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Thread: Breaking News! Rumsfeld is stepping down!

  1. #1
    Council Member SSG Rock's Avatar
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    Default Breaking News! Rumsfeld is stepping down!

    Listening to the radio at work. Breaking news.

    Rumsfeld is resigning, just announced and Bush will be speaking on the topic shortly.

    Thats all I know.
    Don't taze me bro!

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    Fox News has it in their headline, but no details. The Pentagon isn't saying anything. Good call on your part if it's true.

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    According to CNN, he's being replaced by Robert Gates, the ex-CIA director, which wouldn't be a bad call at all.

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    Small Wars Journal SWJED's Avatar
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    Default President speaking now on CNN....

    Quicklook at what the President's said (press conference):

    ... Election has changed many things but not Bush's responsibility to protect the United States. Secretary Rumsfeld and President have decided it is time for new leadership at the Pentagon and a fresh perspective on the war. Has asked Bob Gates (former Director, CIA) to be the new SECDEF.... Gates is currently serving as a member of the Iraq Study Group. President will have more to say later today on Rumsfeld and Gates...

    On the elections, to our enemies, do not mistake the election results as a change in our resolve. To the people of Iraq do not be fearful, America will stand by you. To our service men and women, we will always support you...

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    Council Member Uboat509's Avatar
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    Anybody familiar with Bob Gates?

    SFC W

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    Moderator Steve Blair's Avatar
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    Here is the Wiki entry on him.

    If he turned down DNI, I wonder if he'd really be interested in SECDEF? Seems like it would be a worse gig from that standpoint.

    Although this might be a good enough reason for him to leave A&M.
    Last edited by Steve Blair; 11-08-2006 at 06:27 PM. Reason: Added link

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    Small Wars Journal SWJED's Avatar
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    Default Wiki Entry...

    Here is the Wikipedia entry on Bob Gates:

    Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence official. He served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council. Under President George H.W. Bush Gates served as Director of Central Intelligence. After leaving the CIA, Gates wrote his memoirs and became president of Texas A&M University, serving on several corporate boards.

    President George W. Bush announced on November 8, 2006, the day after the 2006 midterm elections, that he would nominate Gates to succeed the resigning Donald Rumsfeld as U.S. Secretary of Defense. The Senate must confirm this nomination for Gates to become Secretary.

    Childhood and education

    A native of Wichita, Kansas, Gates attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. He graduated from Wichita East High School in 1961. Gates received his bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary in 1965, his master's degree in history from Indiana University in 1966, and his Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University in 1974.

    Intelligence career

    While at Indiana University, Gates was recruited to join the Central Intelligence Agency. But before joining the CIA full-time as an intelligence analyst, he spent two years in the Air Force; one job was giving intelligence briefings to ICBM missile crews at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. (The CIA offered no escape from the draft during the Vietnam War.).

    Gates left the CIA in 1974 to serve on the National Security Council staff but returned to the CIA in late 1979. He was named the Director of the DCI/DDCI Executive Staff in 1981, Deputy Director for Intelligence in 1982, and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from April 18, 1986, to March 20, 1989. In early 1987 he was nominated to become the Director of Central Intelligence in early 1987, but withdrew after it became clear that the Senate would reject the nomination because of controversy about his role in the Iran-Contra affair.

    Gates was Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from March until August of 1989, and was Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser from August 1989 until November 1991. He was nominated (for the second time) for the position of Director of Central Intelligence by President Bush on May 14, 1991, confirmed by the Senate on November 5, and sworn in on November 6, becoming the only career officer in the CIA's history (as of 2005) to rise from entry-level employee to Director. Deputy Directors during his tenure were Richard J. Kerr (from November 6, 1991, until March 2, 1992) and Adm. William O. Studeman (from April 9, 1992, through the remainder of Dr. Gates’ tenure).

    During his 26-year career as an intelligence professional, he spent almost nine years on the National Security Council, serving four Presidents of both major political parties.

