Last week I have looked at the prospects of the upcoming Obama administration’s military/defense policy, and this week I decided to look at the most pressing issue concerning right now – selection of the Secretary of Defense. There have been buzz and debates over whether the current defense secretary Robert M. Gates should remain in his position (even just for a while) during the next administration. Obama had already expressed his willingness to ask Gates to stay should he get elected throughout his campaign. Now that he is elected, Obama has to decide whether he should consider bring “change” to Washington right away as he promised, or continue stability in the Pentagon with an experienced and respected man for the job.
I decided to find articles with two different views using IMSA criteria – one supporting the decision to make him stay, and one opposing it. The first one was Continuity We Can Believe In: Why Barack Obama Should Keep Robert Gates at Defense by Michael Goodwin, a conservative columnist for the New York Daily News, who advocates Obama’s pick of Gates. The other one was The Danger of Keeping Robert Gates in the English edition of Al-Jazeera Magazine by Robert Parry who is a reporter/author that opposes Obama’s potential move. The first author praises Gates for his “honest and nonpartisan public service” and the “record of success” that justifies his stay. On the contrary, the latter points out Gates as someone who “embodies worst elements of U.S. national security policy” and very “politicized”. It was certainly interesting and important to assess two contrasting perspectives, especially because this issue is critical to our national security and also because the new administration has pledged openness and post-partisanship.
For Continuity We Can Believe In: Why Barack Obama Should Keep Robert Gates at Defense
As someone who will soon become an officer in the United States Air Force, this is a really important issue. The next commander-in-chief Barack Obama had made history already and yet will face even greater challenges when he takes office, including managing two difficult wars that he had only been watching from the sidelines. He has promised further changes in our recent policies; he had pledged to end the war in Iraq and put more emphasis in Afghanistan; he said he would talk to our enemies without precondition. He had said he would bring changes to the way policies are made by transcending partisanship, including putting people with different political affinity in his cabinet like President Lincoln did during the Civil War. If Obama truly wants to be a leader who would bring historical changes in this country, then he will have to take some chances. And that includes keeping Robert M. Gates as Secretary of Defense, even at least for a short period.
President-elect Obama had been a main critic of President Bush for years, literally. And there are few people who are more politically tied to the Bush family than Secretary Gates; he was appointed as the Director of CIA by President George H.W. Bush, and Secretary of Defense by President George W. Bush. So for someone who got into office for hammering Bush keeping someone too close to the family might look like a blatant hypocrisy. Many of Obama’s anti-war supporters would protest for sure. Yet, even they overlook Gates’ competence and the opportunity for post-partisanship. People tend to believe that change means complete overhaul, but history has shown that it is often too radical and risky. There should always be a balance between change and continuity. At this critical and dangerous time, it is indeed better to keep a man who has already shown that he is capable and overcame his past politicization of favoring the Bushes.
For The Danger of Keeping Robert Gates
This article mentions mostly about Gates’ history in CIA, but barely touches on his accomplishments as Secretary of Defense. It is true that there are few people who are more politically tied to the Bush family than Secretary Gates; he became the Director of CIA by President George H.W. Bush, and Secretary of Defense by President George W. Bush. Gates would not have been here if it was not for the Bush family. Gates probably had spent most of his CIA career sweet-talking to the Bushes for his own political/bureaucratic career; that could hardly be surprising. But Secretary Gates is a different man from Director Gates. Now he has not only shown competence but honesty and objectivity. If he had kept his politicization tendency, then there would not be as much progress in Iraq War right now, if not deteriorating. Also that is why it has become difficult even for current anti-Bush Democrats to criticize him.
So for Obama, who got all the way to presidency by criticizing Bush and promising change, to tying himself to a Bush crony in a very important position would seem like the least reasonable political move. He would disappoint so many of his anti-war supporters. But they should remember that this is a chance for new cooperation for the national and international interest. It would finally give a very wise man an opportunity to break away from his old realm and work with someone else who demands new directions. And it would be chance for a new president to look at complex war issues from a fresh perspective. Past records are important, but what matters more is what has happened more recently, and how things will be in the better future.
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