But just a little--and here's where I feel conflicted about this kind of memoir: although Robert Gates has left the Administration, the work is still on-going. In certain cases, I do wonder if revealing some of the inner workings and thought-processes of the players involved in our military, intelligence, and diplomatic agencies, isn't a bit like revealing our "tells" to a bunch of poker players. Things like pointing out that President Obama isn't optimistic about Afghanistan, and doesn't trust Afghan President Karzai, doesn't seem necessarily helpful when the US is still trying to work out a security pact with that government (although I would be astonished if Karzai did not already suspect as much)--isn't it unhelpful?
It just gives me a weird feeling, is all.
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It does seem as if Chelsea Manning is doing a life sentence for the same sort of thing.
Yas, if I were to interject a few differences, it would be that Gates is more aware of what he's revealing, and his motivations are a bit less idealistic than Manning's. That said, I think I have to say that the one thing I resent about what Manning did was the indiscriminate dissemination of intelligence. One one hand, she revealed some of the tragedy, injustice, and excess of our military exploits. But from a mission p.o.v., so much potential for a bravo foxtrot of leaked info without context or brief.
Gates on the other hand is a straight-up nonaccidental bravo foxtrot. I just don't copy on airing beefs without expecting fallout.
Oh, for sure.
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