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
Results 6-10 of 47
Page 21
... killing dozens of U.S. personnel a month in Iraq. Gates read one of several articles in USA Today about the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. These MRAPs had a passenger compartment high off the ground, V-shaped hulls and ...
... killing dozens of U.S. personnel a month in Iraq. Gates read one of several articles in USA Today about the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. These MRAPs had a passenger compartment high off the ground, V-shaped hulls and ...
Page 25
... Killing senior al Qaeda leaders with drones had a debilitating impact on al Qaeda's ability to plan, prepare and train. That counted as a big counterterrorism win. But each strike was tactical and would not change the big picture. As an ...
... Killing senior al Qaeda leaders with drones had a debilitating impact on al Qaeda's ability to plan, prepare and train. That counted as a big counterterrorism win. But each strike was tactical and would not change the big picture. As an ...
Page 26
... killed five days earlier on the Kam Sham training camp in the tribal area of North Waziristan, Hayden told the Pakistani president. But the CIA would not reveal the particulars due to the implications under American law. A top secret ...
... killed five days earlier on the Kam Sham training camp in the tribal area of North Waziristan, Hayden told the Pakistani president. But the CIA would not reveal the particulars due to the implications under American law. A top secret ...
Page 32
... kill” Saddam Hussein's army. He formulated the Powell Doctrine, the use of overwhelming and decisive force to minimize casualties and ensure victory. Mullen is tall with a hearty, almost booming voice. As he speaks, his hands tend to ...
... kill” Saddam Hussein's army. He formulated the Powell Doctrine, the use of overwhelming and decisive force to minimize casualties and ensure victory. Mullen is tall with a hearty, almost booming voice. As he speaks, his hands tend to ...
Page 34
... kill him for saying that. It was an indictment of Bush, Hadley, Gates and, in a way, himself. Mullen had testified the previous year that, “In Afghanistan, we do what we can. In Iraq, we do what we must.” Obama made it clear that would ...
... kill him for saying that. It was an indictment of Bush, Hadley, Gates and, in a way, himself. Mullen had testified the previous year that, “In Afghanistan, we do what we can. In Iraq, we do what we must.” Obama made it clear that would ...
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added adviser Afghan Afghanistan agreed al Qaeda American answer Army asked assessment attacks believed Biden Blair briefing build Bush called campaign chapter chief clear Clinton comes commander commitment continued counterinsurgency decision defeat defense director don’t Donilon forces Gates give goal going Graham ground guys Hayden Holbrooke insurgency intelligence interviews Iraq Jones July Karzai killed later leaders look Lute McChrystal McConnell meeting military mission months Mullen national security noted November Obama operations option Pakistan Pentagon person Petraeus political president presidential problem Qaeda questions request Riedel secretary seemed Senate September showed sources speech staff strategy Taliban talk tell terrorist things thought tion told troops trying United vice wanted Washington Post White House York