National Security adviser James L. Jones and President Obama (Photo from Atlantic Council)Jim Jones's Team -- Washington Post
Defense Secretary Robert Gates doesn't give interviews all that often. So it was interesting that Gates reached out last week to talk about Gen. Jim Jones, the national security adviser, and how he is managing the foreign policy process in the Obama administration.
Gates is a fan of the retired Marine general. He said that he has watched national security advisers up close since Henry Kissinger in the early 1970s and that Jones is "among the best" he has seen. "I think of Jim as the glue that holds this team together," Gates said. Despite all the talk about big egos in the Obama group, he says that at the top level it is "not a team of rivals, but a team."
This encomium wouldn't be newsy, or even very interesting, if it weren't for the whispering campaign about Jones that has been making the rounds in Washington for the past two months. The proverbial "anonymous sources" have been sniping at Jones, claiming that he is out of the loop and unprepared, doesn't stay late enough in the office and kicks his dog. (Actually, I made up the last part.)
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My Comment: He is very discreet .... which is something that one would expect from a man in his position. The true test of how he can perform is when a true crisis arises .... but I am confident that the retired marine General will perform fine.