Is there a set time limit for how long Gates stays on?

[Ken Burch]

Is he out NEXT January 20th, next March, or never if he doesn't damn well feel like leaving?

And if the guy stays on, doesn't that guarantee that we NEVER get out of Iraq and Afghanistan?

[masuki bance]

1. He serves at the pleasure of The President. nt

[davidpdx]

8. Damn straight

As does everyone in the White House.

[babylonsister]

2. Do tell us what you don't like about him. nt

[IndianaGreen]

9. Shall we begin with Bob Gates's tenure at CIA

and how he politicized SOVO to make the intelligence fit Reagan's policy. To help you out here on something that predates the internet, the analysts at SOVO had determined that the USSR posed no threat to the US, that there was no new expansion military program in place. This assessment ran counter to Reagan's saber rattling for a 600-ship navy, missiles in Europe, blah, blah, blah.

Guess who made the intelligence fit the policy? Bob Gates.

[Hangingon]

14. What is SOVO?

[IndianaGreen]

16. SOVO was the Soviet Office at CIA n/t

[hileeopnyn8d]

19. A made-up

acronym known only to one person. Seriously.

In fact, I don't think acronym is even accurate because that would suggest the each letter represents a word, or the first two letters of the words. Okay so the first two or three letters are obvious SOViet, so what is the last letter? Operations? That isn't the way most military/DOD/government acronyms and abbreviations work.

There is/was no SOVO. That's not saying there was no Soviet Division at the CIA, obviously there was, but when a Google search only reveals posts from DU, it's safe to say this is not a universally accepted term.

[Hangingon]

32. Thnks

I tried Google and a couple of other look ups and didn't find any definition that seemed to fit. Since it made the DU response made Google this morning I guess it now is an "official" acronymn.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Gates isn't keeping us there. He's probably as sick and tired of war as anyone.

He really does feel for the troops and their families.

[msongs]

4. exactly, it's Obama's war. Obama is keeping us there, bein' CIC n all nt

[iceman66]

6. What would you do if you were in his shoes?

If he were to just pull out now, he'd leave the country that 'we' messed up in a total shambles.

Not to mention that if he did that, and there were another terrorist attack, Obama would be absolutely cucified by the right wing media!

[Skittles]

13. LOL

it will be in total shambles if we leave now or if we leave in 20 years or 50 years

[ShortnFiery]

22. NO, Mr. Iran-Contra "amnesiac" can't get enough of covert ops, pretty weapons and endless war.

He began his obfuscations and other evil deeds under the tutelage of Saint Reagan.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Staying or going isn't Gates' decision. It's the president's. nt

[Thrill]

7. Watch the 60 minutes piece they did on Gates

He's not the one keeping us in those places. Its those Generals and Commanders who love war

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

10. I hope the whole eight years.

[ShortnFiery]

23. Don't get ahead of yourself. Obama may very well be a one term President. eom

[scheming daemons]

30. Don't confuse your wishes with reality eom

[Pab Sungenis]

11. That depends.

On what date is Wes Clark legally eligible to be SoD?

[Shrek]

18. May 2010 n/t

[Pab Sungenis]

20. Then that's your answer.

[ShortnFiery]

12. Gates was up to his eyeballs in the Iran-Contra scandal although he conveniently developed

a bad case of amnesia.

He should GO ... he should have NOT EVER stayed on board. :thumbsdown:

[TheKentuckian]

15. Yup, as soon as Clark can take over (nt)

[kenny blankenship]

17. Until Obama completes the work Bush began.

[ShortnFiery]

21. The sooner we face the cold hard truth, the better we all will be able to cope and

counter the oligarchy that is entrenched within D.C. :(

[Ken Burch]

24. er...trying to turn the U.S. into an EMPIRE?

You actually WANT that?

[kenny blankenship]

25. From now on, just take your cues from Shortnfiery

or someone else who can read.

[Ken Burch]

26. You were calling for Obama to finish the job Bush started.

That can only mean embracing the Republican foreign policy status quo for the rest of his term. Since you know that would have to destroy Obama, why would you want that?

[kenny blankenship]

27. A. I did nothing of the kind

B. You're a moron and should stop. Now.

[Ken Burch]

28. Your post is quoted here, verbatim:

"Until Obama completes the work Bush began."

That can ONLY mean calling for Obama to embrace the Bush foreign policy. You know perfectly well that staying in Afghanistan now means staying in the whole eight years, because the present situation already proves that "victory" is impossible.

There's no support for Karzai, and the Taliban can never be beaten in battle. And even if they could, no other possible governing force exists in Afghanistan that could actually be an improvement. Karzai can't be and Abdullah Abdullah(even if he actually were progressive) couldn't take over either.

It can't be worth killing for just to get a slightly friendlier warlord in power. A warlord is a warlord is a warlord. And nobody should ever die for a slight difference.

Face it, this is Vietnam.

[kenny blankenship]

29. No, it doesn't ONLY mean what you want it to mean

Other people's words are not constrained by your need to find a sparring partner your own size.

Someone else got it - why continue to single yourself out as a slow reader?

[Ken Burch]

31. The other poster wasn't backing you.

He was acknowledging that there's a large constituency for imperialism in the Beltway.