Obama's WarsIn Obama’s Wars, Bob Woodward provides the most intimate and sweeping portrait yet of the young president as commander in chief. Drawing on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes and hundreds of hours of interviews with most of the key players, including the president, Woodward tells the inside story of Obama making the critical decisions on the Afghanistan War, the secret campaign in Pakistan and the worldwide fight against terrorism. At the core of Obama’s Wars is the unsettled division between the civilian leadership in the White House and the United States military as the president is thwarted in his efforts to craft an exit plan for the Afghanistan War. “So what’s my option?” the president asked his war cabinet, seeking alternatives to the Afghanistan commander’s request for 40,000 more troops in late 2009. “You have essentially given me one option. ...It’s unacceptable.” “Well,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates finally said, “Mr. President, I think we owe you that option.” It never came. An untamed Vice President Joe Biden pushes relentlessly to limit the military mission and avoid another Vietnam. The vice president frantically sent half a dozen handwritten memos by secure fax to Obama on the eve of the final troop decision. President Obama’s ordering a surge of 30,000 troops and pledging to start withdrawing U.S. forces by July 2011 did not end the skirmishing. General David Petraeus, the new Afghanistan commander, thinks time can be added to the clock if he shows progress. “I don’t think you win this war,” Petraeus said privately. “This is the kind of fight we’re in for the rest of our lives and probably our kids’ lives.” Hovering over this debate is the possibility of another terrorist attack in the United States. The White House led a secret exercise showing how unprepared the government is if terrorists set off a nuclear bomb in an American city—which Obama told Woodward is at the top of the list of what he worries about all the time. Verbatim quotes from secret debates and White House strategy sessions—and firsthand accounts of the thoughts and concerns of the president, his war council and his generals—reveal a government in conflict, often consumed with nasty infighting and fundamental disputes. Woodward has discovered how the Obama White House really works, showing that even more tough decisions lie ahead for the cerebral and engaged president. Obama’s Wars offers the reader a stunning, you-are-there account of the president, his White House aides, military leaders, diplomats and intelligence chiefs in this time of turmoil and danger. |
From inside the book
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Page 2
Bob Woodward. “We're going to go in with the president-elect and hear what you
guys have got to say,” Podesta said. McConnell paused awkwardly. He had
received instructions from President Bush. “As president,” Bush had told
McConnell, ...
Bob Woodward. “We're going to go in with the president-elect and hear what you
guys have got to say,” Podesta said. McConnell paused awkwardly. He had
received instructions from President Bush. “As president,” Bush had told
McConnell, ...
Page 28
Clinton returned to Washington and spoke with Podesta. Wow, he's serious about
this, she said. She was stunned, yet not convinced the position would be right for
her. Podesta was encouraging. No one else could do the job as well as you, ...
Clinton returned to Washington and spoke with Podesta. Wow, he's serious about
this, she said. She was stunned, yet not convinced the position would be right for
her. Podesta was encouraging. No one else could do the job as well as you, ...
Page 29
Podesta spoke with former President Clinton. “I only have one argument,”
Podesta told him. “Nobody can do this job better. It's really important to the
country that she does it.” Oh, come on, the former president said. His own
relationship with ...
Podesta spoke with former President Clinton. “I only have one argument,”
Podesta told him. “Nobody can do this job better. It's really important to the
country that she does it.” Oh, come on, the former president said. His own
relationship with ...
Page 30
A phone call was scheduled so she could tell Obama directly, but Podesta
arranged it so the two didn't connect that night. “Let her sleep on it,” he said.
Podesta knew the most intense conversations were taking place within the family
— Hillary, ...
A phone call was scheduled so she could tell Obama directly, but Podesta
arranged it so the two didn't connect that night. “Let her sleep on it,” he said.
Podesta knew the most intense conversations were taking place within the family
— Hillary, ...
Page 38
From that meeting on, Obama made it clear to Podesta and his foreign policy
campaign aides that he wanted Jones as national security adviser. It would, he
said, give him someone outside the Pentagon with the credibility to deal with the
...
From that meeting on, Obama made it clear to Podesta and his foreign policy
campaign aides that he wanted Jones as national security adviser. It would, he
said, give him someone outside the Pentagon with the credibility to deal with the
...
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - gopfolk - LibraryThingJust can’t get enough of Woodward lately… This is another homerun from Woodward and one that will open your eyes regardless of your political leanings. As a conservative I felt that the book detailed ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - publiusdb - LibraryThingI just finished "Obama's Wars" by Bob Woodward. I don't know that I feel ready to review a book by Woodward, but I do have some thoughts after reading it. First of all, the book seems more about the ... Read full review
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Afghan government al Qaeda American ANSF Army assessment attacks Axelrod background interviews Barack H Biden Blair Bob Woodward brigade campaign Cartwright chairman chapter comes primarily chief of staff CIA director civilian Clinton commander counterinsurgency counterterrorism decision defeat deputy Donilon drone Eikenberry Emanuel firsthand sources Gates Gates’s Geoff Morrell ghan ghanistan goal going Graham guys Haqqani Hayden Holbrooke intelligence Iraq Jones July Kandahar Karzai Kayani Lavoy leaders Lute McChrystal McConnell McKiernan meeting military mission months Mullah Omar Mullen national security adviser NATO Obama asked operations option Oval Office Paki Pakistan Panetta Pentagon Petraeus Podesta political President Barack President Bush President Obama presidential primarily from background Qaeda Quetta Riedel safe havens secretary of defense Senate September Situation Room speech stan Taliban insurgents talk terrorist There’s thought tion told U.S. troops United wanted Washington Post we’re White House Zardari