In defiance of traditional party labels, Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, may ask the defence secretary of President George W Bush to stay on if he wins the White House.
Obama’s top foreign policy and national security advisers are pressing the case for keeping Robert Gates at the Pentagon after he won widespread praise for his performance. The move would be in keeping with Obama’s desire to appoint a cabinet of all the talents.
After appealing for unity with former rival Hillary Clinton and her supporters and big donors last week, Obama, 46, is turning his attention to wooing Republicans and independent voters who may be concerned that he lacks the experience to be trusted with America’s defence.
Richard Danzig, an adviser to Obama on national security and a former navy secretary, said: “My personal position is Gates is a very good secretary of defence and would be an even better one in an Obama administration.”
Really, he’s done such a great job? How’s Iraq and Afghanistan working for you? And we’ve got Iran on a backburner. Is that the definition of a successful Defense Secretary? Let’s not forget how thrilled we all were with his nomination to begin with.
And I’ve heard some say that this is a way to take some of the wind out of the GOP sails by having a Republican at Defense, but did that keep the GOP from going after Bill Clinton with William Cohen in his Cabinet? I didn’t think so. Frankly, considering how badly they’ve screwed up over the last 8 years, I’d think keeping a Republican as far away from the Pentagon would actually be a much smarter tactic.
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well he’s got Madeliane “500 thousadn Iraqi children dead was worth it” Allbright on his foreign policy team, one more mass murdering liar won’t do any harm.
actually, gates appears to be blocking an attack on iran.
Keeping Gates on as Secretary of Defence would be a confirmation of “Bush’s third term” on the central issue Obama ran on in the primaries, Iraq.
Ok, which number major Flip-Flop is this in so many weeks for Obama? 5? 10?
linda @ 2:
And that fact alone shows how bad things have got, ROBERT GATES, is perceived as a sane person :(
Gates seems to have a handle on the situation and he seems to be just following orders from the top and doing his best to keep Bush from going to crazy on Iran and the rest of the world. I think this move would be a telling one by Obama that he values experience over party affiliation which is something I think the American people can appreciate. Unless Gates drums up anything before the elections I don’t see this as a bad rumor.
Personally i think Bill Gates is probably the best Republican in Bush’s Cabinet. The proof lies in the fact that he has not yet fucked things up beyond all repair. This, of course, does not qualify him for the job.
linda @ 2:
I read that too.
Keeping Gates through a transition doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. Remember Gates came in after Rumsfeld finally left and if there has been any progress in Iraq, it’s been under Gates rule. To toss Gates out immediately would probably be tough on whomever would replace him. It will take time to see what is in the works and what if any plan there might be.
Up until now Gates has had to do whatever bush (read cheney) has ordered him to do. I think things would be a hell of a lot better with a President Obama at the wheel.
Bring Fox Fallon back and give it to him.
CD @ 5:
I agree with the points you made. Keeping Gates on isn’t necessarily a such bad move. Besides, he has been in that position long enough that he has experience concerning what is currently going on and about the status of the military in general. He could be a good asset for Obama at least for the short term.
CD @ 5:
I agree, CD. Let’s wait and see how this plays out. And, Cheney hates him - a plus.
How about at some time, handing that job to Jim Webb?
Today bush signed the new GI bill and he thanked the senators who had made it possible. He named them all and lastly he named McCain.
Obama’s charisma and his promises of change got him the nomination. Now that he has that in the bag he is flaunting his real thoughts…first agreeing with FISA saying he would watch it carefully. All that means is he is just as power hungry as the rest and the hell with the constitution. Now this surfaces, there are a lot of supporters who are sitting on the fence watching. We have a little longer to make our decision and if the past couple of weeks have been any indication of his new found power his supporters will defect by the thousands. I will not vote for another power hungry control freak. The Libertarian party is looking better and better.
Wouldn’t it be a surprise to both the Democrats and the Republicans if the Libertarians ended up taking over. At the rate he is disappointing his supporters Obama is pointing us in that direction.
Exactly. What’s so great about him? and it’s a concession to the meme that Republicans are better on defense. Being better than Rumsfeld and not wanting war with Iran is not a good enough reason to keep him.
Republicans turn the Department of Defense into the Department of Offense. Pre-emptive wars we pay for with blood and treasure so they and their corporate and big oil cronies can get rich resulting in making America less safe because we are stretched too thin to handle a real threat.
I agree, keep the Republicans far away from the Pentagon.
andy @ 1:
Actually what she said in an interview:
Leslie Stahl: “We have heard that a half million children have died (as a
result of sanctions against Iraq). I mean, that is more children than died
in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?”
Madeleine Albright: “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price, we
think the price is worth it.”
Just as reprehensible. I also heaerd her say, “That is the price we have to pay.”
Half a million children and she can justify it.
I’m betting that after having to do battle with cheney all this time, Gates probably wants out ASAP.
Once again the Democrats are trying to outdo the reptiles by revealing that they are actually also reptiles.
In a reptile to reptile battle, a reptile will always win.
If this is true, then Change is starting to look more and more like The Same Old Thing.
Yep, Obama’s starting to show hs true face now that he’s feeling like he’s got the presidency locked up.
My personal take on Obama:
He’s not too unlike Hillary Clinton, John McCain, George Bush and all the rest of the crowd that needs to be ran out of DC on a rail. Just wait, he’s gonna do other things before the election that will completely outrage liberals who supported him to begin with. Obama’s just a bunch of theatrics, like any other Beltway member. It’s sad, but a new group of people (liberals) have fallen for his shtick, like the conservatives fell for Bush hook line and sinker.
