In my opinion, retaining Robert Gates is one of the most brilliant political moves of all time

[tritsofme]

The withdrawal from Iraq will be completed under a Republican, George Bush's Secretary of Defense.

This in effect makes the Iraq issue moot.

Republicans will be without their favorite "cut and run" line, because it will be George Bush's man overseeing it.

They won't be able to repeat their absurd Vietnam line that Democrats forced us to lose that war, because a Republican will be in charge of ending it.

Iraq is taken off the table as an issue that could potentially harm Democrats or the Obama administration.

Gates doesn't even get to keep his deputies! He is essentially a figurehead. Where is the downside again?

Republicans are screwn.

[MadMaddie]

1. and even more brilliant all of the deputies under Gates are

being removed by Obama.

Absolutely Brilliant!!

[tritsofme]

3. Yes , Gates essentially turns into a figurehead.

I'm actually rather surprised he has allowed himself to play pawn in Mr. Obama's chess game.

[anonymous171]

4. Yep. Gates can't abuse his position with Obama's people watching his every move.

Well played Obama, well played.

[MercutioATC]

2. And for any naysayers, Gates has to take direction from Obama.

It's not like Gates is running the show, he'll just be the one carrying out the mission...exiting Iraq.

[bigtree]

5. he's not going to be accepted by republicans as one of their own anymore

It's a mistake to believe that the new administration is somehow going to cause the republican obstructionists to drop their guard and hold hands with their Democratic counterparts. It doesn't matter to them who is standing in their way.

[ginnyinWI]

6. I wonder how Obama got him to stay on?

I thought I heard that he was "counting the days" until he would be out. Maybe Obama's offer gives him a chance to really prove himself with a better team?

[bigtree]

7. their first meeting was pretty weird

Gates first spoke with Obama about remaining on the job at a secret meeting inside the firehouse at Reagan National Airport, shortly after the president-elect met with President Bush last month at the White House. Aides to Obama never revealed that the airport meeting involved Gates.

"They pulled the trucks out so that our cars could go in," Gates said.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gates3-2008dec03,0,3549420.story

[liberalmuse]

9. I was wondering who Obama met with that day.

Interesting!

[liberalmuse]

8. My perception has been...

that Gates was likely one of the few sane people in the Bush Administration. He isn't so heinous. And he seems to actually be doing the job he was appointed for.

[BeFree]

10. And

... the truly progressive liberals have a nice, safe target to aim at (Gates) as we work to reign in defense spending.

Oh wait, there's none of those here, are there?

[bigtree]

13. we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that when it comes to Gates, the issue is militarism

. . . whether it's Iraq withdrawal, escalation of forces in Afghanistan, potential conflict with Iran or Syria, or any of the other issues affecting what the Pentagon does.

It's just convenient for some folks to dismiss all of those and pretend that it's just a game of gotcha to oppose Obama keeping the steward of Bush's 'surge' in place and retaining the man who delayed the last reduction of force in Iraq.

[BeFree]

15. Well

Most of those issues are political issues, dealt with by the civilians. And at least we have a seemingly pretty smart civilian as CiC.

But the administration of the defense budget, now that is Gates' job. Obama can pull out of everywhere and demand a lower defense budget, but Gates or a successor could waste away all that and more if done badly.

[bigtree]

16. There's a pretty large smokescreen being erected in front of Gate's past

. . . to prop him up in some way in which we can understand why Obama is keeping him on.

There are plenty of other people who could manage the defense budget who don't have a history of enabling the most corrupt militarists in the White House in our nation's history. We invaded a sovereign nation, destroyed and raped their land and resources, overthrew their government and installed a new one . . . and, in this phase of his republican career, Gates joined in, willingly escalating and prolonging the disaster.

[BeFree]

17. Yep

He did, and he does. But he did it at the behest of the civilians.

All you said is why, if we ever wanted to be effective against militaryism, we should attack Gates with whatever we can find, while also appreciating why Obama is keeping him on for a year. For one year we can attack him and the DOD and not piss off any but the most rabid warmongerers in the party. Its a win-win.

[bigtree]

18. fox in the henhouse

. . . and, it's only a win if he produces, not because of the results of some political game of pin the tail on the elephant.

[BeFree]

19. It's NOT personal...

..it is about the bloated defense budget and the waste and corruption.

Doesn't matter who's in there now, it is like a huge train rolling along. Gonna take a lot of brakes to stop it.

[John Q. Citizen]

11. Thank god. For a minute I thought they might just do the right thing. Now I get that it's a big

political game of got cha or didn't get cha.

I'm sure the dead and wounded will appreciate the Dems are screwing the Repos. After all, the dead and wounded care about that stuff even more than you or me.

[tritsofme]

14. I believe its naive to think that politics is anything more than a cynical game of "gotchas"

To inflate the egos of those who would call themselves our leaders.

But then I am a pretty cynical person myself when it comes to politics.

Any idealism I had left drown in the ashes Watergate and Iran/Contra.

If you don't play the game, you don't win.

Obama looks like a man who likes to play for keeps, and I haven't seen that in a Democrat for some time.

[John Q. Citizen]

26. Yeah, how did that work out for Johnson? And us? see, if we were harder on the guy earlier,

maybe he would have thought differently about what fucked us all up for a long time. Nam.

His war on poverty was for real. It had it's structural weaknesses but at the same time it actually succeeded amazingly well. So much so that every Repo and most Dems started a war on at least one or two things ever since Johnson.

[DonEBrook]

12. Well, considering it's what McCain would have done, yeah...

I guess.
:shrug:

[leftofthedial]

20. I beg to differ.

The shrewdest political move of recent times is Dick Cheney appointimg himself regent to king george. He and his cronies made tens of trillions of dollars--by far the biggest theft in history--and they got clean away with it. In fact, they aren't done yet!

[Zhade]

21. Very good points.

Obama is nothing if not very, very smart!

[Better Believe It]

22. And If And When Gates Turns On Obama What Will You Say?

Perhaps Gates may not like the direction Obama will take toward Cuba or some other nation.

Gates could resign and hammer away at Obama from the right.

"Obama has sold out America to the big oil communists in Venezuela who follow Castro's Cuba!"

[ACTION BASTARD]

23. Then, if the Iraq/Stan withdrawals are problematic then Gates gets the blame, and

if the withdrawals are successful Obama will look like a genius & a real bi-partisan. Gates does as he's told.

It's Win/Win for us. Gates is Obama's shield if things go FUBAR in IraqStan. Smart guy is this new CIC. Yes sir, smart guy.

[tritsofme]

24. Gates serves at the pleasure of the President.

And he has not shown any history of being outspoken ideologue as in your examples.

[arcadian]

25. Not likely

Gates is a token to all the hawks who are afraid our national security structure will crumble if we pull out of Iraq. Gates will likely only stay on from 4 to 8 months into Obama's first year.