Newsweek: Stealth Warrior (how Gates is trying to save Junior's presidency)

[grytpype]

A must read from Newsweek on the changes going on within the White House, including lots of gossip about how Gates is trying to get the car back on the road.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17554602/site/newsweek/

Stealth Warrior

By John Barry, Richard Wolffe and Evan Thomas
Newsweek

March 19, 2007 issue - The old, macho Bush administration took a certain delight in telling its enemies, at home and abroad, to go to hell. The president seemed to enjoy watching Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld swagger and put reporters down at press conferences in the post-9/11 buildup to the invasion of Iraq. (George W. Bush teasingly called Rumsfeld "Matinee Idol.") Advice from moderates, especially if they had worked in the administration of Bush's father, was generally scorned. And any suggestion from the chattering classes, from the media elites, was likely to push the president in the opposite direction.

But that was then, before Iraq turned into a quagmire, the Democrats won control of Congress, Rumsfeld was eased out and Bush began worrying more about his legacy. When The Washington Post exposed wretched conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Bush team responded as if Texas had been invaded. The behind-the-scenes scramble to rectify the mess at the facility and to take better care of veterans is revealing of a new way of doing things in the Bush administration.

When the Post first published its stories, Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, called Robert Gates, the new Defense secretary. Bolten, who replaced Andy Card a little more than a year ago, is a results-oriented pragmatist. So is Gates. The two men agreed that swift action was called for. A senior White House official, who requested anonymity discussing the president's private conversations, tells NEWSWEEK that Gates called President Bush and said: "I'm going to hold people accountable. I don't know how high it will get. But it will be high." Bush responded, the official says, "Do what you need to do." (That's all Bush could think to say, "Do what you need to do." Great leadership there.)

....

The next day, at a National Security Council meeting at the White House, Gates quietly pulled the president aside and told him he was firing (Army Secretary) Harvey, the aide says. (Notice Gates just TELLS Bush what he's going to do, he doesn't ask for Bush's opinion! "Get the frick out of the way, Junior!") Gates summoned Harvey, who was visiting the Army's infantry command at Fort Benning, Ga., back to the Pentagon. At a short meeting in the Defense secretary's third-floor office, Gates told Harvey that the Army secretary had not grasped what the Defense secretary had meant about accountability. At a news conference an hour later, Gates said, "Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems."

... much more at link MUST READ!

[formercia]

1. Looks like the boys put Gates in charge

Trying to pull their nads out of the fire. They better be scared, because when the masses find out what the real story is, it's going to be torches and pitchforks.

[wake.up.america]

2. One again, I must say that US troops could affect a surrender on Tuesday,

and the US was still wrong on attacking Iraq.

[MADem]

3. Must read indeed. For even more perspective on how HORRIBLE it was at the Pentagon

have a gander at this link as well: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x267904

And make special note of what's contained in Post THREE.

Incredible incompetence, and flagrant, vicious, cruel abuse of authority.

Gates is a Bush, Senior guy. Already it's a HUGE improvement, but that's not saying it's all hunky-dory. Hope the old man can steer the bus back into the breakdown lane, anyway.....after he puts the wheels back on!!!!

[melody]

4. God forbid Gates try to save his country rather than Jr's ass

He might just do the right thing and go to the press about ... oh, wait, I forgot for a moment where I lived.

[formercia]

6. Junior is just a side show

The boys behind the curtain are the real actors and Gates works for them.

[Bitwit1234]

5. We need to get our military out of harm's way.

Goodness knows the main thing is to bring our troops home. That said, I can add even closing down the war and bringing the troops home won't say bush's crooked and corrupt administration.

BECAUSE WE REMEMBER AND CAN'T BE DETERRED FROM THE FACT THAT HE (BUSH) WAS THE ONE THAT SENT THEM THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

[KoKo]

7. For a minute I thought you meant Bill Gates...........!

duh....

Thanks for the post. It's hard for me to visualize the Chimp listening to Gates if he's Poppy's messenger...but at this point he's so outta control I guess he doesn't care.