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Gates As Obama Defense Chief: Another Centrist Obama Administration Sign
The Moderate Voice —
... more novel development, though Ilan Goldenberg rightly notes that all three non-neocon perspectives on national security policy are sort of converging at the moment. Perhaps, then, this is the right way to understand Obama’s team — as a kind of grand coalition of non-neo perspectives aimed at steering us out of the shoals into which Bush/Cheney policies have marooned the ship of state.
–As usual, The Washington Note’s Steve Clemons must be read in FULL. Here is a small part of what he writes:
I had moved close to the view that ...
Why Is Gates Staying?
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
Steve Clemons has a theory: He wants to try and push Iran-US relations into a constructive direction. He wants to change the game in Afghanistan -- and the answer will not be a military-dominant strategy. He wants to try and stabilize Iraq in a negotiated, confidence building process that includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and other regional forces. And he wants to support a big push on Israel-Palestine peace and reconfigure relations between much of the Arab League and Israel. And Obama asked him. And trusts him. There will be more ...
Gates Reax: The Thoughtless and The Thoughtful
The Moderate Voice —
... thus where the secretary exercises his greatest degree of autonomy. And it is in those realms of defense policy that Gates has most distinguished himself. In retaining Gates, Obama is sending a clear signal to the Pentagon bureaucracy that their usual strategy of stalling and out-lasting civilian appointees is going to fail; that he intends to pursue Gates’ key reforms. And that’s a decision which should make us all stand and cheer.
In a similar vein, Steve Clemons at The Washington Note:
After speaking to some other ...
Another Perspective on Obama Keeping Gates
Open Left - Front Page —
... and I assumed he was correct. This was a reasonable supposition at the time, and Gates deserves a lot of credit for turning Bush away from using force against Iran. Now, it may yet happen that America goes to war with Iran, since we're only down from batshit insane to insane, but still, we haven't yet gone to war, and with Cheney's itchy trigger finger away from the White House the chances of doing so (or at least doing so joyfully) have dropped.
Here's Steve Clemons.
My hunch is that Gates wants a chance to make the kind of leaps in the Middle ...
Midday open thread
Daily Kos —
... moment was ridiculous the moment we first saw it? We did. Us crazy, unhinged, DFHers. Obama says the "M word" ("mandate"). Michael Savage is hilarious. But not as funny as Dan Savage. Dobson is also hilarious. As is K-Lo. And Rich Lowry's "Care Bears mmets Jenna Jameson" moment is still the funniest of the year. While Steve Clemons wants Gates to go, he's holding out hope for a positive result to him staying on: My hunch is that Gates wants a chance to make the ...
Friday roundup: "We want to travel like President Bush's turkey" edition
Top of the Ticket —
... we present you with "Friday roundup," our picks of some of the most interesting reads from around the Web:
Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, send their condolences to American victims in the Mumbai attacks.
Steve Clemons, from the Washington Note, hypothesizes that Robert Gates agreed to stay on as secretary of Defense because he has serious plans for progress in the Middle East.
Politico profiles Jill Biden and notes that her ...
