When Rumsfeld himself started to realize that Iraq was out of control, he then leaned towards withdrawal. Rumsfeld is replaced by Gates knowing that the options are lose or postpone losing with a surge. Gates is described as being more than happy to follow the company line.
Ray also describes the surge as concocted to give Bush and Cheney breathing room, to be able to high tail it out of town in January 2009 with Irag held in a cosmetic sling.
Regardless, Obama needs a new Sec Def. He can't be thinking to actually leave Gates. On the other hand if Gates is simply willing to tow the corporate line, will he accommodate a withdrawal from Iraq.
ZMag: Robert Gates: As Bad as Rumsfeld?
The aim (of the surge) was to stave off definitive defeat in Iraq until President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney could swagger from the West Wing into the western sunset on Jan. 20, 2009.
On Nov. 5, 2006, Bush had a one-on-one with Gates in Crawford and the deal was struck. Forget the torturously hammered-out recommendations of the Iraq Study Group; forget what the military commanders were saying. Gates suddenly found the "surge" an outstanding idea.
Well, not really. That's just what he let Bush believe. Gates is second to none — not even Petraeus — in ambition and self-promotion. He wanted to be Secretary of Defense, to be back at center stage in Washington after nearly 14 years in exile from the big show.
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