Bob Woodward’s latest book, *War*, is sure to stir up controversy with some eyebrow-raising details about how the Biden-Harris team has thrown the Obama administration under the bus over Ukraine. According to excerpts obtained by Axios and CNN, the book covers high-stakes discussions between Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where they allegedly pinned the blame on Obama for the chain of events leading to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The book delves into a private July 4th meeting in which Biden reportedly lamented Obama’s handling of Russia, particularly around the 2014 Crimea annexation. According to Woodward, Biden argued that Obama didn’t take Putin seriously enough back then, choosing sanctions over any real action. Now, Biden is left dealing with what he considers the fallout of Obama’s “diplomacy-only” approach. The Biden administration, in contrast, has expressed to the public that the ongoing conflict has significantly weakened Russia. Recent figures from DNI Avril Haines suggest that Putin has sustained enormous losses, with up to 200,000 casualties and a staggering $200 billion cost.
Woodward also brings up the oft-discussed bromance between Putin and Trump, which the Biden team apparently saw as another complicating factor. The book claims that Biden’s team believed, without evidence, that Trump and Putin may have spoken seven times post-Trump’s presidency, though Trump’s camp has dismissed this as fiction. Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, flat-out denied Woodward’s claims, calling them “made up stories.”
Of course, the book wouldn’t be complete without a glimpse into Obama’s own complicated relationship with Putin. Obama’s memoir, quoted by Woodward, captures his perception of Putin as a “ward boss” with nuclear weapons. Obama compared Putin to old-school political figures from Chicago, painting him as a shrewd, cold operator who sees manipulation and force as perfectly valid political tools. Obama’s description hints that while he may not have gone to war over Crimea, he certainly understood the type of adversary he was dealing with.
If *War* is anything like Woodward’s previous work, it’ll be filled with rich details and fly-on-the-wall insights, sure to fuel further debate over U.S. foreign policy missteps and whether Biden’s administration has learned from history or is doomed to repeat it. With Biden now rehashing grievances over Obama’s choices, it’s clear that the internal dynamics between Democratic administrations are anything but unified.
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