Blogs > September 2010: Bob Woodward's "Obama's Wars"

Sep 26, 2010

September 2010: Bob Woodward's "Obama's Wars"



IN FOCUS:

  • Bob Woodward Potrayal of Obama Pleases White House: The new Bob Woodward book portrays President Obama as hard-nosed and demanding in the process of drafting a new U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan last year. And senior White House officials seem pleased by the portrait.
    "I think the book portrays a thoughtful, vigorous policy process that led us to a strategy to get us the best chance of achieving our objectives and goals in Afghanistan," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
    In an exchange with reporters on Air Force One as Mr. Obama flew to New York for two-and-a-half days of diplomacy at the United Nations, Gibbs said he hopes people read the book for themselves, as he said he did last night.
    Gibbs said Mr. Obama came into office facing an Afghanistan policy that was"neglected for seven years and badly under- resourced." Gibbs said the president tried to shepherd a process"that was thoughtful and deliberative."... - CBS News, 9-22-10
  • White House doesn't dispute Woodward book's portrayal of Obama: Bob Woodward book details Obama's Afghan war exit plan"Obama's Wars," to be released Sept. 27, 2010, recounts how the president crafted his own strategy for a way out of Afghanistan.
    With juicy nuggets of the new Bob Woodward book on President Obama starting to emerge, the official White House reaction so far is: It's just fine.
    Many of Obama's senior advisers have already obtained and read the book,"Obama's Wars," and are satisfied with the image it conveys of the president, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
    "The President comes across in the [Afghanistan] review and throughout the decisionmaking process as a Commander in Chief who is analytical, strategic, and decisive, with a broad view of history, national security, and his role," the official said in an e-mail.... - WaPo, 9-22-10
  • Washington Post scooped by New York Times on Bob Woodward story Great rival runs story on legendary Watergate reporter's new book that spoils Post's exclusive from its own journalist:
    The heavyweight bout between the New York Times and the Washington Post for the title of America's leading newspaper has just seen the Post take another punch in the kidneys.
    To the Post's immense embarrassment, it has been scooped by its great rival over a book written by one of its own journalists. And not just any journalist, either, but Bob Woodward, half of the famous Woodward and Bernstein team that broke the Watergate scandal.
    On Tuesday evening the New York Times website ran a news story by political correspondent Peter Baker reporting the juicy revelations in Woodward's latest book, Obama's War, detailing tensions within the White House over the direction of the conflict in Afghanistan.

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