Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

30 Jun 2011 15:24

tags

U.S.: Robert Gates awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

  • Last day on the job: The path Robert Gates took as a defense secretary for successive administrations (under the control of different parties) is very unique, and as such you can understand President Obama wanting to give him this sort of an honored send-off. You can be sure that Gates feels the love. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 11:12

tags

U.S.: Today is Robert Gates’ last day at the Pentagon. *sniff*

We’re sitting in this coffee shop, blaring Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday” from our tinny MacBook speakers. And crying. We’re getting weird looks, but WE DON’T CARE! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 17:37

tags

World: Robert Gates: Hamid Karzai will leave power in 2014

  • The long Karzai goodbye: Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that despite previous suggestions he might try to change the Afghan constitution to let him serve a third term, Hamid Karzai is now telling people privately he’ll leave power in 2014. What the nature of America’s presence in Afghanistan would be without Karzai is hard to say; whatever comes of the fight against the Taliban, the government he’s been running is thoroughly corrupt, if much less brutal than the alternative. Neither has his alliance with the U.S. seemed in good faith at times — remember when he threatened to join the Taliban, or admitted his administration was taking literal bags full of cash from Iran? Here’s hoping a different leader can stem the tide of corruption. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2011 10:58

tags

World: Robert Gates: Gaddafi’s civilian death toll claims “outright lies”

  • We have been careful about this. It’s almost as though some people here are taking at face value Gaddafi’s claims about the number of civilian casualties, which, as far as I’m concerned, are just outright lies.
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates • Complaining loudly about reports of civilian casualties caused by Operation Odyssey Dawn. Gates denies the claims. “It’s perfectly evident that the vast majority — if not nearly all civilian casualties —have been inflicted by Gaddafi,” he says. Now, this isn’t to say that he’s wrong … but we have to imagine it’s kind of hard to be careful with anything like a Tomahawk missile. It’s a rough road. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 01:25

tags

World: Defense Secretary to successor: Don’t be an idiot, ‘kay?

  • “Any future Defense Secretary who advises the President to again send a big American land army into Asia, or into the Middle East, or Africa should have his head examined.
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates • Offering some candid advice to his (as of now unnamed) successor. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2011 00:26

tags

World: Defense Secretary puts the kibosh on closing Gitmo

  • Frankly, the prospects for closing Guantanamo, the best I can tell, are very, very low.
  • Secretary of Defense Robert Gates • At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. The problem, Gates says, is that just about nobody in Congress actually wants to close the controversial detainment facility, and Congressional approval would be required to shut it down. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Dec 2010 15:26

tags

Politics: Robert Gates: “Don’t ask” repeal will be worse if it’s court-ordered

  • My greatest worry will be that we are at the mercy of the courts and all of the lack of predictability that that entails.
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates • Emphasizing that it’s better for Congress to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and allow an orderly end to the policy than for the court system to simply force an end to the policy. Yesterday’s vote which failed 57-40, fell apart without any GOP support; Gates was “disappointed in the Senate vote, but not surprised.” Along with just about everyone else looking for a repeal, buddy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Nov 2010 20:41

tags

Politics, U.S.: Gay rights advocates win tiny, tiny, tiny victory

  • plea Gay rights groups asked the Pentagon to expedite its release of its study on the effects of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
  • response Defense Secretary Bob Gates agreed, and bumped up the release of the report…by one day. One whole day! source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Sep 2010 10:34

tags

Politics: Three Obama quotes from Bob Woodward’s new Afghan War book

  • one “I’m not doing 10 years. I’m not doing long-term nation-building. I am not spending a trillion dollars.”
  • two “Everything we’re doing has to be focused on how we’re going to get to the point where we can reduce our footprint.”
  • three “I have to say that.
    I can’t let this be a war without end, and I can’t lose the whole Democratic Party.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2010 11:11

tags

U.S.: Robert Gates’ retirement has at least one interesting coincidence

  • spring The period next year which Gates reportedly wants to retire as Defense Secretary, a story that just broke today.
  • spring The period he said that he wants to hand over partial reins to Afghan security forces. Coincidence? We think not. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
top tags
older >>