Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Robert Gates and What Might Have Been

When I read a book the first look is from cover to cover to get a sense for what it’s about. Then I set it aside and see what begins to percolate up into my daily awareness.

Today I was cruising along through life when I got to thinking about something I read in “Duty,” by Robert Gates.

His time in office spanned the last two years of the Bush administration and the first two years of Obama’s. Despite the fact that he was a Republican, Obama decided to continue him on as Secretary of Defense. The book suggests the reason was to insure the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan didn’t overly distract from the new president’s domestic agenda. For whatever reason, Secretary Gates soon earned a special trust and confidence in the new president.

Contrary to the advice Obama got from his staff, he most always took the recommendations that Gates offered and was well served in doing so. It was only when Gates left office that things started going south for the current administration. I contend that the life-changing event for the President came the night of Benghazi and everything that has followed has been one continuous series of scandals and unraveling of domestic policy. He was very critical of “Bush’s Failed Policies,” however they pale by comparison to his own.

I can only wonder that if Bob Gates had remained as Defense Secretary how much of the bungling could have been avoided. On one hand it can be said that the seeds of destruction were planted early in the Administration’s first term and germinated in the second. This is to say that the presence of Secretary Gates would have made essentially no difference. On the other hand, Gates was a mini-computer in a sea of hand held calculators and if Obama had continued to have access to his advice he might have gotten over some of the hurdles without knocking each one down.

The complexity of managing two wars, changing somewhat the culture of DOD and killing unnecessary Pork procurement programs was a daunting task that Gates successfully accomplished. Both Obama and Gates were tier two intellects but Gates knew how to get things done in Washington and Obama was seriously deficient. He is only now beginning to “get it” as he nears the end of his second term. Electing an “Amateur” was a bad idea and The United States of America has paid a bitter price for his inexperience.