Robert Gates: “Drastic reductions in the size and strength of the U.S. military make armed conflict all the more likely.”

the only way I could get significant new or additional equipment to commanders in the field in weeks or months--not years--was to take control of the problem myself through special task forces and ad hoc processes.

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

He is deeply knowledgeable about the international scene and geopolitics.

I think that it's still a problem for the Saudis.