http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/printedition/2006/11/10/edhines1110.html
Gates' 'fresh perspective' on Iraq overdue By Cragg Hines Houston Chronicle Published on: 11/10/06 Donald Rumsfeld is not the problem. His resignation is not the solution. As overdue and as welcome as his departure as defense secretary is, it is at best an incomplete response by President Bush to the strong message of disapproval from Tuesday's elections. Bush said Wednesday that the electorate's swing toward Democrats was a means by which voters could "register their displeasure with the lack of progress" in Iraq. That's at least a vast understatement and possibly a major misunderstanding. Voters want a swift disengagement, and if that includes something that can be defined, as Bush insisted Wednesday that it must be, as "victory," well, fine. One of Bob Gates' most urgent duties as Rumsfeld's designated replacement, as unwelcome as it may be to such a consummate analyst, will be to attempt to redirect the White House's failing perception of the U.S. public's disgust with the continued fighting. It's accompanied by the administration's apparent preference for not doing much in response. That is a tall order. But then, and perhaps only then, can Gates provide worthwhile counsel on the failing direction of the war. Gates, now president of Texas A&M University, may have thought that his project to rebrand Aggieland was daunting, especially as some old boys believed no redesign was necessary. Imagine what it will take to rebrand a war in Iraq that has helped to deliver a Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress for the final two years of a Bush administration. Gates' views on his College Station project are laid out in the cover story of the November issue of Texas Monthly. The headline is "Agent of Change." It will verge on the miraculous if by the end of the Bush administration a magazine piece on Gates' time at the Pentagon can carry the same caption. The Texas Monthly piece details how Gates got to A&M and the role in the maneuver of retired Air Force Gen. Brent Scowcroft, who was national security adviser to President George H.W. Bush. (Are you rushing ahead of me on the irony?) Gates spent almost three decades at the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council, where he was a Scowcroft deputy. Scowcroft is perhaps the best known critic of the Iraq war from within the Bush-41 administration. This is not to say that Gates shares Scowcroft's views. We will get to investigate that as the confirmation process advances. Perhaps the most interesting reaction of President Bush to the Republicans' "thumpin" (his word) or "whoopin" (the description from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay) was his turning Wednesday to a seasoned adviser to his father (and other presidents of both parties). It will be Gates' thankless role to help clean up the mess in whatever way that he can. He was already on the program as a member of the Iraq Study Group, a panel whose upcoming report could provide Bush cover for clearly warranted major course corrections in Iraq. The panel is chaired by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, an even closer associate of the Bush family who undertook the job only after explicit backing for the project by the current president. Baker has signaled that whatever specific recommendations the group may make, one of them will not be "stay the course." That option took a beating at the polls and Bush sought at least to redefine the concept in his post-election news conference. "Somehow it seeped in (the voters') conscience that my attitude was just simply 'stay the course,' " Bush said. " 'Stay the course' means, let's get the job done, but it doesn't mean staying stuck on a strategy or tactics that may not be working. So perhaps I need to do a better job of explaining that we're constantly adjusting. ... (W)e're constantly looking for fresh perspective." That's been very difficult to tell, especially in the tasteless campaign by the president and Vice President Dick Cheney to demonize Democratic opponents of the war. But "fresh perspective" will certainly be near the top of Gates' tasks. Gates' confirmation hearing will provide, as it should, a chance for a close examination of the administration's war policies and his views. If Gates, on his own or in concert with the Baker commission, can provide a "fresh perspective" on which Bush is willing to act, it will be the best service that either has provided in their years of advising the Bush family and the nation. > Cragg Hines is a Houston Chronicle columnist based in Washington. +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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