Robert Gates and ‘Duty’

I recently read Robert Gates’ memoir, “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War,” an engaging account of his tenure as secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, from 2006 to 2011. It is quite unlike any political memoir or autobiography I have read — utterly unvarnished, plain-spoken and as candid account of Gates’ years serving two presidents during two wars as one could possibly expect. The advance reviews made a big deal of Gates’ criticism of Obama’s leadership in pursuing the war in Afghanistan. Bob Woodward in the Washington Post notes Gates concluded...

Read more...