The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recalls his youth, his military service, and his rise to the heights of America's political and military elite.

"A sweeping history of the intertwined careers of Dick Cheney and Colin Powell, whose rivalry and conflicting views of U.S. national security color our political debate to this day. Dick Cheney and Colin Powell emerged on the national scene more than thirty years ago, and it is easy to forget that they were once allies. It was Cheney who pressed for Powell's appointment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over the initial skepticism of the White...