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Robert Gates has a doctorate in Russian and Soviet history and has worked under eight presidents. Gates served for 26 years in in the CIA and NSC, and under Bush I became Director of Central Intelligence. After leaving the CIA he became president of Texas A&M University, leaving there to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. Author Gates then spent four and a half years as Secretary of Defense under both Presidents Bush and Obama. His memoir, 'Duty,' details decision making in both those administrations. While Gates didn't keep a diary himself, he was able to draw upon 40 books of notes by Geoff Morrell, former ABC White House correspondent who was Pentagon press secretary at the time. What's surprising about Gates' book is that, after a lifetime of keeping personal opinions to himself, he's so candid now. Obama is described as 'the most deliberative president I worked for,' and 'refreshing and reassuring' in his structured approach to decision-making, while Bush II as impossible to dissuade from convictions he held about Iraq. As for Afghanistan vs. Obama, gates contends that while there was no doubt about the president's support for the troops, Obama also suspected he was being 'gamed' by the military into supporting their requests. Thus, Obama was in the position of not trusting General Petraeus - his commander there, disliking Afghanistan's president Karzai, feeling the war wasn't his, and primarily simply wanting to get the U.S. military out of there. Hillary Clinton, though 'smart, idealistic but pragmatic, tough-minded,' disappointed Gates with her admitting her opposition to the 2007 Iraq surge was based on her assessment of domestic politics in her ill-fated run for the presidency. (Gates also notes that Obama did likewise.) Unfortunately, while Gates found Obama's decision-making approach laudable, he also found the president ill-served by some key advisors (eg. V.P. Joe Biden, Samantha Power - a 'humanitarian interventionist' on the national security staff, Tom Donilon - national security advisor, Denis Mcdonough - WH chief of staff, Ben Rhodes - deputy national security adviser). Neither Bush I nor Obama had good relationships with Congress or worked to establish 'close personal relationships with other world leaders.' More worrisome, to Gates, was the fear that Israel and Saudi Arabia would push Bush I into either direct war with Iran or supporting Israeli 'unilateral' action. (This was after also pointing out that Bush's Afghanistan strategy was 'historically naïve. As for his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld - a man who prided himself on excellent leadership skills, Gates saw 'amazing bungling after the initial military success (in Iraq).' Gates is more pointed in his criticisms of the $700 billion/year Pentagon - for example, the various services pursuing their own interests, even if this including pursuing technology systems unable to communicate with each other. But Congress, unsurprisingly, gets the worst ink of all - 'broad dysfunction,' 'truly ugly,' 'most of Congress as uncivil, incompetent at fulfilling their basic constitutional responsibilities, micro-managerial, parochial, hypocritical, egotistical, thin-skinned, and prone to put self before country.' As for himself and why he retired from the job, Gates cites the emotional toll brought upon himself from visiting the wounded, writing individualized condolence letters, signing orders sending units overseas.' Obama's sudden decision to implement 'don't ask, don't tell,' his inability to trust that the administration would hold to agreements, the sense that 'discussions in the Situation Room allowed no room for discriminating analysis,' a sense that both Biden and Obama were unnecessarily distrustful of the military, and the feeling that others were trying to do his job also grated on the secretary. In fact, he flat out admits he 'did not enjoy being Secretary of Defense.' Nonetheless, he fought for the troops - buying mine-resistant vehicles over the objections of some generals, forcing the Air Force to scale back plans to buy high-tech fighter jets and boost spending on surveillance drones, and insisting that every wounded soldier would receive treatment w/I an hour of injury - when military doctors said two hours was good enough. Gates also lobbied for the Iraq surge and helped sustain Republican support for its implementation, as well as McChrystal's request for a similar surge in Afghanistan. Perhaps most importantly - 'Too many ideologues call for U.S. force as their first option.' Gates is referring to individuals on both sides of the isle. Regardless, then-Ambassador Ryan Crocker (Iraq), per Gates, is proving prescient in predicting a humanitarian disaster on the scale of Rwanda . . . open the way to al Qaeda to return to ungoverned spaces . . . and open the way for Iran' if the U.S. left Iraq. It doesn't look any better in Afghanistan either. It also seems like Robert Gates was involved in a number of wars - with the Obama Administration, Congress, and top military leaders, and always fighting for the troops.