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I am not a Robert Gates cheerleader, but I hope you will look beyond simple greed or lack of integrity to explain his actions. Gates’ error was accepting an appointment from Obama in the first place. Getting in bed with scoundrels is never a good idea; we all saw what Obama was, so an old CIA guy certainly should have known. I suspect that ego led him to believe two things: inaccurately, that HE could somehow steer the administration to do the right thing some of the time; and, accurately, that if he didn’t take the job, someone much worse for the country would (Barbara Boxer perhaps?).

Once he accepted the job, he was trapped. Running away in a snit would be childish. Millions of people depend on the SecDef’s relationship with Congress. Resigning and calling out the “People’s” elected representatives as the ignorant, self-serving, grandstanding cowards they are would salve one’s own bruised ego. The scumbags would then make the military pay a very high price (and Gates would be 100% ruined by the media that would mobilize to make him out as a disgruntled egomaniac). Letting yourself be pummeled by gloating cowards, who know you can’t defend yourself, becomes the only option, before retiring “quietly”, itself a difficult public admission of your own failure. That takes integrity of a complicated sort. His judgement and integrity failed him most when he accepted the job.

Excuse me for saying this but that sounds like so much claptrap. Someone much worse taking the job - we got that with Hagel. "Letting yourself be pummeled by gloating cowards" is going to happen now anyway.

How about showing some real integrity and try to protect the nation. How about resigning and saying 'Hey, people, wake up! We got traitors and idiots runnig amok! These people need to be stopped!' But no, he is too much the insider to do that. Instead of trying to protect and defend the Constitution, he looked out for himself.

You are entitled to your opinion but I just don't buy it. And I am willing to bet a lot of Freepers and millions of other citizens don't buy it either.

I suspect that ego led him to believe two things: inaccurately, that HE could somehow steer the administration to do the right thing some of the time; and, accurately, that if he didn’t take the job, someone much worse for the country would (Barbara Boxer perhaps?).

I'm no fan of Gates, either, and we can thank him for attacking DADT, among other things. But is it possible he was aware of the incompetence and was genuinely concerned for the fate of the soldiers in theater? Obama's watch has seen twice as many U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan than during Bush's two terms, in no small part because of his cabal's determination to lose through suicidal ROE's.