Gates Defends Memoir: ‘It’s An Honest Account’

Former defense secretary Robert Gates stands for the presentation of the colors before speaking at the OSU Business Forum in Tulsa, Okla. Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Tulsa World, Mike Simons) ONLINE OUT; TV OUT; TULSA OUT
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This post has been updated.

Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates on Sunday defended his new memoir, for which he has been criticized for using the book to expose how President Obama and others approached foreign policy and military action.

“I think that it’s an honest account,” Gates said on “CBS Sunday Morning.” “People gave me a lot of credit when I was in office of being blunt and candid about what I felt about things. I could hardly be any less in writing the book.”

Some lawmakers, such as Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), have not taken issue with the content of the book itself, but with the timing of its publication — while the President is still in office. Gates said he didn’t feel that the timing was an issue at all.

“I didn’t think that waiting until 2017 to weigh in on these issues, and in a comprehensive and comprehensive way, made any sense,” he said.

Gates also said there was no issue talking about Obama’s concerns about how the U.S. approached the war in Afghanistan.

“My one concern was that over the course of 2010 and early 2011, the President began to have his own reservations about whether it would all work. And I think that’s not an unfair thing to say,” Gates said.

Correction: This post originally stated that the interviewed aired on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” The interview first aired on “CBS Sunday Morning.”

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