Let's hold our noses and confirm Robert Gates now! Here's why...

[farmbo]

True, Robert Gates is a Bush crony, well schooled in the black arts of deception, and with not-just-a-little blood on his hands from his years in Poppy's CIA running guns to Osama and the Taliban Warlords. But he's our only choice for Secretary of Defense.

Why, You ask?

Joe Lieberman... that's why.

While Joementum appears reluctantly headed back to the Democratic fold after his near-death experience in Connecticut, we all know that Bush and Rove would LOVE to coax him out of that senate seat, and will go to great lengths to do it. If he were to leave the Senate, his replacement would be a Republican appointed by Connecticut's GOP Governor Jodi Rell. That, dear friends, would tip the senate.

Joe's name has already been floated by the Administration as a possible successor to Rumsfield during an earlier bout with bipartisanship, and Joe sounded none too convincing in waving it off. (After all... if ever there was a man with a General's complex, it's Joe Lieberman). Today, Bush doesn't have the political capital to make such a calculated and explosive move. But if Gates' nomination is withdrawn after contentious weeks of Democratic grilling during the confirmation process, that dynamic might change. They could nominate Joementum "for the good of the country" and, trust me, the media would run with it. Rove may even go so far as to leak dirt on his own nominee to jump start this scenario.


So let's make nice with Gates, agree to early hearings, and vote to confirm him before Christmas.

[babylonsister]

1. "I'm Not Ready To Make Nice". Hmmm, that could be a song! nt

[GrantDem]

2. Very interesting scenario... n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Scary. And plausible.

[bullimiami]

4. i dont think so. gates is another criminal from the bfee.

[kentuck]

5. I doubt that Joe would take a two-year job....

and give up his six-year job in the Senate?

[ShortnFiery]

6. I Concur ... PLUS!

Gates is Poppy's boy. In other words, he's not a deluded kool-aid drinking Neo-Conservative and Cheney will be unsuccessful to convert him to "The Dark Side." (PNAC agenda)

Gates truly answers to Poppy's men in the old (more foreign relations savvy) CIA run mode.

I would bet money that Cheney is NOT happy with this pick, but Poppy was there when Junior was in need. ;)

Yes they're THUGS, but studied OLD CIA SCHOOL thugs who are discreet - At least our Country will not be HATED if you let Poppy's boys guide a Secretary of Defense Gates. :shrug:

[JDPriestly]

7. It's going to be a long confirmation process.

Let's decide after it is finished. The problem with Gates is the many unanswered questions. The Gates confirmation process is the opportunity for Democrats to show that from now on the Bush administration has to respond to congressional inquiries and has to tell the truth to Congress. No more lies. If Gates tells the truth and answers all the questions, and if the answers don't scare everyone even Republicans from supporting him, he will be confirmed in spite of his past. If he doesn't answer all the questions, if he lies, he won't be confirmed. That is all there is to it. How do you know Lieberman would want to be Secretary of Defense? How could Bush trust him? Bush only trusts people who are extremely loyal to him, and Lieberman would not be that loyal.

[acmavm]

8. Liebermann would be an ass-kissing son of a bitch. He'd

be another Rumsfeld. Once in that job, he'd tell everyone to kiss off, he's gonna win one for the psuedo-gipped.

Gates ain't gonna kiss ass. I don't know how he's gonna handle this mess, but he comes from the regime that knew that it would be stupid to go all the way to Baghdad.

Having said that, I want to acknowledge the fact that Gates is a bloody fingered nasty piece of work, just like Ollie North and the rest of the Iran/Contra boys. But right now, he's the man with (we hope) some kind of plan. And he ain't stupid like Rumsfeld.

Face it folks, the clowns that bush** brought out from under their rocks haven't been the best or the brightest. They've just been the greediest and most unscrupulous.

[still_one]

9. I disagree. He must be fully evaluated

It is the job of Congress to do what is best for the country, and oversight is a primary responsibility

I am NOT saying he should or should not be confirmed, I am saying that the Democrats must do their job, and NOT rubber stamp just anyone.

That is essentially what has been occurring for the last six years, and it was not good for the country, and a violation of the responsibility of Congress

Incidently, I personally do not believe Lieberman is qualified to be Secretary of Defense, and it has NOTHING to do with the normal hatred expressed by some. It has to do with HIS EXPERIENCE

In my view at this stage you would want a person with a military background

[Warren Stupidity]

10. If Sen Thomas steps down JoeMemento is toast.

All his leverages are belong to us. And that could happen this week. So I wouldn't rush into the Gates nomination just yet.

[Lerkfish]

11. nosiree I'm THROUGH HOLDING MY NOSE, maybe you didn't notice,

but we won. Why would we want to keep appeasing evil?