Summary

In Chapter 9, Gates describes his early experiences in the Obama administration, where he felt like an outsider at first since he did not share the longstanding relationships many of the other high-level officials had. He was also older than most, including Obama, and found generational differences. He describes Vice President Joe Biden as down to earth, a man of integrity and impossible not to like, but Gates says he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue for the past 40 years. He speaks highly of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom he calls idealistic but pragmatic, smart, tough-minded, indefatigable, and funny. Other important figures were CIA Director Leon Panetta, director of national intelligence Dennis Blair, and the White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who had a reputation for wanting everything done immediately...