"Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meanwhile, welcomed a report from his top commander in Iraq that violence has declined 60 percent in the last six months. But Gates warned that "people are getting impatient."
Whose impatient?
Gates Leaves Iraq Encouraged
"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that security progress in Iraq was significant yet still fragile, an assessment echoed by the senior American commander in Baghdad, who strongly cautioned against a premature declaration of victory.
Mr. Gates, completing his sixth visit to Iraq as defense secretary, met Wednesday and Thursday with commanders in Mosul and in Baghdad, as well as with senior Iraqi officials:
"[I left Iraq] encouraged. I came away from all of it feeling very good about the direction of things in the security arena, about what is going on at the local and provincial level in terms of people reaching out to each other, crossing tribal, sectarian and provincial boundaries to work together.”
This after he was greeted with four car bombs! Geeze!
He spoke in Bahrain, where he will attend an annual conference on regional security. He acknowledged that political reconciliation at the national level must accelerate and that it had not kept up with progress by local and provincial officials.
Mr. Gates completed inspection tours of Afghanistan and Iraq this week, before the annual security conference.Iran will certainly be discussed at the conference, although it is unlikely that Mr. Gates will converse officially with Defense Ministry officials from Tehran who attend:
“I don’t expect to have any interaction with the Iranians.”
WHY NOT? That could be a GOOD THING!
You know, at least TALK to them!
This is why I have no hope for my country or the world!
Because of neo-con assholes like Gates here!
He's just as bad as his boss!
