Written by Frank Li
What do Robert Gates and Paul O’Neill have in common? They both served under the American Presidents and they both published their own unfavorable book about a sitting President! For Gates, it’s Duty: Memoirs of A Secretary at War. For O’Neill, it was The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill.
Is each book an act of betrayal, as the media often portrays (Robert Gates’ Bombshell Book: Tell-all a betrayal of the president)? Yes, if you follow normal reasoning! No, if you can think intelligently in these difficult times. For example, if their books reveal that the Presidents they served had actually betrayed the country, then their act was an act of patriotism, right?
Let’s focus on one thing: war! Specifically,
1) President Bush on the war in Iraq.
2) President Obama on the war in Afghanistan.
According to O’Neill, Bush sought ‘way’ to invade Iraq from the start, which has turned out to be absolutely true (for example, read: Bush admits he targeted Saddam from the start). So forget about the false excuses like WMD! President Bush wanted Saddam by all means, even if it meant the death of thousands of American soldiers, causing the destruction of America, leaving us with tens of thousands of wounded American soldiers and $trillions in new debt!
According to Gates, Obama did not believe his own war strategy. In retrospect, that certainly seems to be true. President Obama opposes wars, and I agree with him overall. What was most disturbing was that he chose to escalate the war in Afghanistan in 2009 for no purpose other than his own re-election (read: For Obama the Road to Reelection Runs through Kabul), even if it meant the death of thousands of American soldiers, causing the destruction of America, leaving us with tens of thousands of wounded American soldiers and $trillions in new debt!
Getting re-elected ad nauseam – Both President Bush and President Obama were willing to do anything to get re-elected, even if it meant destroying America! For them, politics trumped everything, even what’s best for America (vs. for themselves)!
In short, both President Bush and President Obama committed crimes against the U.S. and humanity! For more, read: President Obama Continues To Get A Free Pass For His War Policies.
Read: Did Bob Gates’ New Book Just Trash His Golden Reputation? My answer is “No”! On the contrary, Mr. Gates is further proving himself to be a patriotic American!
Paul O’Neill might have been the first to “betray” a sitting President. Unless our political system is reformed, as I suggested (“The GOP Bible for 2016”), Robert Gates will not be the last to have done the same: betraying a sitting American President!