Wes Clark's take on Robert Gates--and a very important Obama theme

I know that some Democrats are either nervous or upset over Obama deciding to keep Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. I am not among them. I think it is a very good decision, and I found a good explanation from someone who certainly knows more about military matters than me. On November 26, 2008, Wes Clark was a guest on the Ed Schultz radio show, and Gates was one of the topics they discussed.

Ed Schultz: Fantastic. Secretary of Defense Mr. Gates, looks like he's going to stay in that position. What are your thoughts on that?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think it's a, it's a good move. I think he's been a very effective, pragmatic Secretary of Defense. He's only been on the job a couple of years. There's some big issues that are going to be coming up for this administration right away, including both Iraq and Iran as well as a new strategy for Afghanistan. The President's clearly going to be in charge. Hillary's going to be the Secretary of State working the overall policy directions. Why not have an experienced guy who's got his, his feet on the ground for a few more months in the Secretary of Defense's position?

Ed Schultz: Has he been a good Secretary of Defense?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, by my view he has.

Ed Schultz: And is there anything that President-Elect Obama would be risking if he were to make a move at this critical time?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I think that when you look at, at the way the Defense Department is organized, what you have typically had and what Rumsfeld had was a big problem at the transition coming in. He became the Secretary of Defense. It took him six months, eight months to get the team in. He didn't have a first quality team in there when he first got there. This was during the, the, the lead up to 9/11. I think that may have had some impact. And I think it makes sense to have Gates stay there. Gates is going to be loyal - he's going to have to be loyal - to a new Commander in Chief, and, and that's alright.

Ed Schultz: That was word that I used in the last segment. I mean, loyalty is awfully big when you've got a person in your cabinet. And the fact is, is that Mr. Gates has been against a timeline in Iraq, and we all know where Barack Obama stands on winding our involvement down in Iraq. How do you think that's going to work out?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I, I think that the Iraqis themselves will want the timeline. Now, it may turn out that the timeline doesn't work for reasons inside Iraq that the Iraqis themselves recognize, but I think the issue's gone away. So, I don't think it's an issue at this point.

Ed Schultz: What do you think this means for involvement in Afghanistan?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think there's going to be in increase in troop strength certainly in Afghanistan, but I hope that the Obama team - and I have reason to believe they will - will have a different strategy for national security, and that strategy will en-entail (inaudible) Afghanistan a great deal more emphasis on the non-military elements of the situation.

Ed Schultz: What does this tell the American people about President-Elect Obama that he would keep on the Secretary of Defense and, a-and having been very clear as to what he wants to do with Iraq and Afghanistan? What do, what do, what does this signal to the American people, General?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, it, it, it might signal that he's a very confident President-Elect who believes that he can count on the loyal support of a cabinet member, even one who has served a different master.

Ed Schultz: How long do you think Gates would stay in this position?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I'm told that, that actually (chuckles) he's not looking for lifetime employment. He'd be really happy to go back to his home and his other private pursuits, and I, I think maybe a year, maybe less.

Schultz then asked Clark about the possibility of becoming Secretary of Defense.

Ed Schultz: If you were ever approached for this position, would you consider it?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Of course, but there are a lot of good people in the Democratic Party who could do this job, that-. We're so rich in talent, and I think that he's assembled a great cabinet thus far.

Ed Schultz: But no one has your resume. I mean, (chuckle) who could match that?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, it's not about resumes. It, it's really about picking people who are congenial, work together well and, and meet the President's needs. Those needs are both substantive and political.

(emphasis added). What I want to focus on here is not Clark's downplaying of him possibly getting the job in the future (and it couldn't happen until 2010 anyway). What I want to focus on is the emphasized portion of the above excerpt. It is important to first and foremost have competent, skilled people in cabinet positions. There are partisan, political factors to take into account, but the first priority is to get good people. I think a second major factor is to get people who are not ideologues, regardless of their party affiliation. Gates fulfills both those factors, and Clark's comments reflect that Obama is placing an emphasis on getting the job done and doing it well.

Many Democrats have criticized the Gates selection because they think it reinforces the stereotype that Democrats can't handle military and national defense matters. I think it is far more important to choose someone that can do a good job, especially given the totality of the circumstances now. This is one instance where I applaud Obama's efforts to avoid partisanship (and another example showing why some Democrats need to temper their expectations). And for those Democrats still worried about this selection, keep in mind that it will likely be temporary, and, as Wes said, there are plenty of good people in the Democratic party that could be a very effective Secretary of Defense.