A Bob Gates Profile
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Foreign Policy, General Politics
Just read it already!
(h /t: Sully)
This entry was posted on Friday, November 10th, 2006 and is filed under Foreign Policy, General Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 10th, 2006 at 9:25 am
OMG, Mr. Gardner; I tried to read the link you gave, but it just went on & on waxing nostalgic towards his A & M days, I didn’t have time to finish. For the short of it check out D-Kos for his post. There’s also a good link in Slate.com, but I don’t have time now to find it, on my way out–sorry.
The short of it from Kos’ perspective is, surprise, they don’t like the appointment. He’s too much ‘Reagan era’, ex- cold war, inflexable conservative to make any changes that need be made.
Example; he was somehow ‘behind the 8 ball’ at the collapse of the Soviet Union that he didn’t see it coming and continued fighting it after they no longer existed ! Hope I’m not oversimplifying…
Anyway, gotta run, if anyone has anything else I’d appreciate it.
November 10th, 2006 at 11:01 am
From the article:
“I am an agent of change,� “If you don’t want change, you don’t want me.�
And that was just a university he was talking about.
After 20+ years in the department of defense, I can honestly say that this kind of attitude summons up a plethora of emotions (fear, joy and disdain to be exact.)
Fear, because I’m afraid he is going to make my job harder to do. Upper management has never understood the technology that makes everything work. They just view it as a magic black box that answers come out of. Ham handed and idiotic would be a good way to describe their edicts.
Joy, because corruption waste and incompetence is so common place that anyone who tries to clean it up is welcome.
Disdain, because I’ve seen so many managers and politicians come and go, all with their pet projects, and all being completely ineffective.
I wish him luck, but at this late a date in the war, he is walking into a real meat grinder. Hopefully he will focus on fighting the war, and not all the pie in the sky super toys the DOD seem to love buying.
November 10th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Interesting link from Boing Boing about Gates involvement in the Iran-Contra affair.
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/11/09/robert_gates_history.html
“Robert M. Gates has his own chapter in the official Iran-Contra affair court documents by independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh. “
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_16.htm
From the Independent Counsels report:
“Independent Counsel found insufficient evidence to warrant charging Robert Gates with a crime for his role in the Iran/contra affair. Like those of many other Iran/contra figures, the statements of Gates often seemed scripted and less than candid. Nevertheless, given the complex nature of the activities and Gates’s apparent lack of direct participation, a jury could find the evidence left a reasonable doubt that Gates either obstructed official inquiries or that his two demonstrably incorrect statements were deliberate lies.â€Â?
After reading the documents I am not happy that he is my new boss. Yet another ethically challenged Defense Secretary.
November 10th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Wow three pages and not one reference to Iran-Contra. I will admit I started skimming after I got bored.
November 11th, 2006 at 4:06 am
[...] I posted a lengthy profile about Robert Gates recently, but this one is much more relevant to the position he’s vying for. [...]