The Obama administration is 鈥渂y far the most centralized and controlling鈥� since the Nixon White House, Gates says.
He describes laboring mightily to 鈥渞esist the magnetic pull exercised by the White House, especially in the Obama administration, to bring everything under its control and micromanagement.鈥�
Indeed, he writes, the 鈥渃ontrolling nature鈥� of the White House staff 鈥渢ook micromanagement and operational meddling to a new level.鈥�
That said, in one of the sometimes contradictory pivots that the defense secretary to two presidents makes frequently in his book, Gates adds that he had 鈥渘o problem with the White House driving policy鈥� since 鈥渢he bureaucracy at the State and Defense Departments rarely come up with big new ideas, so almost any meaningful change must be driven by the president and his National Security staff.鈥�
Even Gates, admired by both sides of the political aisle, had trouble getting things accomplished. He writes that 鈥渄espite everyone being 鈥榥ice鈥� to me, getting anything consequential done was so damnably difficult 鈥� even in the midst of two wars.鈥�
