You call this "Push Back"?

What is hard to understand are the reviews of Woodward's book, "Obama's Wars", speaking approvingly of how Obama "pushed back" on the Generals and civilian militarists advising him -- this based on concessions he won on paper which are totally unenforceable. Instead of giving the war makers everything they want immediately he'll just have to give them 80 percent down with the rest due when they report that "good progress has been made but we need to do more or all that we have accomplished so far will be wasted and Al Qaeda will be triumphant and a worse threat than ever". Who, except for the President, doesn't see that coming? Obama did not "push back" in any meaningful way. He only kicked and scratched a bit as the Generals pinned him to the floor.