US defence chief confirms plans to quit

[maddezmom]

Source: AFP

AFP

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates confirmed on Monday plans to leave office next year, saying he first wanted to make sure the start of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan is on track.

"I think that by next year I'll be in a position where - you know, we're going to know whether the strategy is working in Afghanistan," Gates said in an interview with the American magazine Foreign Policy.

"We'll have completed the surge. We'll have done the assessment in December. And it seems like somewhere there in 2011 is a logical opportunity to hand off."



Read more: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/us-defence-chief-confirms-plans-to-quit-20100816-12752.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. I recommended this. It didn't register, as someone unrec'd it as I rec'd.

Can't imagine a DEMOCRAT wanting to see _Bush's Defense choice remain at this position. Jesus H. Christ.

[tomp]

3. he is also obama's defense choice. obama totally owns it now.

though it was bipartisan all along, as are all our wars.

[stevenleser]

5. No, he doesnt. Nixon did not own Vietnam even though he escalated. etc. etc.

You keep trying to push this bullshit meme. It says a lot more about you than it does about Obama.

[Hawkowl]

18. But Nixon owned Cambodia

Does that mean Obama now owns Pakistan?

[harun]

22. +1

[stevenleser]

28. -1 for not recognizing the historical inaccuracy

[stevenleser]

27. Nope, that was started under Bush too. Next? n/t

[tomp]

23. well, what can i say...

...oh i know....WRONG!!!!

nixon was at the very least, part owner of vietnam, along with kennedy, johnson, and both parties. don't know how any sane person could see it otherwise.

[stevenleser]

29. No, YOU are wrong and revising history. NO ONE says Nixon owns/owned Vietnam

That is more bullshit you are pushing, trying to revise history to support your ridiculous anti-Obama agenda.

Can you be any more transparent? You aren't fooling anyone.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[No Elephants]

36. Nixon owns every death, injury and dollar from his Inauguration forward.

So did Eisenhower. So did Kennedy. So did Johnson. And, yes, so did Nixon. Especially because he, like Johnson, escalated. Saying otherwise is simply untrue.

[stevenleser]

41. Here is a test. Can you find any sentiment anywhere, pre-Obama, that voices this?

I'll save you the time, the answer is No. This is all new stuff, a historic revisionism created to support the anti-Obama agenda of some.

[ronnie624]

33. Exactly.

'Bipartisan' equals two sides of the same coin.

[SoxFan]

40. Taking cues from the RNC? Classy!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20009569-503544.html

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele suggested at a Connecticut fundraiser that Afghanistan is "a war of Obama's choosing" despite the fact that it began years before the president took office.

As criticism of his comments grew Friday, Steele issued a statement saying that he supported the U.S. troops, but did not address his factual mistake.

Steele also said of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan: "This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."

[msongs]

2. plenty of time to replace him with yet another bush republican? nt

[bossy22]

4. actually no...the favorite to replace gates is Michèle Flournoy

an obama appointee

[Judi Lynn]

17. Didn't know. Thanks. Here's her Wiki for others who don't know anything about her background:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mich%C3%A8le_Flournoy

[ronnie624]

34. Thanks for posting.

She donated money to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She'll doubtless blend right in with this crowd.

[No Elephants]

37. Gates is an Obama appointee, too.

[zipplewrath]

6. Should leave before December

Let the successor come in and determine whether the strategy is working, not the guy that sold the strategy to begin with.

[NewJeffCT]

7. I thought Gates would stay on a bit longer to attempt

to use a Republican (Gates) in an attempt to trim the defense budget in an "Only Nixon could go to China" sort of way. I don't know any Democrat cutting the defense budget that wouldn't make Republics and the media freak out - maybe Sam Nunn?

[bossy22]

11. not to mention democrats

freaking out too. i can't see gene taylor and ike skelton sitting down quitely when it came to proposed cuts. The truth is that both parties in general "love" large military expenditures. Whatever cuts will come will come in the form of operational expenditures (spending on the wars) and in growth of the base budget. There probably won't be any overall cuts to the base budget itself- even obama has said that he is content with small real growth in the buget each year (1-2% over inflation). this would put it on track to have the smallest increases than most other parts of the discretionary budget (which increases about 3% every year)

[NewJeffCT]

14. Agreed - it's both parties

Look at how hard Gates & Obama had to fight to just cut one friggin' defense program that the Pentagon did not even want! (Something related to one of the new Joint Strike Fighters, I believe)

[bossy22]

16. the second engine for the JSF

and it looks like they may lose the fight afterall. I read somewhere that over 6 million american jobs are related to U.S. defense spending; if thats true you won't see either party jumping to make cuts anytime soon

[No Elephants]

38. You're still thinking about basing Democratic conduct on what people, esp, Republicans, might say?

[ProSense]

8. Gates wants to retire in 2011

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Defense Robert Gates is expected to leave his post in the spring of 2011, a senior administration source told CNN on Monday.

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Gates wants to retire some time next year. Gates was quoted in an article in the magazine Foreign Policy published Monday saying he wanted to step down before the end of 2011.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said references in the article to Gates' desire to retire next year "accurately reflect the secretary's thoughts."

According to the senior administration official, Gates privately promised President Barack Obama he would not leave the Cabinet in 2010 in order to maintain stability at the Pentagon while more U.S. forces are heading to Afghanistan.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/16/gates.retirement/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

9. He CAN'T retire yet- he's not 95 years old!

Isn't that how old the rest of us have to be now before retiring? What is he, anyway? Special or something???????

[ixion]

10. He has been a faithful servant to the MIC, and he will be rewarded handsomely

is my bet.

[bossy22]

12. where do you get your info????

Gates has been one of the MIC's worst nightmares- pushing fixed price contracts, trimming weapon sysmtems and pushing for cost efficiencies. No matter who is in the secdef position, they will have to deal with the defense industry- because without the defense industry- the military has no weapons (unless you want to go back to the gov't arsenal days)

[ixion]

13. Yeah, that's why the defense budget went up...

He's playing his role, nothing more.

[bossy22]

15. most increases went to pay for rising personel costs

such as healthcare, salaries and benefits. When you increase salaries every year by 5% ofcourse you are going to need increases. Also we keep increasing our maintnence budget, SO WE DO NOT HAVE TO BUY NEW EQUIPMENT.

actually FY10-11 change in procurement spending was -1.8%

[stevenleser]

30. There ya go posting facts again. You interrupted a perfectly good MIC conspiracy rant with empirical

data. That's not fair you know!

;-)

[JDPriestly]

19. Leaving in time to help the next Republican candidate for the presidency.

Gates is another one of Obama's horrible decisions.

[lonestarnot]

20. Adios! Warmonger!

[Hubert Flottz]

21. Another Bushy Boy I'll be glad to see gone.

[mdmc]

24. bye bye bad rubbish

[jaysunb]

25. Enter Wes Clark

The 5 year exclusion is up. :thumbsup:

[KewlKat]

26. As much as I'd like to see Wes in that job

I doubt he'd consider it now as he's on so many corp boards, etc. I think he's truly enjoying speaking his mind and making money these days.

[DFLforever]

31. It's been good having a Secretary of Defense

who has had some success in controlling the military. I hope we can find another one.

[lonestarnot]

39. Oh yeah ugh hugh. Keep the war machine greased. It's been lovely.