Hawkish Gates Sees More Force as Leverage

nytimes.com ^ | January 22, 2007 | DAVID S. CLOUD

[MagUSNRET]

ping

[lonestar67]

One way to take that quote is that once you memorize the music, you no longer need the music books-- you just needs the instruments.

I think the verses of diplomacy are getting pretty repetitive. I dont think we need the music books anymore-- were familiar with what the Iranians will say. Let's watch em dance now.

[The_Reader_David]

If Gates knows his Frederick the Great (more than a single quotation) he was a good pick. Let's also hope he knows his Clausewitz, Sun Tzu and Machiavelli.

[Brad from Tennessee]

[The most far-reaching of those has been the idea, promoted by his predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, that the American military should be deployed with the fewest number of forces necessary to do the job.]

This 21st Century model was formulated by the Pentagon long before Bush ever took office. Rumsfeld was the first defense secretary willing to force the mossbacks in the officer corps into changing or leaving.

[Dr. Frank fan]

As opposed to the media/Democrat theory that less force gives you leverage, I suppose....

Actually I take that back, they don't believe that less force gives us leverage. They simply don't want us to have leverage.

[Txsleuth]

Notice the negative tone used by the author regarding the surpising "hawkishness" of Gates....and yet, the author STILL has to imply that GATES is the one with plans that Pres. Bush would NEVER have thought of....LOL

Starts out as a hit piece on Gates' hawkish bent...and still has to dig at Bush..

[Txsleuth]

PING

[HardStarboard]

>>>They simply don't want us to have leverage. <<<

Leverage is evil. Weakness is strength.

[FreeReign]

We had posters here who said that Gates wasn't up to the job.

[onyx]

bump -- always the dig at POTUS.

[STARWISE]

I'm liking it ... maybe we'll warm up to him. But, still it won't be like

Miss ya, Rummy.

[Unam Sanctam]

What, you mean that announcing that the military option is off the table before negotiations is NOT the way to gain strategic advantage? Herr Schroeder and Monsieur Chirac are wrong? How can this be?

[Txsleuth]

I know...I don't discount anything Rummy did....but we know that the NYTimes isn't going to say anything nice about him.

If he still has an office at DOD and has security clearance..we may never know what he is still doing.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Mr. Gates, it turns out, is a hawk.

So what? The NYTimes is on record as being for cut-n-run.

[STARWISE]

I think I remember just after his leaving was announced that W was going to continue to have him as consultant. And, I really can't imagine that they wouldn't be in regular communication after all they know and have been through together.

[Bratch]

Negotiations - arms

Carrot - stick

Names may change but the reality stays the same.

[Interesting Times]

Or, put another way, it takes military power to create the leverage necessary to make negotiations fruitful.

One imagines the flamboyant fellows at the NYT assuming postures of histronic dismay at this obvious truism.

[Enchante]

Gates is a hawk?? Only when viewed by the parakeets and parrots at the NY Times.... (no offense meant to lovers of those birds).

Why does this photo make me think of the typical NY Times editor? All red and yellow:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Parrot.red.macaw.1.arp.750pix.jpg

[pacelvi]

I remember the day I realized the new SecDef wasn't the weak James Baker - type person that he was billed as. It was such a relief.