AP: Dems unlikely to block Gates nomination

[Eugene]

Nov. 21, 2006, 3:41PM
Dems unlikely to block Gates nomination

By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — When Robert Gates testifies before a Senate panel in two
weeks, Democrats will voice their opposition to administration war policies
and gauge Gates' willingness to change them. But they probably won't stand
in his way to becoming the next defense secretary.

Democrats have begun lining up behind Gates, indicating they are inclined
to vote for him if he meets two general criteria: He agrees a new approach
in Iraq is needed and demonstrates he will hold sufficient political clout
at the White House.

"We really do have to get a strong signal that he has been given a free hand
to make whatever changes he thinks appropriate, and that within the
administration he will have unimpeded access to the president," said Sen.
Jack Reed, D-R.I., in an interview Tuesday. "Those things are critical to
success."

The senators say they are not immediately opposing Gates largely because his
confirmation would lead to the departure of Donald H. Rumsfeld, the Pentagon
chief who led the U.S. invasion in Iraq and staunchly defended the war even
as public approval plummeted.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4352059.html

[NOLADEM]

1. Frankly, we got nothing better ready to go...Let em hack at it....

What's the old saying? Give em enough rope to hang themselves?

Really though, this war is lost. Bring our poor kids home from Iraq and begin the destruction of western Pakistan until Bin Laden is dead.

[Doctor_J]

2. I figure they have about 6 months to rally their voters behind them

if they haven't, by May or so, begun cleaning out the filth that Rove has put in place - serious 9/11 investigations, Anthrax investigations, Plamegate, Gannon, election fraud, and so on - there won't be any reason for those of us who worked to get them elected to keep supporting them. If they wave through every criminal and recycled hack from Poppy's cabal, it's over and we won't get our country back without war on our soil - either civil war or WWIII.

[mac56]

3. Note the key paragraph.

"Democrats have begun lining up behind Gates, indicating they are inclined to vote for him if he meets two general criteria: He agrees a new approach in Iraq is needed and demonstrates he will hold sufficient political clout at the White House."

This doesn't sound like Dem capitulation to me.