Gates and the neocons
IN THE Washington Post James Mann, the author who chronicled the rise
of the neoconservative movement, has an interesting take on the
nomination of Robert Gates as defence secretary. He says Mr Gates may
not prove to be the realist counterweight to the neoconservatives that
many expect. He recounts a debate within the first Bush administration
over how to deal with Mikhail Gorbachev:
The administration was divided. James Baker, the secretary of
state, wanted to test out Gorbachev. The anti-Gorbachev hawks were led
by Robert M. Gates, the deputy national security adviser. Gates's
principal ally was then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney.
Baker vs. Gates/Cheney: That alignment should serve as a warning
to those who view Wednesday's appointment...as representing the
triumph of Bush the Father's administration over Bush the Son's. Any
such analysis is far too simplistic. Gates's nomination unquestionably
stands for one proposition: a long-awaited recognition that the
administration's war in Iraq has been a disaster. But the broader
interpretation of the appointment as representing a victory of Bush 41
over Bush 43 -- or of one school of thought over another -- breaks
down when you look at Gates's background and the history of the 1980s
and early '90s.
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