Political Quotes

“It is amazing what a little candor will do. That is what endeared him to the committee and resulted in this unanimous, bipartisan vote bringing his nomination to the floor. Dr. Gates was honest with members of the Committee on Armed Services. He will be honest with the American people. He understands that our efforts in Iraq are not going well and we need to change. He is a person who is dedicated to the kind of change which will be consistent with our values in foreign policy. He told me honestly he didn't know what we should do in Iraq, but we need to examine the two primary missions we now face: establishing conditions of security on the one hand, training and supporting the Iraqis on the other. He said we may need to shift the balance between the two missions. That is not unlike the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group which were released today. That commission delivered to the President a series of recommendations. In just a short time, in about 2 hours, the Senate is expected to confirm Dr. Gates as the new Secretary of Defense with an overwhelming bipartisan vote.”