Enter Robert M. Gates
05 December 2006 6:02 pm by Taylor Marsh
UPDATE (4:06 p.m. – 12-6-06): Gates confirmed 95-2.
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(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) |
It was unanimous.
Anybody but Rummy. Praise God. Pass the change of course plans! Or maybe it was just a case of Desperate at Defense.
But did a grown up just arrive on the scene? Please, oh please, oh please.
“Mr. Gates, do you believe that we are currently winning in Iraq?”
Mr. Levin asked.“No, sir,” Mr. Gates replied, going on to agree with the senator
that a political settlement is needed to end the blood-letting, and that the
United States needed to convey “a sense of urgency” to the Iraqis
about reaching an accord.Mr. Levin said Mr. Gates’s remarks amounted to a “necessary,
refreshing breath of reality.”Senator McCain pursued the point about victory being elusive. “We are
not winning the war in Iraq, is that correct?” the senator asked.“That is my view, yes, senator,” Mr. Gates replied. …
If you didn't see the Senate Armed Services testimony, here's some video for
you.
Tomorrow we get the Iraqi Study Group essay. One hundred pages. Can't wait
to read that one.
