Robert Gates: “I acknowledge that I am preoccupied with avoiding mission creep and avoiding having an open-ended, very large-scale…”

I think appearances do matter.

No more continuing resolutions.

He would be candid and honest, willing to tell the President straight from the shoulder what he needs to hear.

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.