I’m no fan of President Obama or Hillary Clinton but let’s not turn Secretary Gates’ book “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War” into solely an anti Obama book.
Point number one. We have to understand the reality that Secretaries of Defense carry out the policies of the president. It is difficult while in office for Robert Gates to criticize then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He had to work with her daily.
I’m not surprised about Hillary Clinton making a political decision when it comes to war because historically politics is her first position followed by policy. Remember it was the Clintons who created the vast right-wing conspiracy and they keep lists of both opponents and supporters and are politically vindictive.
Secretary Gates does highlight the difference in leadership and attitude when it comes to the US military between Bush and Obama. President Bush may have made his mistakes but he believed in and supported our military with the deeds more than words. President Obama has shown himself the opposite.
There are others in the book that Gates criticizes.
Senator Marco Rubio is wrong about Gates writing the book before president Obama is out of office. How do you undermine the ability to conduct foreign policy when the lack of a foreign policy undermines that ability? Foreign policy is about security of the nation and its allies, not friendship.
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