Here's a free piece of advice to President Barack Obama or President John McCain: There's no need to look for a new secretary of defense. You already have the best man in the job.
The Obama campaign in particular seems to have noticed the virtues of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. It's a little head-spinning to see senior Democrats lauding a Bush cabinet officer in the heat of the campaign, but earlier this month, Richard Danzig, the former Navy secretary who has become one of Obama's closest national security aides, said that many of Gates's pragmatic policies at the Pentagon "are things that Senator Obama agrees with and I agree with." Danzig added that Gates could do "even better" if he stayed on the job in an Obama administration.
The case for Gates goes beyond the obvious question of assisting the next president in handling Iraq, which Gates has helped haul back from the brink of total collapse. But he has also been instrumental in launching a sweeping revolution in US national security...
Much more at The Washington Post.
Comments
Gosh, please let me thank you for the SQJ links to <a href="http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/"><i>FM 3-07: Stability Operations "The Road Map from Conflict to Peace"</i></a>.
Yes, we scientists and engineers read FM 3-07 too ... because a similar revolution is ongoing in American science and technology too.
The point being, these are exciting times ... challenging times ... for everyone ... like it or not.
usmc_family
Thanks for the kind comment concerning SWJ. More importantly - we appreciate your sentiment concerning keeping Secretary Gates on for at least the transition. We wholeheartedly agree. Gates "gets it" and it would be a shame to see his efforts not fully implemented. Im sure there are those who could fill his shoes but why shop around when you already have the real deal in place?
Dave