Keep him on into the early part of the term and transition him out. Then we keep it clean.
Change? or Changiness?
StirFry @ 20:
Yup. Replace him with Webb asap.
Just a little walk down memory lane regarding “Dr. Gates”….
Anyone remember the trial of Clark Clifford over the B.C.C.I. scandal?
When Gates testified I’ll never forget what he said about B.C.C.I.:
“It was known among intelligence circles as The Bank of Crooks and Criminals International.”
God help us.
pissed off patricia @ 11:
great idea, that way we won’t have to worry about doing anything about violence against women in the military.
Ruthless People @ 14:
But Gates was not involved in the run up to the Iraq invasion. He can’t start a war, all he can try to do is manage the hell bush and the administration made out of this one.
Way back when, before the US invaded Iraq, bush’s dads old friends tried to talk bush out of invading Iraq. If my memory serves me correctly, Gates was one of those men.
dcblogger @ 21:
Changiness is important for a smooth tansitioness.
It’s not only the Repubs and Independs that he needs to convince. There are Democrats out there who are also concerned about his lack of experience. The only “change” I see him doing right now is turning into a republican. I hope that all the people who fell for his smooth talk are feeling very stupid right now. Or at least ashamed of yourselves.
about Robert Gates
Bud @ 27:
Just for you i will feel stupid and ashamed.
Can i go to the bathroom now?
He gets a qualified plus. He is head and shoulders above any other person in the entirety of the chimps occupation of the white house. If you HAD to pick one….but that is a very important position to leave in GOP hands. I’d send him back to Texas.
OT, Obama is giving a speech on patriotism.
dcblogger @ 28:
He is qualified to fool Americans, that’s for sure.
I’m sure this is just a stroking of the right, kind of like saying “Hillary would be on anybody’s short list” as VP. Compared to Rummy, Gates is a rocket scientist.
dcblogger @ 28:
Indeed! A better bushie is still a bushie!
B-b-but I thought Bush got everything wrong in the Iraq War because of his poor judgement and that the whole purpose of Obama’s run for the presidency was to “change” all of that?
“What we’ve done over the last eight years does not work.” - Barack Obama, this month.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITI.....index.html
Sooooo…..now Bush’s appointment of Gates as Secretary of Defence WAS the result of good judgement and his policies HAVE worked for some of the last eight years?
Bud @ 27:
Not a bit of it.
I tend to agree with the idea of keeping Gates on through the transition at least. He may say “…not only no, but hell no.” Gates has had his ups and downs over the years between his CIA work, Iran-Contra, etc.
I think, though, that he’s a smart guy who must want to serve the country. Why else would he take the job he has now? He’d have to know the shit he was going to have to wade through courtesy of the Big Dick Cheney. And I cannot believe he’s as bug fuck crazy as Rumsfeld. Let him transition, thank him for his decades of service, and let him then retire peacefully. If Sen. Obama wants a republican, maybe Chuck Hagel could work out.
It’s a little soon to worry about it. Let’s get President Obama elected first.
Biggus Diggus @ 33:
hopefully, this is a lie to disarm the media.
I do remember Bill Clinton keeping on people from ghwb. I thought that was a mistake. Look at Greenspan.
not a good idea.
In fact, only the public execution of Bush’s entire Cabinet will start America’s badly needed healing process.
pissed off patricia @ 25:
No matter what I think about Gates, I can’t say that he isn’t qualified. In fact, just about everyone that Obama has picked in his Foreign Policy Panel are equally as qualified in my opinion. Obama is one sharp man. He isn’t picking Michael Brownes to fill posts thats for sure.
Obama’s Foreign Policy Panel:
http://www.informationclearing.....e20127.htm
I really think it’s just something Obama is throwing out there to assure those people at the center who question his defense credentials that he really is a pragmatic reasonable guy and that he’s not a complete lefty revolutionary when it comes to the country’s defense.
Supporting FISA, now this?
All part of Obama’s “move to the center”?
Bad move.
I’m kind of surprised obama didn’t wait until after the election to start this stuff but I guess he’s just trying to let the folks in big oil know he’s more than willing to bend over to keep things exactly the way they are.
this isn’t a bad move. if you’ve watched gates on c-span at hearings and briefings, he actually makes sense, isn’t a warhawk, and understands what’s going on in afghanistan and pakistan and the need to shift resources there from iraq. the marginal (and i stres MARGINAL) improvements in iraq have all been under his watch. plus, defense secretary is a glamourized position, anyway. they just follow the pres’s orders most of the time and serve as the fall guy when things get effed up…
pissed off patricia @ 7:
ditto, both of you…
if only for a little while - a reward, maybe, IF he can keep the criminals from attacking iran…
i hope he can keep it up because he does seem to be the only one to stop it… so far…
EJG @ 12:
With Bob “We Just Saved The Treasury From Being Raided” Barr as their nominee? Are you daft?
All is relative. Gates has done a spectacularly better job than his predecessor and he inherited his wars Nicole. Has he done a good enough job to earn a spot in Obama’s cabinet? Let’s talk about the alternative candidates first.
what is the point, no matter what happens this election cycle is a blow. we had to choose between Clinton a known insider
triangulator and Obama the stealth insider triangulator. Focus on next cycle and getting progressives elected.
I’m no fan of Gates, but I don’t think the guy’s doing a bad job. Face it, he was given a horrible mess with Iraq and Afghanistan.