Reagan nominated him to Director but he had to withdraw because of his involvement in Iran-Contra.
He did get confirmed in his second nomination under Bush. Before the Bush nomination, he was NSA Deputy under Scowcroft.
Gates may be Obama's Sec of Defense but he really works for Scowcroft.
lol After reading your quick summary/bio on him, I believe my assumptions of him are correct. He’s been around DC for an awfully long time. Not many people hang around DC that long without becoming more of a political person than anything else. He WAS an officer in the Air Force, but that was a long time ago.
It would be nice to have a SECDEF that is/was a real ‘warrior’ at one time or another, but I’d imagine the fighters rarely kiss enough ass to reach the top of the political ladder in DC.