Video: Angry Gates unloads on Pentagon leaker
posted at 4:51 pm on April 11, 2007 by Allahpundit
He announced today that they’re extending the tours of active-duty soldiers from 12 months to 15, which he claims is a way to make sure everyone has a full year at home when their tours are up. That imagines troops returning to Iraq in 2008 (or 2009), but that shouldn’t come as a surprise: all but the most dovish Democratic withdrawal plans provide for a substantial non-combat force in country to train the Iraqi army that’s going to disintegrate once we pull out.
Like I say, the formal announcement was today, but the informal announcement came two days ago when someone inside the building leaked it to ABC News. No particular reason why, as far as I can tell; they simply wanted to embarrass Bush by sandbagging the troops and their families with the news before they could be personally notified by their commanders. Which brings us to this vintage slow burn.
Apropos of nothing, I think the reporter who asked the question here was Pam Hess.
Blowback
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I hate these leakers. Maybe they should try a sting operation.
Stormy70 on April 11, 2007 at 4:59 PM
This has to stop! These leakers are going to be the death of us! Until someone grows a spine and starts prosecuting and locking these people up in jail. Expect to see more of this.
This just makes me so mad…GRRRR!!!
Scorched_Earth on April 11, 2007 at 5:04 PM
This is one of my greatest beefs with this administration, from Wilson to the lowest leakers/liars, they all have gotten a total pass. There is open treachery and traitorous activity going on IN PUBLIC and not a single thing has yet to be done about it.
bbz123 on April 11, 2007 at 5:07 PM
Perhaps the leakers are lefty leftovers from the Clinton years…
infidel4life on April 11, 2007 at 5:10 PM
I hope to God that Karma is real. If so, whoever is responsible will be hurt really bad for this treasonist act. The fact that someone can bring themselves to hurt our troops like this just blows my mind. I swear that if I could just get my hands on the person who leaked this to ABC I might just torture them to the edge of death, nurse them back to health and torture them again to the edge of death. Other then that I have no strong feelings on the matter.
Zetterson on April 11, 2007 at 5:16 PM
These “leakers” aren’t lefty leftovers, they are travellers put into place by the tinfoil hatted leftist loons that hate America and have worked for her destruction for over 60 years…actually began prior to WWI and continues on today. They would have us believe all of the filthy trash they have been spouting for decades and they hate because they lost power briefly during Clinton’s terms in office, otherwise, they feel, we would not be where we are today. What they don’t realize is that islamofascists are out to kill all the people who will not convert…end of discussion. They will not believe their own eyes and ears. Nuff said!!
sharinlite on April 11, 2007 at 5:17 PM
As long as the Administration shows absolutely no willingness to flush out and prosecute those leakers to the fullest extent of the law, I could care less about their expressed “displeasure.”
Actions, not words.
Misha I on April 11, 2007 at 5:17 PM
I don’t understand why Bush stands by and does nothing while the “Gremlins” in his administration continue to chuck wrenches in the works and assist our enemies. Are the political ramifications so terrible that it warrants his silence?
I don’t think Bush has it in him any more. I think he’s beaten us and is just waiting out the rest of his term before he goes back to Crawford.
Hopefully the next President will address the problem for what it really is and put pressure on our enemies. Foreign and Domestic.
Scorched_Earth on April 11, 2007 at 5:19 PM
That’s supposed to say *beaten up*
Scorched_Earth on April 11, 2007 at 5:26 PM
Find the S.O.B. that leaked the news and send him to Iraq for the duration of hostilities. Ah, them memories this brings back. It’s been just shy of 35 years since I was extended 90 days due to the NVA’s Spring ’72 offensive. Didn’t like it then, don’t like it now. We need a bigger Army.
bdfaith on April 11, 2007 at 5:26 PM
’bout time somebody got serious about leaks.
budorob on April 11, 2007 at 5:26 PM
He “unilaterally” decided to leak the info. The Pentagon has a problem with “unilateral” activity? Should have thought about that before we “unilaterally” invaded Iraq. I know, I know. Shut up stupid liberal. Can do. Gotta drink my kool-aid before it gets warm. Wait, did I spell “unilaterally” wrong? Mmmmm. Kool-aid.
shackler on April 11, 2007 at 5:28 PM
They deserve this for their failure to stop it. This crap has been going on since Bush got in office, and the Pentagon and CIA and administration have simply ignored it.
Gutless.
Jaibones on April 11, 2007 at 5:29 PM
Shackler,
You forgot Poland.
Dave Shay on April 11, 2007 at 5:46 PM
They should find out who it was and ‘leak’ that individuals name and let them reap what they sew.
Dash on April 11, 2007 at 5:52 PM
This is about it, we can expect this sort of nonsense to continue till someone grows a pair and starts doing serious investigative work into who’s leaking this stuff.