    In 1996, his memoirs were published under the title From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War.

    Gates has been highly decorated for his service: he was the recipient of the National Security Medal and the Presidential Citizens Medal, was twice awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and three times received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.

    Career after leaving the CIA

    Gates became the 22nd President of Texas A&M University on August 1, 2002 following a tenure as Interim Dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M from 1999 to 2001. He has served as a member of the board of trustees of Fidelity Investments, and on the board of directors of NACCO Industries, Inc., Brinker International, Inc. and Parker Drilling Company, Inc. He also served as President of the National Eagle Scout Association during the mid-2000s.

    Director of National Intelligence Offer

    In February 2005, Gates wrote in a message posted on his school's website that "There seems to be a growing number of rumors in the media and around campus that I am leaving Texas A&M to become the new director of national intelligence ('Intelligence Czar') in Washington, D.C." The message said that "To put the rumors to rest, I was indeed asked to take the position, wrestled with perhaps the most difficult -- and close -- decision of my life, and last week declined the position."

    Gates committed to remain as President of Texas A&M University through the summer of 2007; President George W. Bush offered the position of United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to John Negroponte, who accepted.

    Gates said in a 2005 discussion with the university's Academy for Future International Leaders that he had tentatively decided to accept the DNI position out of a sense of duty and had written an email that would be sent to students during the press conference to announce his decision, explaining that he was leaving to serve the U.S. once again. Gates, however, took the weekend to consider what his final decision should be, and ultimately decided that he was unwilling to return to Washington, D.C. in any capacity simply because he "had nothing to look forward to in D.C. and plenty to look forward to at A&M."

    Secretary of Defense

    On November 8, 2006 George W. Bush nominated Robert Gates to serve as Secretary of Defense in the wake of Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. Robert Gates will now face confirmation in the Senate.

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    Council Member jcustis's Avatar
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    Default ?

    I'm perplexed about what the Gates appointment gives us. Sure, it may be a "fresh perspective", but unless he continued to be read in during his time at A&M, is he current on the strategic, operational, and tactical situation in Iraq/Afghanistan.

    Remember, there are two open fronts in the GWOT. How long is it going to take a guy to get up to speed, and can he do it in a manner that makes his perspective relative?

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    Small Wars Journal SWJED's Avatar
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    Default Gates should be current on Iraq...

    ... as he is a member of the Iraq Study Group.

    The Iraq Study Group (ISG), also known as the Baker commission, is a US government sanctioned task force charged to deliver an independent assessment, known as the Iraq Study Group Report, of the situation in Iraq in the US led Iraq War. The United States Congress announced the formation of the group on March 15, 2006, facilitated by U.S. Institute of Peace and supported by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Center for the Study of the Presidency (CSP), and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

    The ISG is led by co-chairs James Baker and Lee Hamilton, and will be composed of five Republicans and five Democrats, including:

    Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice
    Robert M. Gates, former Director of Central Intelligence
    Edwin Meese III, former US Attorney General
    Vernon Jordan, Jr., business executive
    Leon E. Panetta, former White House Chief of Staff
    William J. Perry, former US Secretary of Defense
    Charles S. Robb, former Governor and Senator of Virginia
    Alan K. Simpson, former Wyoming Senator

    Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani was originally a member but resigned on May 24, 2006, stating in a letter to co-chair Baker "my previous time commitments do not permit me the full and active participation that the Iraq Study Group deserves." He was soon replaced by Edwin Meese III.

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    Default Gates Might Be Alright

    True, Gates has apparently been out of circulation for awhile, but I think that this may be a situation in which a weaker Secretary of Defense isn't going to be so problematic. It seemed the major issue with Rumsfeld that continually came up was he was very dismissive of the military's advice or needs, heeding only his own opinion. Assuming Gates doesn't pursue a similar management style ("My way or the highway") it may be more productive to have a SECDEF who is more deferential to the generals in a time of war. To be honest, the military commanders have a better education in warfighting than pretty much any SECDEF appointee ever would and if Gates realizes that maybe the military advice that gets to the President won't be as watered down as it reportedly has been.

