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New Book Reveals Disputes In Obama Administration Over Afghan War

September 23, 2010
By RFE/RL

"Obama's Wars," a new book by respected "Washington Post" journalist Bob Woodward, is not due to be released until September 27, but excerpts published in two U.S. newspapers are already fueling public debate in the United States with revelations about President Barack Obama's war effort in Afghanistan.

Published by "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times," the excerpts detail how Obama's initial attempts to take control of the war in Afghanistan resulted in a plan driven more by politics than U.S. national security.

The excerpts suggest that Obama became frustrated with the Pentagon last year as he sought to stop the Afghan war from consuming his young presidency and dictated his own six-page Afghanistan strategy -- including a 30,000 troop surge with a deadline of July 2011.

The U.S. politics news website Politico.com, which also obtained an advance copy of the book, reports that "the dominant portrait is one of a prudent president trying to negotiate a middle path between a military, led by [General David] Petraeus, who demanded a relatively open-ended 40,000-troop surge and Democrats, led by [Vice President Joe] Biden, who called for a much more time- and troop-limited response."

Granted Wide Access

Woodward was granted wide access to the White House, including exclusive interviews with Obama and senior administration officials in his administration, giving him an insider's perspective on the policy debates.

Obama is quoted as pointedly telling Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Petraeus: "In 2010, we will not be having a conversation about how to do more. I will not want to hear, 'We're doing fine, Mr. President, but we'd be better if we just do more.' We're not going to be having a conversation about how to change [the mission]...unless we're talking about how to draw down faster than anticipated in 2011."

Another revelation in the book is that the CIA has created a 3,000-member army of Afghan fighters -- a secret Afghan force that hunts down Taliban fighters and has crossed into Pakistan for covert operations.

U.S. National Public Radio says it has confirmed the existence of the secret Afghan force, with one U.S. official describing it as a paramilitary structure that operates in small units called Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams. That unidentified official is quoted as saying that it is one of the best Afghan fighting forces and had made major contributions to stability and security in the country.

RFE/RL has previously documented how U.S. Special Forces work with specially trained Afghan fighters to hunt down the Taliban and destroy their logistical support. What is new in Woodward's book is his description of secret Afghan teams working within Pakistan -- a revelation that could complicate relations between Washington and Islamabad.

'Let's Wait And See'

Nusrallah Stanekzai, a political analyst at Kabul University, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan today that the revelation also is likely to complicate diplomacy between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"I don't think the Afghan government would have agreed to a force that would operate on Pakistani soil," Stanekzai says. "But let's wait and see what is the reality. If any such force exists, I am sure Pakistan will have a negative reaction to it."

The access given to Woodward while researching his book also allowed him to document personality conflicts and rivalries between senior officials in Obama's administration.

The "New York Times' reported on September 22 that Woodward had quoted Biden criticizing the U.S. State Department's Pakistan and Afghanistan envoy Richard Holbrooke, calling him "the most egotistical bastard I ever met."

"The New York Times" today ran a correction on its website, saying the report "referred incompletely" to Biden's assessment. It says, "While Mr. Biden is indeed quoted as calling Mr. Holbrooke 'the most egotistical bastard I've ever met,' he also is quoted saying that Mr. Holbrooke 'may be the right guy for the job.'"

Excerpts also describe Petraeus -- who was praised for his surge strategy in Iraq -- as feeling shut out by Obama's administration. Woodward also quotes Petraeus as telling an aide that he considers Obama's senior adviser David Axelrod as "a complete spin doctor."

For its part, the White House says Woodward's book proves that Obama is a thoughtful and decisive leader.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters on September 22 that people should read Woodward's entire book when it comes out. He said readers would understand Obama's insistence on an exit strategy for Afghanistan as an important U.S. national interest -- ensuring that "if we have a way in, we have a way out."

written by Ron Synovitz, with agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/New_Book_Reveals_Disputes_In_Obama_Administration_Over_Afghan_War/2166293.html

Copyright (c) 2010. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.