Robert Gates is increasingly finding himself between the devil and the deep blue sea.

[go west young man]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JB13Ak04.html

Indeed, those top military officers, notably the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, and Army Chief General George Casey, have become increasingly vocal in recent weeks about their concern that Iraq is systematically transforming the US military into what one expert, former navy commander Harlan Ullman, called "a 'hollow force reminiscent of the post-Vietnam War".

"If this is happening ... should we be faced with the choice of staying in Iraq with 130,000 or so troops or eviscerating our military?" asked Ullman, who developed the "shock and awe" strategy during his tenure as professor of strategy at the National War College, in his weekly column in the Washington Times last week. "Do we put the future of Iraq ahead of the future of our armed forces?"

[Captain Hilts]

1. Gates is doing a very good job in a bad situation. nt

[indepat]

2. We have been putting future profits to big oil from Iraqi oil revenues ahead of our national

security, our economy, the value of the dollar, our standard of living, our environment, our overall health and well-being as anyone not blinded by the right and with a modicum of knowledge and intelligence can plainly see :D

[niyad]

3. sorry, the man CHOSE to be part of this evil, corrupt, murderous junta. if

he is having problems, too frigging bad.

[bemildred]

4. Gee, who could have predicted this?

Just lots of people, some of them military historians and professionals, said exactly this would result.

[MasonJar]

5. He has no stature with me. He is in Iraq or was a few days ago, saying that

the draw down must cease so we can see if there is a change. He is just another Bush enabler.