CNN: Reluctant Gates "impressed" with Obama

Reluctant defense secretary 'impressed' with Obama

• <LI class=cnnhiliteheader>Story Highlights
  
• Gates "impressed" with Obama for reaching out to chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff
  
• Move shows Obama wants to have "regular dialogue" with chairman, Gates says
  
• Gates says Michelle Obama's work with military families sends "positive signal"
  
• Gates says he reluctantly took post but will not be "caretaker" secretary
  

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates may have policy differences, but Gates said Tuesday he was "impressed" by statements Obama has already made on issues such as the Iraq War.

A day after reluctantly agreeing to remain as secretary of defense in the incoming administration, Gates, 65, said he looked forward to taking an active stance on several key issues.

"I spent a long time hoping the question would never be popped ... and then yesterday, it became a reality," Gates told reporters. "It should go without saying that I have no intention of being a caretaker secretary."

He listed challenges -- including budget, acquisition and procurement reform, war strategy, care of the wounded and modernization and capitalization projects -- that he vowed to give his "personal attention."

Obama has called for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq within 16 months, and Gates said he does not necessarily oppose the president-elect's views. Watch Gates discuss his views on Iraq »

"He also said he wanted to have a responsible drawdown, and he also said that he was prepared to listen to his commanders," Gates said. "That's exactly the position a president-elect should be in."

Gates said Obama impressed him last month when the two men met in the fire station at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. On the same day, Obama met with Bush and shortly before he met with Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"I was impressed by his reaching out to Admiral Mullen, to come sit down and talk with him, and he has made clear that he wants to have a regular dialogue with the chairman and the chiefs and the commanders," he said.

Gates also said he was impressed by Michelle Obama's desire to work on behalf of military families.

"I think all of these send very positive signals to our men and women in uniform about the way the new commander-in-chief looks upon his responsibilities as commander-in-chief, but also as the person for whom all of these men and women in uniform work."

Gates confirmed that Mullen was en route to India after last week's series of terrorist attack in Mumbai, India.

Gates said he has not registered with a political party, but considers himself a Republican, and noting that, until Monday, all of his senior appointments had been under Republican presidents.

He said that in the 60 years that the job of secretary of defense has existed, he is the first to be asked by an incoming president of either party to keep the job, and thanked President-elect Barack Obama "for his confidence in me."

Gates worked for more than two decades at the CIA and the National Security Council.

He turned down a request from President George W. Bush to serve as the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. But in December 2006, he agreed to replace Donald Rumsfeld as secretary of defense.

Regarding the threat of terrorism in South Asia, Gates called on the United States to strengthen its partnership with Pakistan and help the nation assess involvement in last week's terror attacks in Mumbai.

"It clearly was the act of an extremist group that apparently was targeting Americans and Britons, but the truth is most of the people who were killed were Indian," he said. "So, it's important that we find out who did it and try and prevent it from ever happening again."

Gates said Afghanistan will be a priority for the Obama administration, but said the major responsibility must be borne by Afghans.

"It's very important for us to do everything we can to make sure the Afghans understand this is their fight, and they have to be out front in their fight," he said.

Gates deflected a question about increasing troop strength in Afghanistan, but talked at length about plans to ease the burden on the American military, which has been stretched thin trying to fight two wars.

He said he "will probably increase" the time at home between 12-month deployments from 12 months to 15 or 18 months.

"I think that process could begin perhaps as early as spring," he said.

He said he hopes that, "fairly soon, and especially with the drawdowns in Iraq, that we will begin to see a further decrease in stop-loss."

Stop-loss refers to the involuntary extension of a service member's active duty hitch beyond what was to be the end of their term of service.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/02/gates.defense/index.html

This article deserved more attention and responses. I like Gates and the stability and sense he has brought. I think it is smart that Obama is asking him to continue and the fact that Gates is endorsing him isn't a bad thing either.

This article deserved more attention and responses. I like Gates and the stability and sense he has brought. I think it is smart that Obama is asking him to continue and the fact that Gates is endorsing him isn't a bad thing either.

You mean you don't feel betrayed?

This article deserved more attention and responses. I like Gates and the stability and sense he has brought. I think it is smart that Obama is asking him to continue and the fact that Gates is endorsing him isn't a bad thing either.

Agreed. And I think Gates brings a pragmatism to the position that was missing when it was held by Rumsfeld, who was a bit more of an ideologue. Plus, I think this also ensures that the military are kept more in Obama's "court," in that he won't be seen as an enemy of the DoD.

You mean you don't feel betrayed?

I don't think a lot of folks who voted for Obama had issues with Robert Gates (though, of course, his CIA background always sounds a bit ominous), but more so, the policy that lead up to the last few years.

I don't think a lot of folks who voted for Obama had issues with Robert Gates (though, of course, his CIA background always sounds a bit ominous), but more so, the policy that lead up to the last few years.

