Obama's Wars

This was a nonfiction work by America’s foremost reporter, Bob Woodward. Through remarkable access to extensive records, much of which were classified, and extensive interviews with most of the characters involved, including President Obama, Woodward traced the time frame from Obama’s election in 11/08 through 7/10. In addition, he sometimes traveled with various U.S. delegations to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The reporting is remarkable, starting with a behind-the-scene look into the building of Obama’s team, the remarkable decision to keep Gates as the Secretary of Defense and the words he used to get Clinton to accept the position of Secretary of State. Woodward had direct access to the commanders in the field and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This was not an easy read. The details were sometimes hour-by-hour and White House or Pentagon meeting-by-meeting, and Woodward’s writing frequently included lots of specific quotes of who said what to whom. He analyzed the impact of nearly every personality on the decision making process. So, it was sometimes a bit tedious for someone like me who is more used to reading fiction. But, this is an important work, and regardless of your opinion on the upcoming election, it will give you some insight into Obama and his decision making process that you might not get anywhere else.

The book supported my own opinion of just how stupid it was for George Bush to go into Afghanistan in the first place. Then, after Bush invaded Iraq, his neglect of the war effort in Afghanistan was staggering. Obama inherited a quagmire from which there can be no clean exit. Furthermore, the book solidified my understanding of the complications of international politics that involved not only the rivalry of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also the importance of Pakistan’s mistrust and hatred of India. If the U.S. was seen to do too much for India, then Pakistan got more restrictive of what it would allow the U.S. to do on their soil. The leaders of both Afghanistan and Pakistan were not favorably portrayed. I also came away from the book with admiration for our military and the tasks they have, but also a heightened wariness of the military’s sense of entitlement to unlimited resources and resentment towards anyone (i.e., Congress or the Executive Branch) who would curtail or deny them anything they want. We Americans are fortunate that the civilians have the ultimate control over the use of our military, because the military people are insatiable, and they see no need to limit their efforts to force decisions the way they want them to go, even if it means presenting evidence to the president that is intentionally slanted and misleading.

Woodward ended the book with details from a 75-minute discussion that he had with Obama in July 2010. The book definitely gets my recommendation, with the caveat that it’s not an easy read.