This would make alot of sense.. especially considering how Gates came to the job, as a forced replacement. He has quite a bit of respect from congress as well.

If this is true then my views of Obama way back in the beginning when I decided to support him is true. My sense by his statements was that he's not the irrational "get out of Iraq next week" liberal many thought he was. He could just be making noises to get more moderates on board but, who knows, it's a chance moderates/conservatives tired of republicans have to take.

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With two wars at least some continuity from the administration of one president to the next is smart.

I heard someone say to Obama, "there are those who don't believe you will end the Iraq War." Obama replied, "Watch me" and that's exactly what I'm going to do. It's fine with me if he waits until after the election to consult with experts and advisors and generals as to the best way to accomplish that promise. I want it done carefully with a surgical knife not a hacksaw. For now I'm willing to believe and give Obama the benefit of the doubt. Only time will tell us.

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Obama is no fighter.

He'll stay in this war way too long, because he won't know when the fight is done.

Nothing worse than continuing a fight that some other pre-teen (bush) started.

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Gates is not all that bad. I wonder what it's like to be a soldier in Iraq and see so many top people fired and replaced? Can't be good for the morale. If Gates is left in place, with new faces in the White House, it avoids complete upheaval. There has to be some contin-
utity for our military to hang on to. Their game plan changes every week as it is. This is not just about the guys who call the shots. Anna

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...after all, ANYONE following an act like Donald Rumsfeld would seem like a genius, in comparison.

lexicon

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Perhaps the Japanese thought it would be "responsible" to remain in Nanking even after the Chinese Communists launched their guerrilla war in the 1930s, you know, with a "responsible" drawdown to fight elsewhere against a "new kind of enemy", the amphibious attacks staged by the US military.

Is there a "responsible" way to end an illegal war of aggression? Yes, overthrow the illegitimate government which started the war, arrest, try and punish the perpetrators and re-structure the government to prevent further onslaughts from internal totalitarians. This approach would "responsibly" meet our obligations under the UN Charter and the US Constitution among other applicable law frameworks. Anything short of this in fact, would be criminal complicity.

Am I being impractical? Of course, but Obama's "responsible", "centrists" and "moderates" should be looking at where the "center" of US public opinion really is on Iraq. The "center" wants out right away. Only the far right is delusional enough to see a long term favorable outcome for the US in Iraq. Oh and BTW, what about the people we claim to be liberating? Has anyone, including Obama and his "responsible, centrist" supporters, noticed that they don't want the new oil law, they don't want permanent US bases, they don't want US military and contractors with legal immunity and complete strategic independence from the soveriegn government of Iraq?

This is BS. Obama is the new Clinton, only he's better at it than Clinton ever was. "Yes we can?" No, maybe, no we can't.

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I've been following Barack Obama since be battled the South Side Chicago political bosses to get himself elected to political office. But the further away he gets away from the South Side, the more disappointing he becomes. Some of this is due the corruption-laden realities of our corporate ruled political system. Any candidate for national office is forced to compromise with corporate power just to get media exposure and campaign dollars.

But I was hoping Obama would drive a better deal. That's what's the most disappointing. He's a tough political fighter from a hard-nosed political town. He should have at least bloodied a few corporate noses to show that he's no pushover.

I will vote for Obama in November, though with no great enthusiasm. I would rather fight with Barack Obama for the next 4 years than John McCain.

Maybe if enough of us stand up to him, he'll decide that fighting the corporate stranglehold over this country is a better alternative.

Bob Simpson
The BobboSphere

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...is that they all are loyal only to the Repub party, and to the seemingly all powerful Bush family, the scourge of our nation.

Personally, I would almost never use or keep a Rethug on, were I Obama. And certainly not one like Gates who is so totally connected to the Bush political crime family. The Rethugs have a view point of the world that embodies a 'them or us' attitude. That is why they hook up so well with the religious right who always have this attitude about everyone who does not follow their dogmatic line.

Hell, these people are still fighting the Cold War and Vietnam. And they still believe in the long ago discarded and fully dead 'Domino Theory'. Included are people like Cheney, Rumsfeld, McCain and the entire Bush family and probably most of the Rethug party.

The only Rethugs I would consider are the State AG's that the Rovian Repubs tried to get rid of for not persecuting and prosecuting Dems who were not guilty of anything but political differences. Do we all remember Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson both of New Mexico.

So those AG's like David Iglesias, Lam, Ryan et al. could be considered because their loyalty is to the proper and professional conduct of their jobs. Also another Repub worth considering is Sen. Chuck Hagel who also seems to place his country and decent values above the lack of values of most Repubs. And especially since Hagal said he might retire from politics.

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