Oh I agree. I just keep hearing about how Obama supporters must feel betrayed now so I was being sarcastic. And I'm curious if anyone actually does feel like that.

This article deserved more attention and responses. I like Gates and the stability and sense he has brought. I think it is smart that Obama is asking him to continue and the fact that Gates is endorsing him isn't a bad thing either.

Thanks for the response. I thought this would be a much livlier thread but it seems either a)people are tired of talking politics, people ignore threads started by yours truly, or c) a combination of the two.

Either way I have been impressed by the team he has assembled. I was a little worried at first when the first names were starting to come out but I really like what he has done - time will tell if they actually work well as a team.

Oh I agree. I just keep hearing about how Obama supporters must feel betrayed now so I was being sarcastic. And I'm curious if anyone actually does feel like that.

Gotcha. :-)

I am not crazy about a couple of the appointments. For example, I wanted a stronger civil libertarian then Eric Holder, and I am not too crazy about Napolitano's past efforts in her home state. But no feelings of betrayal - I really didn't expect Obama to stray too far from the accepted "center" in his cabinet appointments.

I'm not feeling the AG too much either. But yeah I don't think anyone who really paid attention to Obama and his campaign is surprised by anything he's done so far.

Thanks for the response. I thought this would be a much livlier thread but it seems either a)people are tired of talking politics, people ignore threads started by yours truly, or c) a combination of the two.

The only thing that keeps threads alive is conflict. Bush backers can't complain, because Gates is their guy. Obama backers can't complain, because Obama is their guy.

And so, like the fans of opposing teams that just tied, who stare at each other awkwardly as they walk out of the stadium, no one sure what to say, this thread just festers.

Or because it's a smart move.

Or because it's a smart move.

The intelligence of a move has never been a barrier to complaint here in the Tailgate.

The only thing that keeps threads alive is conflict. Bush backers can't complain, because Gates is their guy. Obama backers can't complain, because Obama is their guy.

And so, like the fans of opposing teams that just tied, who stare at each other awkwardly as they walk out of the stadium, no one sure what to say, this thread just festers.

Very true.

The intelligence of a move has never been a barrier to complaint here in the Tailgate.

LOL. Pretty much.

One of my professors says he feels betrayed by Obama for the choices he has made since winning.

We discussed Gates and I came up with a theory. I said that Gates would serve approximately 18 more months and focus almost exclusively on Iraq. His deputy/under secretary (I'm not exactly sure about title rank in the DoD) would focus almost entirely on Afghanistan. Obama pulls American forces out of Iraq within 16 months. The two months following that allow for a transition where Gates steps down and the deputy/under secretary becomes Sec. of Defense and will be well-versed in Afghanistan and what needs to happen there.

Just to introduce a little friction though, I can't imagine Gates saying a bad word about a President or President-Elect, so the cautious nature of his endorsement could be viewed as an indictment. These guys support the CC at least in public all the way. It's what they were trained to do and what they believe is right. So, the fact that he agreed to stay on is an endorsement, but his actual endorsement could go either way.

I'm not sure if there is anything to discuss here. The story wrote itself when Sen Obama decided to keep Sec Gates and Sec Gates decided to accept.

"Gates Decides to Stay on at DoD Despite Lack of Confidence in Pres Elect Obama"

now we have a thread(and a change at DoD).

I thought there was going to be change!

I thought there was going to be change!

This is a huge change. The past administration would never hire a guy who is good, competent, and not a "yes" man. Heck, they wouldn't hire you unless you swore a loyalty oath and proved you were a life long Republican in total accord to every position they held.

This is a huge change. The past administration would never hire a guy who is good, competent, and not a "yes" man. Heck, they wouldn't hire you unless you swore a loyalty oath and proved you were a life long Republican in total accord to every position they held.

So who hired Gates in the first place?

Yeah, but he was his fifth choice! I'm just being a little evil here, but Rumsfield was his first and after public sentiment drove a resignation... Bush approached quite a few other gentlemen who refused the position before settling on Gates. Turned out Gates has been quite good, but President Bush looked in many other places before he gave Gates a shot.

The loyalty oath stuff at the Justice and State Deptartment should not be forgotten though. It was wrong and illegal.

For a more serious answer, I gave Bush a lot of credit and even began a thread praising Bush on the selection of Gates during the Walter Reed crisis.

Yeah, but he was his fifth choice! I'm just being a little evil here, but Rumsfield was his first and after public sentiment drove a resignation... Bush approached quite a few other gentlemen who refused the position before settling on Gates. Turned out Gates has been quite good, but President Bush looked in many other places before he gave Gates a shot.

The loyalty oath stuff at the Justice and State Deptartment should not be forgotten though. It was wrong and illegal.

For a more serious answer, I gave Bush a lot of credit and even began a thread praising Bush on the selection of Gates during the Walter Reed crisis.

Ah, but you said "never".

Just being a little evil myself.

Gates will only be around long enough for the new Clint...er um, Obama administration to learn from.