Dems Not Getting Message on Iraq--the Gates Hearing

Tweet "The pressures of the hearing are nothing compared to the pressures I got from a woman who came over to me at the hotel while I was having dinner the other night, seated by myself," the nominee said. "She congratulated me on my nomination and she said, 'I have two sons in Iraq. For God's sake, bring them home safe.' "

"The room went quiet as Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), who had been questioning Gates, smiled and nodded in agreement. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) joined the nodding, and the smiles spread down both sides of the dais as Gates vowed independence. "I can assure you that I don't owe anybody anything," the nominee promised.

"Gates, who won the committee's unanimous support by day's end, was confident enough about his prospects that he told the senators his wife had skipped the hearing to accompany "the Texas A&M women's basketball team to an away game in Seattle."

"The senators, too, exhibited few signs of tension: Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) read a news clipping about himself headlined "Nelson Defeats Harris," then perused a housing report. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) worked his way through a box of candy and a large cup of coffee. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) thumbed their BlackBerrys. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) rehearsed her questions, written in large type on numbered index cards. An evidently distracted Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) spoke of communing with fallen troops. "I talk to those who've lost their lives, and they have that sense of duty and mission," he reported.

"Even the war protesters lacked enthusiasm: Only six dissenters answered organizers' call to picket in front of the Hart Office Building before the hearing. In this environment, Gates felt comfortable enough to lighten things up a bit. When Ben Nelson proposed continually increasing the bounty for Osama bin Laden, Gates noted: "A sort of Terrorist Powerball."

"Gates made no promise to end the war in Iraq or to bring home the troops. But he endeared himself to the candor-starved senators at the start with just two words. "Mr. Gates, do you believe that we are currently winning in Iraq?" Levin asked.

"No, sir," Gates replied. In fact, he worried about "the very real risk and possible reality of a regional conflagration."

Seven times, Gates assured the senators that all options are "on the table" -- even a "dramatically smaller" number of troops in Iraq. Nine times, Gates and his questioners agreed on the need for "fresh eyes" or a "fresh look" or a "fresh approach" -- a development Levin, Bill Nelson and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) declared "refreshing."

Found on Cursor.org