Gates: If I Knew Who Leaked, 'That Would Probably Be A Career Ender'

The New York Times:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is normally a mild-mannered man, at least in public, but he unleashed a torrent on his plane on Thursday morning about leaks during the investigation of the Foot Hood shootings and President Obama's deliberations on sending more American troops to Afghanistan.

First, his comments on the president's meetings regarding Afghanistan. "I have been appalled by the amount of leaking that has been going on in this process,'' Mr. Gates told reporters en route to a Wisconsin factory that is churning out thousands of armored trucks manufactured specifically for the rough terrain of Afghanistan.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[madisonhack]

Didn't Bush say he would fire the people that leaked Valerie Plame's identity? I guess that didn't include Cheney and Libby.

Why should we trust Bush's appointee here to sanction anybody for leaks?

[Phil Waste]

I think it is time for a clean sweep from the top down at the Pentagon.

[Phil Waste]

I have to ask at the risk of being called conspiracy theorist “Did the military allow the attack in Fort Hood to happen to gin up the war fever?”

We won’t know how much the Pentagon knew about his activities for weeks but I for one will be watching each disclosure with growing interest. To date there have been so many new discoveries about how much the military and FBI knew about the killer that it boggles the mind to think they left him in place working with returning soldiers with PTSD.

I certainly hope the Pentagon doesn’t put the blame for all this on some enlisted man like they did with Abu Ghraib debacle.

I want to see heads roll for this one and I mean head with hats with stars on them.

[jsarets]

I suspect the leaks are coming from National Security Adviser Jim Jones. He's playing the role of Colin Powell in this episode and trying to do a better job of it. Although I wouldn't put it past Obama to order the leaks himself if he feels like the Pentagon is painting him into a corner.

[audit]

WIthout the leaks, how would the administration know which plan to choose? How about calling them "trial balloons" instead of leaks.

[skepticalindenver]

Obama needs to read less of Lincoln and more of Truman. Some Generals need to be relieved of their commands....big time. The military (or members within it) should not try to dictate policy....that is our nation's great strength.

[madisonhack]

Lincoln fired plenty of generals during the Civil War. Finally, he found the right guy for the job....a drunk that wanted to kick some southern butt.

[springsm]

Leaks are done so deliberately and have a meaning. I expect that Gates knows where they are originating and if not, could find out in a nano second. But whomever, they really do need to be curtailed. I believe in transparency but there is a time when the world shouldn't know our secrets.

[NOPARTYOFNO]

i LOVE our PRESIDENT!!!

we must all support robert gates and our prezzie!!

we must all clean up the mess bushie boy left for us! i dont know about you guys but im fired up and ready to go! yes we can!

-NOPARTYOFNO
"this mom is fired up and ready to go! yes we can!"

[blues101]

I like your enthusiasm - you're either new or i missed a sarcasm. it's hard to read into that sometimes!

[blueskybigstar]

The leaks came out too early before they had proper time to cover things up.

I guess Gates feels that gov works better when the people have no idea exactly what the people who really are in charge are doing, the little people who think they have a democracy, which depends completely on accurate information. I guess things really worked out for Gates and our country when we did not know about his involvement in IranContra.

[cookiejar422]

snitches get stitches

[mcantwell]

I'm sorry, but I do not believe Gates. He knows exactly who leaked the report to Bob Woodward.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/27/797636/-Stan-McChrystals-Flying-Circus

[Coinyer101]

I wish they'd replace him and appoint Wes Clark to sec. def. ......,

[jade7243]

Just say "no" to Wes Clark.

[Rangergirl]

Loose lips sink ships........I hope they figure out who is leaking the information....They are probablly the leftovers from Bush...They don't have any Loyalty to President Obama.....

[blues101]

Pardon my ignorance in advance, but isn't gates a leftover shrubbie?

[DnDCfromChi-town]

Gates is a prime example of putting country first, Bush cronies never did

[MakersMark]

Good for you Gates, I've been saying the leaker should be gone awhile now. I think the leakers are loyal to the Bushies. They need to go!

[jingles32]

co-sign!

[msgirlintn]

Ditto.

[Mnemanth]

"Everybody ought to shut up."

Yes, yes. God forbid anyone know what's up. And God forbid anyone ask any questions.

What country is this guy living in? This is the United States, little man.

[DnDCfromChi-town]

r u serious, the military is different than civilian life... Why would you want to put our troops at risk?

[msgirlintn]

Seriously? The President deserves the right not to have everything played out in the press. I wish Bush had taken time to think about the consequences of his actions.

[TabysGrandma]

You must never have served in the military. There are some things the public does not need to know. There is a thing called: "Need to Know", if you did not need to know, you didn't. People want to much information and remember with cable news seen around the world, our enemies will know what we are planning, which will put our troops at risk.

[dagnew]

Everybody ought to shut up until they know exactly what they're talking about. Look at how many stories we've read right here on HufPo about what the president has decided to do about Afghanistan, and he has yet to decide anything! It seems that everybody is wanting their 15 minutes. We are being bombarded with more misinformation than factual information. Alot of this misinformation could get be a huge detriment to our troops and our security. Fact-checking seems to be obsolete.