its story is one of a kind, its timing is unique, and DeLong tells it in a manner typical of a three-star general in the U.S. Marine Corps: directly, honestly and definitively.

Foreign Sales:   China (Orient Press)

World Rights:  Contact Lukeman

Dramatic Rights:  Contact Lukeman

visit the book's dedicated website:  www.insidecentcom.com