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Here is the cnn link:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/25/gates.westpoint/
The actual quote is far better than what I said.
He starts with: As Douglas Macarthur so delicately put it, any defense secretary...
I just saw a clip of Defense Secretary Robert Gates telling an audience at West Point that "any Defense Secretary or General who tells this or any other President that the United States should commit troops to any fight in Asia or the Middle East should have his head examined, to quote General Douglas Macarthur".
I have always liked that guy!! (Gates, I mean)
The quotation may not be exact because i just heard it, but I will try to find a link and post it.
That just made my day!!
Here is the cnn link:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/25/gates.westpoint/
The actual quote is far better than what I said.
He starts with: As Douglas Macarthur so delicately put it, any defense secretary...
sorry guys. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but the link is not working. But if you google Robert Gates speech at West Point it comes right up with that url.
He essentially says this, paraphrased, of course: "George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, you are ing idiots. Go yourself".
"liked that guy!! (Gates"
He's a slime bag. He worked at St Ronnie's CIA to start the politicization of CIA reports to fit policy (aka he's sycophantic brown noser)rather than doing pure analysis/facts.
Now!! that Iraq and Afghanistan are inescapable, inarguable geopolitical/human/miliatary catastrophes, Gates quote MacArthur. Where was in 2001-2003 when the Repugs were lying their way into Iraq while shorting Afghanistan?
IIRC, Gates was at Texas A and M in 2001-2003. He was part of the Bush school there until early 2002 when he took over at A and M.
I think he joined the CIA long before Reagan was even a Republican, much less president.
And he did't join W's administration until W. finally got rid of the worst defense secretary in the history of America, i.e., Rumsfeld.
And he is the only Defense Sec'y. in the history of the republic to be asked to stay on as Defense Sec'y. by a president of the opposite party.
Gates is the republican I have the most respect for by far. I've said this since for a long time now.
He is not the only Republican I respect, but he is certainly one of them by far.
I also thought that GHW Bush was exceptionally strong on foreign policy. The republican party turned on GHW because he (properly) raised taxes, but he was a really good administrator. Terrible speaker, but really good administrator.
I always said at the time that he was the best Secretary of State that we ever had. Unfortunately, he was president at the time, but he was really a great Sec'y of State.
Gates is a good man. I'd love to see him back at A&M after his SecDef gig is up.
He said when he was tapped for the Sec. Def. position that he was giving up '"the best job he ever had". So he would probably be very happy. The in bent Head of A and M might have some feelings about it, though.
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