He oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for two years under President Obama, but now Robert Gates is making public some very critical opinions of the commander-in-chief, saying Obama doesn't believe in his own war strategy. (Via The White House)
His statements coincide with the release of his new book, "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War." Bob Woodward got a first look at it, and wrote Tuesday, "(Obama's and Gates') different worldviews produced a rift that, at least for Gates, became personally wounding and impossible to repair." (Via The Washington Post)
Gates was appointed during the Bush administration but stayed on with Obama and resigned as Defense Secretary in July 2011. At the time, it seemed his relationship with the White House was a healthy one. Tuesday's news would suggest otherwise.
Specifically, Gates says that Obama had no faith in his plan for Afghanistan or for U.S. leaders there, writing that Obama: "doesn’t consider the war to be his. ... For him, it’s all about getting out.” (Via CNN)
But for whatever he writes about Obama, Gates' criticism of Vice President Joe Biden is even harsher.
Amid the book's 594 pages is this passage about Biden: Gates writes, “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." (Via Amazon)
Granted, Gates also called Biden a "person of integrity." The White House put out a response sticking up for Biden pretty quickly Tuesday evening, calling him one of the leading statesmen of our time.
