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Former defence secretary Robert Gates defends book as 'an honest account' Former defence secretary Robert Gates defends book as 'an honest account'
(35 minutes later)
The former defence secretary Robert Gates has said he does not regret anything that he wrote in his controversial new book and called the memoir "an honest account".The former defence secretary Robert Gates has said he does not regret anything that he wrote in his controversial new book and called the memoir "an honest account".
In Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, the former Pentagon chief under Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama raises questions about Obama's war leadership and harshly criticises Vice-President Joe Biden. In Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, the former Pentagon chief under Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama raises questions about Obama's war leadership and harshly criticises Vice-President Joe Biden. 
Gates's book accuses Obama and his top civilian advisers of lacking faith in their own strategy for conducting the war in Afghanistan and says Obama “can’t stand” the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. Gates also questions Biden's foreign policy credentials and remarks upon Hillary Clinton's political motivations.Gates's book accuses Obama and his top civilian advisers of lacking faith in their own strategy for conducting the war in Afghanistan and says Obama “can’t stand” the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. Gates also questions Biden's foreign policy credentials and remarks upon Hillary Clinton's political motivations.
He wrote that Biden had been “wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades”.
On Sunday, Gates told CBS that people credited him with being blunt and candid while he was in the cabinet and that "I could hardly be any less in writing a book".On Sunday, Gates told CBS that people credited him with being blunt and candid while he was in the cabinet and that "I could hardly be any less in writing a book".
He also said that how some were looking at the book reflected the country's polarised political process.He also said that how some were looking at the book reflected the country's polarised political process.
"The way people are looking at the book reflects the polarisation of our political process at this point," he said. "A lot of people – not everybody – [are] going to look at this book in terms of how does it advance [their] particular political agenda, or how does it damage [their] political agenda.”
Gates added that he did not think that waiting until 2017, after the next presidential election, to weigh in on important issues "made any sense".Gates added that he did not think that waiting until 2017, after the next presidential election, to weigh in on important issues "made any sense".
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