"Obama Wars" - A Must-read for All Americans Who Want the Wars to End

Bob Woodward’s latest book, “Obama Wars”, was one of those books I could not put down. It read almost like a spy novel that I had to continue to turn pages to see what happened next. My Kindle got heavier as I read each night, falling eventually onto my chest or the bed as I struggled to stay awake.

As an amateur student of history I was fascinated by what Woodward learned about what was going on in the White House with the war planning for Iraq and then Afghanistan. I felt like I was in the same room with the “principals”: General Jones, Secretary of Defense Gates, Secretary of State Clinton, Leon Panetta, and a few others. The dialogue is both intriguing as well as surprisingly mundane.

I was shocked that I understood all that they were talking about, and it often reminded me of many discussions I have had with colleagues on what to do about the two wars in which the U.S. is engaged. The same issues and “what ifs” have likely been thrashed out in offices, dorm rooms, and living rooms across the country. It surprised me how often nothing gets settled in any discussion, even when the President declares it settled (think number of troops to send in to Afghanistan). It seemed like Woodward had a spy cam on the wall of the Situation Room in the West Wing to be able to report such detailed meetings (along with the constant rehashing).

Book reviews have stated that the book title does not just mean the military wars the President is managing. It is clear that there has been (and certainly continues to be) an occasional battle among the principals and “sub-principals” on how to conduct the nation’s business. Now that Chief of Staff Emanuel is gone, that may ease some, but there is still enough pettiness to go around so the internal war marches on.

I was struck (and somewhat disappointed) that these major players in the White House had no real clue about what the right plan of action was in the wars our military is fighting. Some think we are in a quagmire, ala Viet Nam. Some think that we can never win over the Afghan people enough to get them to take over their own country. No one feels that Karzai is playing it straight (if he even could) and that he is just an opportunist taking what he can bleed from the U.S. and coalition forces.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised at how much the principals, including the President, were concerned about the will of the American people. Knowing that much of the public is tired of wars, they understand do not have carte blanche to do whatever they want. Even the President. Read the book – it is enlightening in a sort of scarily unenlightened way.