5, December 2006 Robert Gates
Listening to the confirmation hearings of Robert Gates, one might have assumed the Democrats were roundly defeated on November 7. So tepid were the questions, it appears that senators of both side of the aisle were suffering from self-induced amnesia. The Iran-Contra scandal which involved the sale of arms to Iran and subsequently to our good friend, Saddam Hussein, which should have resulted in criminal indictments of Gates and his superiors (William Casey, Ronald Reagan et al), were never raised. We the ‘good guys’ were supplying chemical and other weapons to Saddam Hussein which he used against the Iranians and Kurds for which he has been now been indicted as a war criminal
The flirtations and demonizing of foreign leaders by our policy makers often resemble the eye catching headlines of the dalliances of movie stars prominently displayed at supermarket check stands. Forgotten or largely ignored were Gates close ties to defense contractors which raise potential conflict of interest concerns. Most important, Gates prior service with the CIA suggests that he is willing to manipulate intelligence to support administration policy decisions, aping the behavior of the discredited George Tenet. The Democrats have committed a monumental blunder in not demanding the hearings be delayed until January. This would have given them more time to gather critical evidence and summon witnesses to determine the suitability of Robert Gates as defense secretary.
No comments:
Post a Comment