Robert Gates Unleashed: "What Are They Going To Do, Fire Me?"

TIME:

A few weeks ago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates trooped up to Capitol Hill to answer questions about the new Pentagon budget. This is an unseemly spectacle under the best of circumstances. Even reasonable members of Congress have been known to empretzel themselves shamelessly, attempting to defend weapons the Pentagon doesn't want or need, but which provide jobs for their constituents. Usually, they win, too. It is just too difficult for a Secretary of Defense to argue against shiny new weapons systems with subcontractors in 46 states, even if they are fantastically over budget and designed to counter a missile threat that the Soviets never perfected 30 years ago.

But this is a different year, and Gates is a different sort of Defense Secretary. He warned the legislators that each decision was "zero sum." Any money that went to things he didn't want would come out of programs necessary to support the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read the whole story: TIME

Comments

[StillAmused]

Heads will roll in Argentina, at the next gathering of Bush-Cheney alumni, for allowing THIS appointment to slip through!

[USMCDem]

Do they have a secret handshake and eat lots of brisket at those meetings?

[swan1]

I am liking him more and more every day.

[yeomalt]

He wants to raise military healthcare fees for people who already did 20 years in uniform.

This seems to be in conflict with The First Lady's effort (or words to that effect) to "support military families".

[ticonderoga]

FIRE HIM? That would be a great start.

[FearlessFreep]

If Obama had chosen a new man for Defence Secretary, I can't imagine anyone saying "He should have kept Gates."

[USMCDem]

Who? Volunteer some names. You seem to think Gates is some sort of lying devil, but you're not suggesting alternatives.

[Rog49Thomas]

"He warned the legislators that each decision was "zero sum." Any money that went to things he didn't want would come out of programs necessary to support the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."

This line of argument seems to be based on the clearly fallacious assumption that this Congress or others gives a rodent's posterior about our brave servicemen and women.

[NCYvonne]

No. It's based on the assumption that Congress wants us to *believe* they give a rodent's posterior about them.

Let them try to explain not funding the troops to fund some useless pork project.

[Rog49Thomas]

Most of "us" are convinced by a shiny flag lapel pin, a yellow ribbon and a mouth full of jingoistic slogans.

And all the while our troops suffer on the battlefield and when they come home.

You betcha!

[BlackYowe]

I like Gates he has guts!

[Pie7]

I concur!

[crablover]

I agree. It's good to see a SECDEF who knows what he's doing. He's in a difficult position - trying to placate both the military and congress. Unlike Rummy, however, Gates is willing to listen to the people he's supervising and ensure that they get the equipment they actually need.

Too many projects have been proposed and funded by congress, despite the fact that the military doesn't want or need those weapons systems! Politicians have one goal - to get re-elected and stay in power. Yet another reason why we need term limits.

[larry278]

Secretary of Defense Gates suggested the way to break the 111th Congresse's log jam re: Pres Obama's DOD funding proposals. "What are they [Obama or the 111th Congress] going to do-fire me.". Mr Gates needs to be fired now. Pres Obama must hire a new Secty of Defense which the public sees as loyal to Pres Obama & America's public. Secty Gates is an old, worn out, retread from W's time. Mr Gates bears the taint of being a Bushie. Taint has a number of meanings in American English. The ideological colors from Gates's service can't be washed or bleached out. Color Gates W. There are long-time Democrats who are qualified & willing to serve Pres Obama & the American people as Secty of Defense. Obama has had more than ample time to vet suitable Democrats. Fire Gates. Present your choice (a long-time Democrat) to the US Senate for their Advice & Consent. Your new choice to run DOD will be free of the taint of serving W.
Pres Obama, you reached across the aisle & picked Gates, a rotten lemon. Gates isn't trusted by the Armed Forces or the American people. Replace Gates at once or as he says, "...fire him...". That solves 1 vexing, gnawing problem.
Now, onto Treasurey, Tim, Larry & Ben must go at once.

[Coinyer101]

He needs to go back to the private sector and this job needs to be given to an actual professional Sec. of Defense.

[UncommonSenz]

You have spent a lot of time saying how awful he is, but have not said WHY you feel that.

Again I ask, what is it that Gates has done that make him so bad as SOD?

[tbone99]

He is is a veteran of the same-old course under George W. Bush. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will stay on under Obama, to finish the job he started after taking over from Donald Rumsfeld of repackaging the occupation of Iraq and escalating the war on Afghanistan.

Short of bringing back Rumsfeld or asking Dick Cheney to stick around, it's hard to think of an appointment more diametrically opposed to the promise of change that inspired tens of millions of people to vote for Obama.

[kevenseven]

He is actually pretty good as SecDef. Really quite moderate.

Possibly it is his succeeding Rummy that makes me OK with him, but what are you gonna do?

I think SecDef is the second hardest job to fill competently in the security bureaucracy, with Director Central Intelligence being the hardest.

[NCYvonne]

Initially I liked him because he wasn't Rumsfeld. Now, I like him because he's a d*** good SOD. Only someone blinded by ideology can't see that.

