The neocons win

By Creature

Last week an undersecretary at the Pentagon, Eric Edelman, called a sitting senator, Hillary Clinton, a traitor [previous posts one, two, and three]. After this political swipe to a serious question-- Iraq withdrawal plans--the onus was on Edelman's boss, Robert Gates, to act. Today the secretary of defense did act, that is if a flip-flopping letter counts as action.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton that a top Pentagon official did not intend to impugn her patriotism by suggesting that questions about U.S. planning in Iraq boosts enemy propaganda.

At the same time, Gates defended his aide and the author of the letter, Undersecretary for Policy Eric Edelman, calling him "a valued member" who provides "wise counsel and years of experience (that) are critically important to the many pressing policy issues facing the military."

Let us all recall that Eric Edelman is a neoconservative. Let us all recall that Eric Edelman is a former Cheney aide. Let us recall that it was the neocon's "wise counsel" that brought us the Iraq war and continues to keep us there. The fact that Robert Gates chose to defend Edelman is telling. Telling because Gates was supposed to represent a break from the administration's neocon past. He was to be the anti-Rumsfeld.

I think it's clear now that Gates is no such thing.

The fact that Edelman has kept his job shows that Gates has no spine to stand-up the vice president. The fact that Edelman has kept his job shows that, once again, the neocons win and our democracy loses.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)