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Gates Laughs While Recalling Obama White House’s Inability to Understand Military Options in Libya
Washington Free Beacon ^ | April 1, 2016 | David Rutz

Posted on 04/01/2016 11:57:49 AM PDT by don-o

Former defense secretary Robert Gates laughed in an excerpted interview Friday while recalling the Obama administration’s inability to understand its military options during the 2011 Libya crisis.

Special Report host Bret Baier interviewed Gates as part of a special airing Friday night called Rising Threats, Shrinking Military. Gates, a holdover from the George W. Bush administration who served under Obama from 2009 to 2011, sharply criticized aspects of the Obama White House’s foreign policy in his 2014 memoir Duty.

He became particularly upset when he discovered that White House staff members were “talking about military options with the president without Defense being involved,” regarding Libya.

“I don’t want any military plans or options going to the White House that I haven’t seen,” Gates said, recalling his instructions to the Pentagon at the time.

“I mean, you write it a little bit more bluntly,” Baier said. “You say, ‘Don’t give the White House staff too much information on the military options. They don’t understand it.’”

“Pretty much,” Gates said, smiling.

“[It’s] a little more blunt,” Baier said, and both men laughed.

(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...


TOPICS: Canada; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia; US: Arkansas; US: New York; US: South Carolina; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2016election; arkansas; benghazi; blackberry; bretbaier; canada; clintoncash; clintonfoundation; election2016; hillary; hillaryclinton; hitlery; humaabedin; iran; libya; newyork; pages; peterschweizer; robertgates; russia; southcarolina; treygowdy; uranium; waronterror; wipewater
another snip

Gates says his instructions to the Pentagon were: “Don’t give the White House staff and [national security staff] too much information on the military options. They don’t understand it, and ‘experts’ like Samantha Power will decide when we should move militarily.” Power, then on the national security staff and now U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has been a strong advocate for humanitarian intervention.

Another time, after Donilon and Biden tried to pass orders to Gates, he told the two, “The last time I checked, neither of you are in the chain of command,” and said he expected to get orders directly from Obama.

1 posted on 04/01/2016 11:57:49 AM PDT by don-o
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To: don-o

Isn’t Gates the guy trying to force the Boy Scouts into becoming a homosexual organization?


2 posted on 04/01/2016 12:03:52 PM PDT by Cowboy Bob (With Trump & Cruz, America can't lose!)
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To: Cowboy Bob

Yes he is


3 posted on 04/01/2016 12:05:00 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad ("the media are selling you a line of soap")
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To: Cowboy Bob

Yes he is


4 posted on 04/01/2016 12:05:14 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad ("the media are selling you a line of soap")
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To: Cowboy Bob

I thought that had already been done.


5 posted on 04/01/2016 12:06:23 PM PDT by don-o (He will not share His glory. And He will NOT be mocked! Blessed be the Name of the Lord forever!)
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To: Cowboy Bob
“Isn’t Gates the guy trying to force the Boy Scouts into becoming a homosexual organization?”

Not trying. He did.

6 posted on 04/01/2016 12:13:19 PM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: don-o
Gates should have cut obozo some slack. After all, he was busy organizing the latest America Sux Conference.
 photo america sux copy_zpsogp1ihad.jpg

7 posted on 04/01/2016 12:43:29 PM PDT by Dick Bachert
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To: don-o

Gosh.

Our President is a dumbass.

Who would have known?


8 posted on 04/01/2016 1:05:19 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...
Look, hackers are going to hack their way in -- what difference does it make The question is, how much would they pay to save themselves the time? Taking the money always worked for Bill when he had secrets rich foreigners wanted, and we still left the White House flat broke. Who knows where it goes?

The Clinton Cash

9 posted on 04/01/2016 1:11:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: don-o

The adult in the room. If he were running for Pres., he’d have my vote in a New York second. Candidates would be wise to seek his council on defense matters even though he won’t be returning to Washington.


10 posted on 04/01/2016 1:24:18 PM PDT by SueRae (An election like no other..)
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To: don-o

The adult in the room. If he were running for Pres., he’d have my vote in a New York second. Candidates would be wise to seek his council on defense matters even though he won’t be returning to Washington.


11 posted on 04/01/2016 1:24:44 PM PDT by SueRae (An election like no other..)
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To: Cowboy Bob

Too late. He’s already succeeded. www.traillifeusa.com


12 posted on 04/01/2016 1:59:09 PM PDT by cyclotic (Liberalism is what smart looks like to stupid people.)
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To: don-o

Pajama Boy, commander of the 9th Flanneled regiment and senior military advisor to Obama, strongly condemns Gates in shocking press release.


13 posted on 04/01/2016 8:53:59 PM PDT by Organic Panic
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