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Gates: White House 'should go look in the mirror'
Yahoo! News ^ | Monday, January 13, 2014 | Holly Bailey

Posted on 01/13/2014 5:22:14 PM PST by kristinn

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pushed back against critics who suggested he should have sat on his memoir about his years in the Obama administration, insisting his tell-all is not a “betrayal” of Obama.

In an interview with Yahoo News Global Anchor Katie Couric, Gates insisted he did not have an “adversarial relationship” with Obama and that he has a “lot of admiration” for the president. But the former defense secretary, who also worked for President George W. Bush, did not mince words about Obama’s current and former top aides, who have slammed Gates’ account as being self-serving and driven by politics.

“Well, for a micromanaging White House, they should go look in the mirror,” Gates told Couric. “Maybe they ought to think about how they do business. And I think it’s fair to say that the book is a lot more critical about the people around the president than it is of the president.”

Still, Gates said Obama was ultimately responsible for setting the tone of a White House he says was marked by tension and infighting between the president’s staff and more senior members of the administration.

SNIP

But while Gates tried to downplay his criticism of Obama’s leadership, he faulted the president for being “suspicious” of military leadership. And he also criticized his “unwillingness” to explain to the public why the mission in Afghanistan was important and worth the sacrifice of those serving — even if he didn’t fully support the war.

“I think it’s the obligation of the commander in chief. You are sending out men and women into harm’s way,” Gates said. “You need to tell them why their cause is just, why their cause is noble. You can’t go out there and tell them, 'I want you to risk your lives for a tie.'”

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: injuries; obama; robertgates; tie
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1 posted on 01/13/2014 5:22:14 PM PST by kristinn
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To: kristinn

He has “a lot of admiration” for Obama? He’s a moron, then.


2 posted on 01/13/2014 5:26:47 PM PST by ilovesarah2012
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To: kristinn

How did Gates sustain an injury? He seems to be softening his position now - hmmmm. Odd.


3 posted on 01/13/2014 5:31:53 PM PST by JudyinCanada
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To: JudyinCanada

WaPo says he had a bad fall at home and has a fractured vertebra and is in great pain.


4 posted on 01/13/2014 5:33:36 PM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: kristinn
Gates is a self serving government leach and douchebag for working for the communist foreigner "POTUS" for a single day (he might have been born in Hawaii but he's about as American as Goodluck Jonathan from Nigeria).

Vacation guy only kept him on to have a Republican to blame for anything that went wrong.

That being said, Gates shows a tiny pair and excoriates the commie in chief in a book, but only to continue to keep the money coming in.

He's basically a hack and dishonorable opportunist.

5 posted on 01/13/2014 5:35:58 PM PST by Rome2000 (THE WASHINGTONIANS AND UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE ARE THE ENEMY -ROTATE THE CAPITAL AMONGST THE STATES)
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To: kristinn

Isn’t Obama already on his fourth Sec. of Defense? Sheesh.


6 posted on 01/13/2014 5:36:16 PM PST by what's up
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To: nascarnation

My, my. One must watch their step at home after writing a non-flattering book about The One.


7 posted on 01/13/2014 5:40:20 PM PST by JudyinCanada
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To: kristinn

Has anybody seen Valerie Jarrett, or has she high-tailed it to Myanmar?


8 posted on 01/13/2014 5:42:41 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: kristinn

"I walked into a pole. Yes, it was right after I published, yes. No, I don't fancy a flight to Molokai, no. No, I have no plans to drive fast at night to LAX, no..."

9 posted on 01/13/2014 5:43:03 PM PST by gaijin
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To: blueunicorn6

Isn’t she still vacationing with Mechelle?


10 posted on 01/13/2014 5:46:24 PM PST by Irenic (The pencil sharpener and Elmer's glue is put away-- we've lost the red wheel barrow)
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To: kristinn

Gates is half stepping and will get nowhere fast or slow. He just can not bring himself to reveal the truth about our first black POTUS.


11 posted on 01/13/2014 5:48:42 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: Irenic

What is Obama’s rating today? Everything depends on that. That’s why you have the New York Times coming out with such obvious lies. They have to keep Obama’s popularity up. Why? He’s not running again. Why MUST they protect his popularity, even to the point of destroying themselves? Think about it.


12 posted on 01/13/2014 6:01:06 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: kristinn

I don’t like all this book writing they all seem to do but in thus case, I’m glad he did. I wish this would have happened sooner but it didn’t—it is what it is.

In the book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich some of the military leaders kept planning to or wanting to stand up but never really got there.

I only hope that more will decide to stand up if there is a threat or problem for/to our country—it needs to be out in the open. Hiding things and failing to address reality helped Hitler destroy his own country.

I’m glad Gates did this, even if late but this still doesn’t make me a Gates fan.


13 posted on 01/13/2014 6:17:27 PM PST by Irenic (The pencil sharpener and Elmer's glue is put away-- we've lost the red wheel barrow)
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To: blueunicorn6

Can you tell me, please? I’m thinking about it but I do believe I’m coming down with a nasty cold—my thinking isn’t functioning very well. Heck, I couldn’t even navigate around my Kindle when I tried...my head is swimming.


14 posted on 01/13/2014 6:23:18 PM PST by Irenic (The pencil sharpener and Elmer's glue is put away-- we've lost the red wheel barrow)
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To: ilovesarah2012

Sounds to me like he’s not backing down. Naturally, he has to say the stupid “admiration” stuff (after all, otherwise he’s a racist, right?), but look at the other very definite and forthright things he said.


15 posted on 01/13/2014 6:28:58 PM PST by livius
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To: Irenic

Out here in the prairie, we call this “ridin’ for the brand”. As long as you are sleeping the bunkhouse, eatin’ off the chuck wagon, and takin’ those wages, you do what the man tells you to do. When you get tired of it, you clear out of the bunkhouse, throw your tack in your pick up truck, load your horse in the stock trailer, collect your wages, and head on down the road. What you say, do, or write about after that is your business.


16 posted on 01/13/2014 6:30:13 PM PST by centurion316
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To: kristinn

17 posted on 01/13/2014 6:43:11 PM PST by Slyfox (We want our pre-existing HEALTH INSURANCE back!)
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To: what's up

Three: Gates, Panetta and Hagel.


18 posted on 01/13/2014 6:43:12 PM PST by kristinn (Welcome to the Soviet States of Obama)
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To: Irenic

I’m sorry. I hope you get well soon. Trust me. It is better for you to think through this than for me to just give you my answer. If Obama can’t be hurt by losing a re-election (he can’t run again), then how could the Republicans possibly hurt him now in a way that he and the Democrat party would really be afraid of?


19 posted on 01/13/2014 6:56:30 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: centurion316; kristinn; Rome2000; Irenic

Nicely said. Thanks for sharing a a fine example of “duty” in riding for the brand and the true freedom a loyal man has once duty is served.

As you know well, the Empty Saddle memorial for our fallen cowboys and loyal benefactors to the western way of life is often introduced at panhandle rodeos as “riding for the brand”.

Thanks, Rita


20 posted on 01/13/2014 7:04:07 PM PST by RitaOK ( VIVA CHRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming.)
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