Gates to the Future

Signal, Sygnet, and Sigil - Gates to the Future

I've been watching part of the Gates confirmation hearing this morning, as much as time would permit anyway. I had expected Gates to be little more than a typical intellectual analyst (the kind so common in the Company) given his background.

However, so far, I've been favorably impressed by the few segments of testimony and examination I have witnessed thus far. I especially liked his tendency to place the onus on long term Strategic outlines for the War in Iraq and the War on Terror back upon Congress.

I see obvious Cold War parallels here where the necessity for maintaining a basic multi-generational strategy had to be developed and executed over a number of years and over the operational span of consecutive and different administrations and sitting Congresses.

I am hopeful that Gates can lead some in congress, at least, to understand the strategic and tactical implications of what he was hinting at, and what needs to be done considering the realities of our current (and likely future) situation.

But then again this is Congress that we're talking about and a Democratic Congress at that, so first and foremost the Conservative and Pragmatic Democrats will have to win out over the Liberals. No easy task to say the least.