As many as fifty former Guantanamo detainees have returned to the battefield and more than a dozen have been killed there. That being said, here is an excerpt from an editorial today in the Wall Street Journal:
“…So Mr. Gates, the ostensible leader of our fighting men and women, concluded that he didn’t want to do any political fighting of his own for General Pace. The veteran of combat in Hue City, and the first Marine to hold the Chairman’s job, will now be the shortest-serving Chairman in more than 40 years.
…
Mr. Gates seems to think he can succeed as the anti-Rumsfeld by appeasing the likes of Mr. Levin, but his kowtow only makes Mr. Bush look weaker as a Commander in Chief who can’t even select his own war generals. Mr. Levin was quick to brag about his latest conquest, confirming for reporters that he had told Mr. Gates that General Pace’s nomination would have resulted in a fight. The Democrat will now return Mr. Gates’s favor by holding Senate hearings on the Administration’s detainee and interrogation policy. Mr. Levin is seeking thousands of documents to further embarrass Mr. Bush, and we’re told Mr. Gates is urging the White House counsel’s office to accommodate the Democrat.
It is no secret that Robert Gates believes the detainees at Guantanamo should be moved to the United States. Yet that would pave the way for a massive waive of legal filings by the Guantanamo Bay Bar Association, perhaps under a new name, for their release. Mr. Gates did not fight to retain General Pace and his advice, if taken, might ultimately set more killers free to face our troops once again.
While Senator Carl Levin might publicly praise him, I think the time is rapidly approaching when someone needs to tell Mr. Gates to lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.