Summary

Gates begins this chapter by saying that his highest priority as Secretary of Defense was to turn around the situation in Iraq. Previously he had been among the senior officials in the administration of President George H.W. Bush (hereafter Bush 41) who planned the Gulf War in 1991 and later realized a serious mistake had been made in not forcing Saddam out of office as part of the surrender. Just prior to his Defense appointment, Gates was part of a bipartisan Iraq Study Group that visited Iraq and found the situation very depressing. Impressions included the need to get the Iraqis services and jobs, the necessity of winning the Battle of Baghdad, the serious political challenges within the Iraqi government and a litany of economic, social, cultural and political weaknesses in the country. Gates left the group after his appointment and...