Gates: U.S. to be highly cautious in launching pre-emptive strike

[bemildred]

Source: Haaretz

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"I think one of the biggest lessons learned in this is, if you are going to contemplate preempting an attack, you had better be very confident of the intelligence that you have," Gates told PBS. "I think that the lessons learned with the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction and some of the other things that happened will make any future president very very cautious about launching that kind of conflict or relying on intelligence."

Gates said that any future strike will first and foremost be predicated on the threat level to the continental U.S.

"(All future presidents are) going to ask a lot of very hard questions, and I think that hurdle is much higher today than it was 6 or 7 years ago," Gates told PBS.

The defense secretary's comments come on the heels of conflicting U.S. intelligence assessments of Iran's nuclear capabilities.


Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070577.html

[BeFree]

1. So

Something good did come out of the bush error?

Now intelligence is going to be studied a little closer?

And future presidents aren't just gonna shoot from the hip?

Well, I'll be....

[Ohio Joe]

2. No, I don't think so

I think this is something we already knew, Bush simply chose to ignore it (as well as the evidence). It appears we are simply going to once again go back to using some more common sense then we have the last eight years.

[BeFree]

3. Well

Our history belies your observation.

I'm thinking of several historic attacks by the US that didn't quite live up to your high expectations.

Gates, as a deep insider, is protecting the MIC as best he can. Here he provides a BS filled "... it won't happen again" plea to save the money flow.

Thing is, if bushco didn't have a large standing army we would have never invaded Iraq, eh?

[No Elephants]

4. Oh, please. Bushco got the intelligence it demanded.

[closeupready]

5. You can drive a truck through that loophole.

Not reassuring.

[Piewhacket]

6. Spin Spin Spin.... what a POS

preemptive war, a million dead on a lie.
asking questions? that should have been done THEN.

What needs to happen NOW is to HANG some war criminals.

thats what will slow the next warmonger down long
enough to ask and answer some tough questions.

[Zhade]

10. INDEED.

NT!

[Solly Mack]

7. Das Phooey

[Zhade]

8. IT WASN'T A MISTAKE. THEY. FUCKING. LIED!

They cherry-picked the intelligence. Powell LIED to the UN.

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Preemption should be OFF the table already - USA has plenty of defenses

.
.
.

Just cuz my neighbor don't like me and I know he has guns is no reason to go over and shoot him/her . . .

matter of fact

Iraq DIDN'T have said guns - seven years later . .

we all know what a mess the USA made/is making over there

BUT THEY BUILT ONE HUMONGOUS FUCKING EMBASSY!!

And dozens of USA military bases . .

USA has NO plans of leaving . .

ever .....

(sigh)

[EFerrari]

11. Another war criminal speaks.

[pinniped]

12. Looks like Mr. Cautious just blew up some more people in PK.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_missile_strike;_ylt=AkSPvJ_.dC6bT5DtPIg2fBNvaA8F

I don't know why the President's keeping this * cronie on board.