The Gates Book is a Big Deal

Rick Klein: “It turns out Robert Gates had a thing or two to say. This new book is a blockbuster on several levels. It’s from an impeccable, respected, true-insider source with only mildly partisan leanings; it directly questions President Obama’s wartime leadership and motivations; it displays particular mistrust and disdain even for Vice President Joe Biden; it tweaks Hillary Rodham Clinton, too, and even hints at a wedge between Obama and Clinton when it comes to White House meddling in national-security affairs. Above all, it confirms many of the worst suspicions about the Obama White House, at a time of significant backsliding in Iraq and lingering concerns in Afghanistan. If you think it’s not worrisome to the Obama inner circle, witness how much time the president is spending with his vice president today.”

First Read: “In his sixth year of his presidency, the president is desperate to not
look like a lame-duck and preserve his ability to run the town, but it’s
a challenge, and this Gates book is a new distraction that doesn’t help
one bit.”