Gates At The Barbarians Again

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has served past his usefulness according to BooMan.

It's time to be realistic about Afghanistan. And it's time for some clean hands at the Pentagon. Bob Gates has served his purpose. He's actually done a pretty good job of cleaning up Rumsfeld's mess and of being a team player in the Obama administration. But there is just too much rot in the Pentagon from the Bush years for someone who served during the Bush years to be credible enough to clean it up. If Gates remains, bad things will happen. He should stay no later than the end of the year. 

BooMan's talking about this story in the NY Times this morning:

Top military officials have continued to rely on a secret network of private spies who have produced hundreds of reports from deep inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to American officials and businessmen, despite concerns among some in the military about the legality of the operation.

Earlier this year, government officials admitted that the military had sent a group of former Central Intelligence Agency officers and retired Special Operations troops into the region to collect information — some of which was used to track and kill people suspected of being militants. Many portrayed it as a rogue operation that had been hastily shut down once an investigation began.

But interviews with more than a dozen current and former government officials and businessmen, and an examination of government documents, tell a different a story. Not only are the networks still operating, their detailed reports on subjects like the workings of the Taliban leadership in Pakistan and the movements of enemy fighters in southern Afghanistan are also submitted almost daily to top commanders and have become an important source of intelligence. 

The American military is largely prohibited from operating inside Pakistan. And under Pentagon rules, the army is not allowed to hire contractors for spying. 

Gates in other words is breaking his own rules in order to help us "win" in Afghanistan...and we're not even winning in Afghanistan.  By our own admission we're not winning in Afghanistan.  I agree that Obama absolutely needs to find a replacement for Gates, and I'll add this to the myriad of good reasons he needs to go:  Gates is stonewalling on DADT.

CNN is reporting that tonight, during an interview on John King USA, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will reiterate his support for repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy (DADT) and argue that lawmakers should wait for the Pentagon to complete its review before rescinding the policy. Gates has expressed a similar sentiment in a letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), and his tone has drastically chilled any chance of ending the policy before the end of the year. But during tonight’s interview, he will go one step further, suggesting that a quick repeal would be “a stupid way to do change.”

Obama wants it gone.  Congress wants it gone.  Gates is dragging his feet on purpose, against the President's orders, and if he's not going to implement the President's orders as Defense Secretary, he needs to resign.  Period.  That's the way a chain of command works, Mr. Defense Secretary.  Perhaps you're familiar with the concept.