[Lancey Howard]

since it was supposedly Mabus who put Amos up for CMC in the first place.

Sheesh.. I missed that. Can you direct me to a source so I can read more?
Thanks.

[lentulusgracchus]

It was in that original link. Read the whole thing and you'll see the comment about Mabus -- of course, he's SecNav so of course he'll have had input, but according to the blog article, naming Gen. Amos was his call, and Gates and the President signed off.

Interestingly, the blog article also adduces other reasons beyond DADT that were supposedly uppermost in Gates's mind during the selection process, to-wit, he wanted an FMF amphibious kind of guy more than a ground-pounding warfighter, someone who'd lead the Corps back to its power-projection role with the Fleet, among other things.

<Tiny little question: "What fleet, if we keep building down like this?>

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