Tag: robert gates

Gates’ NATO Gripes Ignore Biggest Failing

Before exiting the stage as secretary of defense, Robert Gates took a parting shot at NATO. During his last visit to Europe, Gates delivered a scathing speech that included these criticisms: “too many allies have been unwilling to fundamentally change how they set priorities and allocate resources” “the very real possibility of collective military irrelevance” … Continue reading “Gates’ NATO Gripes Ignore Biggest Failing”

War Fever Subsides in Washington

Imagine yourself in a typical Twilight Zone episode. You’ve been tossing and turning in delirium for some time and now, to your astonishment, you wake up to find yourself in an almost unrecognizable world. Your country, the former “sole superpower” on planet Earth, is in domestic gridlock, a financial hole, and can’t win a war … Continue reading “War Fever Subsides in Washington”

Friday: 31 Iranians, 8 Iraqis Killed; 300 Iranians, 21 Iraqis Wounded

Once again, an Iranian refugee camp in eastern Iraq was the scene of a deadly raid. According to one source approximately 31 Iranians were killed and over 300 more were wounded during the operation. About 13 Iraqi personnel were also injured in the raid. Elsewhere in Iraq, attacks continued as well, leaving eight dead and … Continue reading “Friday: 31 Iranians, 8 Iraqis Killed; 300 Iranians, 21 Iraqis Wounded”

(N)ever Again

Talking about secretaries of defense… Oh, we weren’t? Well, let’s. After all, they’re in the news. Take former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who, on leaving government service—and I hope you don’t mind if I mangle a quote from Gen. Douglas MacArthur here— refused to die, or even fade away. Instead, he penned Known and … Continue reading “(N)ever Again”

Uncle Bob Wants You

Uncle Bob Gates wants more young people to join the military. In a Sept. 29 speech at Duke University, Defense Secretary Gates asked students, “If America’s best and brightest will not step forward, who will?” The likes of you, Uncle Bob, that’s who. By way of seducing another generation into the generational war his generation … Continue reading “Uncle Bob Wants You”

There Can Be No ‘Graceful Exit’

Gen. David Petraeus, the man who replaced his former Central Command subordinate Gen. Stanley McChrystal, when the latter was cashiered last month for insubordinate criticism of his civilian superiors, denies that President Barack Obama has given him the assignment to “seek a graceful exit” from America’s war against the Taliban. He is determined to win. … Continue reading “There Can Be No ‘Graceful Exit’”

In for a Penny

The good news is that Defense Secretary Bob Gates is going to save money by shutting down Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) in Virginia. The bad news, as the New York Times reports, is that the White House says the money Gates saves will free money that can be “better spent on war fighting.” Egad. That’s … Continue reading “In for a Penny”

Obama Drops 2009 Pledge to Withdraw Combat Troops From Iraq

Seventeen months after President Barack Obama pledged to withdraw all combat brigades from Iraq by Sept. 1, 2010, he quietly abandoned that pledge Monday, admitting implicitly that such combat brigades would remain until the end of 2011. Obama declared in a speech to disabled U.S. veterans in Atlanta that “America’s combat mission in Iraq” would … Continue reading “Obama Drops 2009 Pledge to Withdraw Combat Troops From Iraq”