http://www.newsone.ca/ottawarecorder/ViewArticle.aspx?id=30070&source=2Defense nominee criticizes Iraq planning
WASHINGTON - Former CIA Director Robert Gates, President Bush ‘s nominee for defense Secretary, criticized the handling of the war in Iraq and said he will improve Pentagon postwar planning if he is confirmed.
Gates also endorsed the idea of engaging Iran and Syria for help in stabilizing increasingly violent Iraq, an opinion at odds with Bush‘s.
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"If confirmed, I intend to improve the department‘s capabilities in this area," he said in answer to a question about what he would have done differently. "With the advantage of hindsight, I might have done some things differently."
"I believe the use of pre-emptive force should be based on very strong evidence," he said when asked about incorrect intelligence saying that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. "It is a decision that must not be taken lightly," Gates added.