A GENERAL SPEAKS OUT:
The truth about the wars in afghanistan and iraq

(FORMERLY TITLED INSIDE CENTCOM)

In paperback MARCH, 2007 (RESERVE  a copy)

#1 Amazon "Afghanistan" Bestseller
#2 Amazon "iraq" Bestseller
* A Selection of the Military Book Club
* A Selection of the Conservative Book Club
* Required reading at the U.S. Naval Academy

What people are saying about General DeLong and his book:

"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

"It's great to have you on the air. An honest man and a courageous man. Thank you very much, General DeLong."
--Chris Matthews, Hardball

“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

“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 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

"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 (Rowan 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

“[Lieutenant General Michael DeLong] and General Franks are probably the most authoritative sources on the [Afghanistan and Iraq] wars. DeLong’s book is exactly what one would expect from a Marine – clear, concise, and to the point. There is no fluff, and no sugar-coating. DeLong calls it as he sees it, and his viewpoint is one well worth paying attention to. DeLong’s book is explosive in some aspects….DeLong also lays out the reasons for a lot of the post-liberation chaos, and does so with honesty….Ultimately, DeLong’s book….provides a superb first draft of history for the initial part of the war on terrorism, far more accurate than much of the media coverage.”
--Strategy Page (Harold C. Hutchison)

ABOUT THE BOOK

            What really happened at the highest levels of this administration during 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 the Afghanistan and Iraq 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 General Tommy Franks’ right-hand man. From the bombing of the U.S.S Cole through the fall of Baghdad, General DeLong was an active participant in planning and executing the military response.  General DeLong has also been one of the most active American visitors in Iraq since his retirement.  General DeLong is also the only other high-ranking General to retire (aside from General Franks), and thus is in a position to offer more insider information than others.
            A GENERAL SPEAKS OUT offers what other books cannot:  a military overview of what really took place during this critical time period.  It reveals 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.
            A GENERAL SPEAKS OUT stands alone as the definitive military account of what occurred behind the scenes of our country at war.  

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