[FearlessFreep]

"Possibly it is his succeeding Rummy that makes me OK with him, but what are you gonna do?" Say you won't settle for second-worst.

[NCYvonne]

Professionals like McNamara, Cheny, Rumsfeld, Cohen, Brown? LOL.

We all know resume is more important than competence. That must explain why Stanton was probably the best Secretary of War this country has ever had. He was a trial lawyer who only managed to win the Civil War.

And a Democrat must never pick a Republican. Good thing FDR didn't know that when he selected Stimson, SOD during WWII.

Every one of your posts is more ridiculous than the last. And I didn't think that was possible.

[Tulka2]

It is difficult and almost impossible to turn away from empire and military culture especially in hard times, but this really looks like a step in the right direction.

Detroit tooled up at the start of WWII and had tanks rolling off the assembly line in five months. This time we need a reverse tooling away from industrial murder machines towards... oh? How about a transcontinental speedy passenger train system. Our worker would be happy to work on that. Same money from the Feds only this time we don't drop it in to an abyss and never see the benefit. We would actually have something for our federal money.

[crablover]

Good points. Too bad Bush didn't call for a rapid mobilization of our industrial power after 9/11 to do everything possible to starve out the terrorists and the countries that harbor and support them: the members of OPEC. I hate the fact that we fund the very people that want to destroy us.

As much as I want to believe that our elected representatives will stop financing more roads (which create even more sprawl and environmental damage) and really get behind high-speed rail and urban mass transit systems, the oil companies will just continue to exert their control through their political contributions and lobbyists.

[Tulka2]

Depends on how bad it gets. The silver lining to a horrible economy will be the the lean to the left and public works programs.

[Republicrats]

And yet the defense budget is still way too large, how about we actually cut some of it?

[Dustee]

With two wars going on, where would you like to see the cuts made?

[UncommonSenz]

He sounds just like the repubs who want to cut all social services, without ever explaining what they would cut.

California is about to see what "cuts" mean. It will be interesting to see how they react when these cuts are made... my guess is that it will be a tough pill to swallow.

Yes, the defense budget is loaded with waste- and that is precisely what Gates is trying to go after. But even with all that waste, saying "it should be smaller" without knowing what is funded properly, what is waste, and what is underfunded, is asinine.

[roudy]

For starters, drop both useless wars that we cannot "win" anyway.

[FearlessFreep]

How about ending the two wars?

[tbone99]

Gates came from the Carter, Reagan ,Bush I and Bush II administrations as well as Obama's. You might say presidents come and go but Gates stays on.

he has worked for the CIA , AF intelligence and helped Reagan with Iran Contra, His only loyalty is to undercover and military force to ensure the military industrial complex stays fed

[USMCDem]

Oh no! He worked in the CIA and the military! Is that part of the litmus test now? Should I leave the party because I served, and somehow helped feed this evil chimerical beast of the "military industrial complex"?

Take a breath. Gates is a non-partisan professional who seems to understand serving the men and women in the field is his main priority, while leaving politics for elected officials. How wonderful it would be were every appointed official to feel the same.

[kevenseven]

I think we need to give the job to a gardener or janitor. Perhaps somebody's pastry chef.

[FearlessFreep]

Lawrence Walsh devoted a whole chapter of his official report to Gates' dissembling. But I guess that's acceptable to you too.

[PrincipiaChamp]

I'm liking this guy! Go Gates!

[CindyKay]

Gates ROCKS!

[Coinyer101]

NCYvonne I'm a Fan of NCYvonne I'm a fan of this user permalink

Gates' views on the initial war are nothing compared to the intelligent, thoughtful and competent way he's handled it since becoming SOD.

Only a l0ser, l00ny, leftist extremist can't see that.
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NYCvonne-member since Feb. 2007 Fans- 25

Coinyer101-member since July 2008 Fans- 188

enough said. who is the l0ser,l00ny?

[UncommonSenz]

But the bottom line is that, aside from placing blame, it doesn't matter HOW we got here. We are here.

Using the litmus test of "did he get Iraq right" is FAR less important than competently dealing with the wars we are already in right now.

he is not beating the drum for Iran (or China or North Korea). He is not promoting the cold war mentality, which fritters away our treasury and fails those fighting hot wars right now. He is pragmatic. He is reasonable and smart.

ALL of those things are massively useful right now. maybe he was flat out wrong about Iraq, I honestly could not care less about that if he makes the right choices NOW.

[NCYvonne]

Oh, stop making sense, will ya????

This l00n doesn't care that Gates was a private citizen with ZERO clout and/or responsibilty for the Iraq war.

[PC Contrarian]

I absolutely agree.

[NCYvonne]

Robert Gates was a private citizen with no authority to do anything about the war when it started. He was a university professor.

But, l00ns like you have no clue.

[Coinyer101]

again with name-calling..., you are one sad individual. no wonder you are not well liked here.

[theone718]

My admiration for Gates and Clinton have skyrocketed since January. They truly are doing right for this country.