I haven't seen his testimony, what he is actually saying.
But if he were to speak the truth - it would be that we won phase 1 of the war. But phase 2 has not achieved victory. It hasn't failed mind you, but it hasn't succeeded either. It has left us in this "limbo" state we are in now.
That's what he should have said. If he has described it as an outright defeat, then I agree with you, he should not be sec'y of defense.
According to the Live FR thread of Gates confirmation hearing Gates just corrected his statement regarding “we are not winning an Iraq”. When the hearing re-started a short while ago he told the Senate committee that during the lunch break and while watching the news, he realized that his statement was misunderstood regarding “we are not winning” and he would like to clarify what he meant. His previous answer, he said, pertains “to Iraq as a whole,” not to the performance of U.S. forces there. “I didn’t want my comments to be interpreted as suggesting that they weren’t being successful in their endeavors,” he said.
I am sure the White House called him and told to correct his stupid, false, and defeatist remark. Glad to know, that he knows who the boss is.