Author James Mann on Bush's 'Vulcans'

Cover of 'Rise of the Vulcans' by James Mann.

Author James Mann's latest book, Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet, details 30 years of professional relationships among the president's foreign policy advisors.

When he was running for office, President Bush faced repeated challenges over his lack of experience in international affairs. For his campaign, he assembled a core group of foreign policy aides: Richard Armitage, Condoleezza Rice, and Paul Wolfowitz. The three dubbed themselves "the Vulcans," after the Roman god of fire, conveying an image of "power, toughness, resilience and durability."

After the election, each became an integral member of Mr. Bush's foreign policy team, along with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. In his book, Mann describes the shared vision that unites the Vulcans, despite occasional policy differences between members of the group.