(March 2, 2009 - Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images AsiaPac)
On board a plane, on his way to Tokyo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters that a decision on troop deployment cannot wait on the results of the Afghan election. The comments triggered a firestorm of speculation that the Secretary and other administration officials may not be entirely on the same page with the President and his decision to continue stalling the process of making a decision on Afghanistan with meetings and deliberation.
I have to say that I am quite proud of Bob on this one. He was caught in an recently uncharacteristic moment of honesty, and was finally willing to take a position that resembled the Gates of the Bush administration. I have thought it was odd that Obama chose not to replace him (actually I thought it was the only commendable decision Obama made his first 100 days) but Gates has appeared timid and political in recent months, and I was beginning to barely recognize him anymore. It is nice to see that he still has a backbone and the best interest of our troops and our nation on his mind, unless this was nothing more than an orchestrated move by the White House to push for haste on a decision so that Obama can have an excuse to procede and still appease those to his Left. That would be a clever move, but lets hope Gates is being genuine on this one and that the President is listening.
Here is part of an article posted by Fox News that demonstrates how off message Gates’ little rant was today and how it will likely have him sitting in the Time-Out chair at the White House when he returns from his trip. Perhaps, that is at least in part why he was being sent away from American cameras. They wouldn’t do that would they???
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the Obama administration cannot wait for the Afghan election to be resolved before making a decision on troop levels, appearing to be at odds with White House officials who have tied a decision on U.S. strategy to the resolution of the election and political stability.
Gates suggested the election would not have an immediate impact on the overall situation in the country.
He told reporters aboard his plane to Tokyo that the administration cannot “sit on our hands.”
But White House officials, as well as Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., have suggested that U.S. strategy toward Afghanistan is contingent on political stability.
“Quite frankly, I think any credible person in this country would make a case that all the troops in the world will not solve a problem without a partner that is there ultimately to help,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. “None of this is going to work without credible partners.”
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said over the weekend that it would be “reckless” to make a decision on troop levels without doing a “thorough analysis” of whether the U.S. has a “true partner in governing.”
And Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, bluntly said it would be “irresponsible” to commit more troops before the election is resolved.
You can read the full article here.
Here is a video of a Fox News round table discussing the comments by the Secretary of Defense.
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