“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.

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.