How CNN Fought The War: A View From The Inside; Thunder In The Desert: The Strategy And Tactics Of The Persian Gulf War

These two books by CNN's military analysts during the Gulf War demonstrate how much a fixture in foreign affairs the network has become. A retired air force general and West Point classmate of General Norman Schwarzkopf, Smith has written an engaging account of his encounter with a new tribe, the electronic media. Blackwell's reporting of the war, from sitzkrieg to "Schwarzkrieg," is as upbeat as befits the military outcome. The allies were good people moved by a good cause, and American forces fought the war more unified than ever before; the Goldwater-Nichols act had vested control in the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Colin Powell, and especially the theater commander, Schwarzkopf. As regards weaponry: "The good news is that everything worked. The bad news is that we still cannot afford it all."