    Good leadership isn't always about having all the answers yourself...it's about realizing what the best choices are when they're presented to you.

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    I posted my last as SWJED posted his. Sounds like Gates is a great choice then. The only guy I would have like better would have been James Baker (although that's just my own opinion).

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    Moderator Steve Blair's Avatar
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    Gates would be considered "clean" by many simply because he has been out of politics (at least in the conventional sense) for a time. I'd assume he remained "read in" to a degree, since those folks tend to remain tied in. Gates was also career intel, not a typical political appointee to the DCI position, so they may be assuming that he'll bring a more informed view of GWOT to the table.

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    Council Member jcustis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by UCrawford View Post
    True, Gates has apparently been out of circulation for awhile, but I think that this may be a situation in which a weaker Secretary of Defense isn't going to be so problematic. It seemed the major issue with Rumsfeld that continually came up was he was very dismissive of the military's advice or needs, heeding only his own opinion. Assuming Gates doesn't pursue a similar management style ("My way or the highway") it may be more productive to have a SECDEF who is more deferential to the generals in a time of war. To be honest, the military commanders have a better education in warfighting than pretty much any SECDEF appointee ever would and if Gates realizes that maybe the military advice that gets to the President won't be as watered down as it reportedly has been.

    Good leadership isn't always about having all the answers yourself...it's about realizing what the best choices are when they're presented to you.
    A very good observation UCrawford. I guess even I have been so conditioned that I didn't think of those possibilities.

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    Council Member SSG Rock's Avatar
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    Default Confirmation process....

    It will be telling how smoothly the confirmation process goes. Should tell us alot about how serious all of this talk of bipartisanship from Pelosi and Bush is.
    Don't taze me bro!

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    Moderator Steve Blair's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SSG Rock View Post
    It will be telling how smoothly the confirmation process goes. Should tell us alot about how serious all of this talk of bipartisanship from Pelosi and Bush is.
    It will be as serious, I'll bet, as such talk usually is. Bipartisanship usually means YOU work with US and nothing else.

    Been there, heard that line before.

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    You know, I wouldn't be surprised if Gates' confirmation went through relatively quickly. They need to get someone in place, Gates is more tied to the first Bush's presidency than this one, no major baggage, and he's got a decent track record. I would think that the last thing the Democrats would want to do would be to look like they're being unsupportive of the troops in a time of war and tying the SECDEF up in a lengthy confirmation would do just that because it would be seen as a distractor. Plus, I think that Rumsfeld's personality had a lot to do with his problems with Congress. He was reportedly hostile to them from the beginning.

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    Also, maybe the Democrats will consider Bush's immediate reversal of his recent support for Rumsfeld punishment enough for now. Getting rid of Rumsfeld, regardless of how unpopular he was, was a big concession for Bush. The SECDEF was the focal point of a lot of the conflicts between Bush and the Dems and whether it's been a good trait or not, Bush has deservedly earned a reputation for being extremely loyal to those perceived as loyal to him. I think that firing Rumsfeld was not something he wanted to do at all...it was a concession to the election.
    Last edited by UCrawford; 11-08-2006 at 08:04 PM.

  18. #18
    Council Member SSG Rock's Avatar
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    Default Maybe....

    I hope your right UCrawford. For the sake of the troops. Lets hope that the polticians still remember that we have our finest overseas trying to do a job that THEY sent them to do.
    Don't taze me bro!

  19. #19
    Council Member slapout9's Avatar
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    Sgt. Rock, just in case Gates dosen't work out...ahhh do you have any major plans for the next two years???

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by SSG Rock View Post
    I hope your right UCrawford. For the sake of the troops. Lets hope that the polticians still remember that we have our finest overseas trying to do a job that THEY sent them to do.
    I hope so too. Nothing would make me happier than to see things get back on track so our guys can do their jobs.

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