Robert Gates
The Public Record
Robert Gates is a prominent Republican figure from Texas, known for his extensive career in public service and academia. He served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011 under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. Gates played a crucial role in shaping U.S. military policy during the Iraq War and the early years of the Afghanistan War, advocating for a focus on counterinsurgency operations and the need for military reform. He has also held positions as the president of Texas A&M University and as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Gates is recognized for his pragmatic approach to defense and national security issues, often emphasizing the importance of bipartisan cooperation in governance. In recent public statements, he has expressed concerns about the use of continuing resolutions in government budgeting, highlighting the need for more stable fiscal policies.
★ Featured Quote
June 13, 2025
Such an attack would make a nuclear-armed Iran inevitable.
— Robert Gates
May 17, 2025
I think there is a cost. I think it does provide a basis for radicalization in the region.
May 17, 2025
I think it would be a very heavy political lift for the president to say he's going to cut off military supplies to Israel unless they stop in Gaza.
May 17, 2025
There has to be an agreement between the president and the Congress on actually what has to be done to recapture our industrial-military industrial capabilities.
May 15, 2025
He's going to insist on occupying all four of the eastern provinces of the Donbas.
May 15, 2025
I think the president is — based on what I read — is getting the sense that, as he put it, that Putin is 'tapping' him along.
Jan 28, 2023
I'm always hesitant to get Congress involved in a problem, because you usually end up with a solution you don't like. But the problem that the conferences, the athletic conferences, are facing now, they're all multi-state conferences. And…
Jan 28, 2023
This is basically the responsibility of the president to educate people about why this is necessary.
Jan 28, 2023
I think the only thing I would've said is that a lot of this could've been done sooner.
Jan 28, 2023
I think we still have quite a bit of time, Chuck. I think there's still broad bipartisan support in the Congress for helping Ukraine.
May 6, 2021
The Chinese have played a lot of clips of what happened at the Capitol on January 6. And in their propaganda... have talked about how we’re in no position to advise other countries on how to govern themselves.
May 6, 2021
I think part of the problem is that at the end of the Cold War, we were affected by triumphalism or hubris, whatever you want to call it.
Jun 18, 2020
The President does not like having countervailing opinions, he does not like being disagreed with.
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