Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, on Capitol Hill with Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Doug Mills/The New York TimesFrom The New York Times:
WASHINGTON — As defined by his commander in chief, the mission of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the last two years has been to win the war in Iraq.
But beginning on Jan. 20, Mr. Gates’s mission will be to end the war in Iraq, assuming the Pentagon boss stays in his post under an agreement with a new commander in chief, President-elect Barack Obama.
That contrast might seem to leave Mr. Gates consigned to serious whiplash.
While Mr. Obama campaigned on a promise to withdraw all American combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months, or by May 2010, Mr. Gates has spent his time at the Pentagon arguing a Bush administration position that has opposed setting strict timetables for withdrawal.
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My Comment: The New York Times focuses on Iraq, but the real point of contention that will quickly erupt between the two men will be the Pentagon's budget .... in particular the need to modernize America's nuclear forces.
These big .... no huge .... budget issues will need to be resolved soon. But I personally do not expect this to be the case, resulting in Robert Gates leaving sooner .... rather than later.