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Gates vs. Rice: Who's Irresponsible?
Defense Secretary Bob Gates delivered an implicit slap at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Discussing the new defense budget and the president's escalation plan for Iraq, Gates contended:
"We clearly are hoping it will succeed, planning for it to succeed, allocating the resources for it to succeed -- but I would tell you that I think I would be irresponsible if I weren't thinking about what the alternatives might be if that didn't happen," Gates told Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.). "But we, at this point, are planning for its success."
Barely a month ago, in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rice said that contingency planning equated to an unacceptable pessimism:
Top administration officials are however adamant that contemplating an alternative would simply doom the current plan to failure."I don't think you go to plan B. You work with plan A," Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said Thursday, explaining why the administration had no contingency plans lined up."You work with plan A and you give it the possibility of success, the best possibility of success."
No word yet on what the contingency planning actually is -- or whether its any more responsible than the surge itself.
Comments (14)
Unmitigated Audacity wrote on February 6, 2007 1:50 PM:Plan B - Fly up to Hebbin on the wings of the Rapture.
bunny99 wrote on February 6, 2007 1:51 PM:It's just more of the same, and it will go on and on. Hell, as long as we keep those dollars coming, the powers in Iraq aren't going to do shit.
Why should they? They are getting the ride of their lives. If Bush doesn't give a crap about American troops getting their arms blown off, you can't believe Malaki cares about his people.
They're all getting rich off of the sweat of US taxpayers dollars. What would you do?
If the Dem Congress was the least bit capable of doing something other than raisiing money for themselves, this might end. But they are chicken shits and always will be.
Robin Boerner wrote on February 6, 2007 3:43 PM:Careful Condi, you were just a college running geek before this gig. Gates, before this gig, before his college running geek days was a CIA spook in South America.
Never know. He might still have an Iran Contra Columbian pal or two hanging on the payroll. Don't fret, it will be in the name of national security and Shrub will give your family a nice medal, velvet box and all at the funeral. You'll be a hero. They will just be the same backstabbing scumbags they were the morning before.
Richard L. Adlof wrote on February 6, 2007 9:59 PM:Of course, Plan B is out of the question for the current Administration . . . They are anti birth control.
Gates is a survivor of prior administrations and never a big fish. He has gotta continue putting food on the table after Bush's term is done and over. He recognizes the slide towards the end and lack the long-term emotional attachment to being 'on top' and 'always right'.
He could be dangerous . . .
Frank wrote on February 6, 2007 11:00 PM:Plan b is for Bush to pull a condom over his head capturing his seminal legacy stemming from his mental masturbation phantasys his tragic Iraq misadventure had inspired. Then display that shameful "legacy" in a spot lighted glass case in his five hundred million dollar library.
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