U.S. President Barack Obama with General David Petraeus ,
the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan
September 23, 2010
"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.
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.