The White House looked to tame a raging controversy over a memoir by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday, insisting that behind-the-scenes clashes between top administration officials were by design and that the president remained "committed" to his strategy for Afghanistan.
In the book, early excerpts of which were published by some media organizations on Tuesday, Gates accuses the president's personal advisers of taking "micromanagement and operational meddling to a new level.”Gates argues that military leaders became frequently frustrated with decisions they saw as politically motivated, and the influence of civilian officials in dictating policies.Some Republicans — including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — have charged that the president allowed those political considerations to overrule better advice from military leaders.
my first thought this guy is a republican he's peeing on te grass of 2012 in a backstabbing effort to soil Hillary in case she runs, then his assumptions were just that he never said he heard Pres. say anything that would confirm his misinterpretations, so he and officers only are again betraying the boss and inserting their own thoughts for his, again old White guys trying to read a Black man. the whole thing wreaks of sour grapes Pres. honors him with medal and he craps on his legacy where would he have worked had Pres. not given him a job?
But White House press secretary Jay Carney insisted Wednesday that the president "expects to hear competing points of view from every member of his national security team."Carney argued that Obama had intentionally assembled a "team of rivals" — invoking the title of a book on President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet — and that "robust" debates and the associated frustrations were a natural byproduct."When you pick a team of rivals, you do so because you expect competing points of view," Carney said.Carney also noted that Gates ultimately praised the president's decisions on Afghanistan policy in other excerpts from the book.
i remember hearing that a few years ago, makes sense, as anti American as the republicans are they have had some good ideas which they now demonize because Pres. adopted and adapted them, but diversity does give you more of what you're looking for if you are looking for more than your own ideas.