Bad Candy on April 11, 2007 at 5:56 PM
Don’t have to be. The striped-pant State folks generally all come from the same trough, the Ivy League, so they tend to be hostile to hawkish administrations and doubly so to Republican ones. The Pentagon is populated by career bureaucrats with ties to State, so their goals and the White House’s frequently conflict (see Rumsfeld). The CIA has pretty much become the applied arm of State’s policy mill.
The Bush Doctrine gave up the ghost early in 2006. He’s been dialing in since then, holding on to a bucking bureaucracy for dear life. He has no leverage against the leakers, so I’m thinking this is just going to get worse.
spmat on April 11, 2007 at 6:50 PM
“Perhaps the leakers are lefty leftovers from the Clinton years…”
…and maybe Rosie the Hut is fat?
drunyan8315 on April 11, 2007 at 7:58 PM
I think he responded very well in this case. Instead of taking a political angle or going on about “leakers” in general, he basically shamed the leaker in public by stressing that the leaker caused stress in people’s families. What that does is to make the leaker, whoever it is, shamed within their peer group. The leaker is going to be hearing all kinds of grumbling about what an idiot that leaker is from people in the Pentagon cafeteria. More so now since it was framed in human terms and not political terms.
crosspatch on April 11, 2007 at 8:12 PM
Of course they are. It’s extremely difficult to fire anyone once they’re in the government. And these Clintonites will stop at nothing. Remember when they defaced and vadalized the White House offices because Al Gore lost the election? They’re the most self-centered, emotionally stunted people you’ll meet – just like their hero and heroine. Oh, but they love America and they care about the troops. Riiiiiiiiiiiight. They love the great pension their going to get when they retire at 55.
foxforce91 on April 11, 2007 at 8:42 PM
The reason they’re hostile to Republicans is because the Republicans are for smaller government, hence, they are out of a job if the size of govt is reduced – it’s that simple.
foxforce91 on April 11, 2007 at 8:51 PM
Well said
Wade on April 11, 2007 at 9:13 PM
That’s why we must scrap civil service for most government jobs. Only low level workers like clerks, groundskeepers and the like should have it. All management or administrative personnel should lose their jobs when the administration changes. Having those in office who oppose the newly elected administration are a danger to the plans of the executive.
Huh?!
ScottG on April 11, 2007 at 9:19 PM
The enemy within this country are the “Clintonistas” who have jobs in the most high levels of this government that can not be fired. Unless some kind of a ‘sting’ is done they will continue to leak and leak and leak UNTL the Dem’s have full power once more. The clean out should begin immeadiately. Now. Today.
auspatriotman on April 11, 2007 at 11:17 PM
I agree. I’ve finally come around to the position that basically Bush is just too nice of a guy, too naive, or too serious about the forgiveness side of being a Christian to be in the job. I think he thought that if he just did the right thing, that the truth would out, and everyone would recognize it as truth. Like when he was governor of Texas. He just schmoozed people into a consensus position and as a result enjoyed a surprising level of political harmony. No need to get into pissing matches with people or anything, just do the right thing, treat everyone with respect, and everything will turn out alright. And this is the guy they compare to Hitler–it is absolutely to laugh–until you cry. I don’t think he possessed the cynicism to imagine the opportunistic, cheap-shot crap that the Dems are pulling right now; he wouldn’t think it would be right to believe such things about a fellow human being. In that sense he reminds me a little of Reagan–that optimism he had. But with Reagan it was “trust–but verify. With Bush, I think there was only the trust, and without his belief in the basic trustworthiness of his colleagues and opponents alike, he may indeed be finally dysfunctional.
Go ahead, rip me apart–it’s just a feeling I have.
smellthecoffee on April 11, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Let me get this straight, Scooter Libby gets convicted for a faulty memory and not committing any crime, and Sandy Berger and that hag from the CIA who was caught leaking secrets are enjoying Spring Break?
Who the hell is in charge of the Justice Department, FBI, Secret Service, Homeland Security, or the darn local police?
I think, it just might be time, for a re-birth of the Militia Movement. If these bought and paid for politicians who like to have fancy titles, and live in D.C., but will not do the peoples work………… time for some “Tap Out”!
If I remember right, don’t these people take an “oath”, when broken, there is “pain”?
PinkyBigglesworth on April 12, 2007 at 1:24 AM
I think you’re right, smellthecoffee. He is too nice. His experience in his first term as governor ironically didn’t help, as his lieutenant governor was Bob Bullock, a Democrat who was willing to even go against his own party to be bipartisan-a trait we don’t see in Washington Democrats.
I think the telling moment was when the NYT did the leaked national security story that even Murtha-who wants to see Bush impeached-asked them not to run. Bush had perfect justification to “go ape” right then and there, publically send FBI counterintelliigence after the leaker and the NYT, and revoke NYT’s press credentials throughout the executive branch until the end of his term. He could have read the White House press corps the riot act, reminding them that freedom of the press is only the third of five freedoms listed in the First Amendment, and no more allows espionage and treason than the other four do.
That a man tries to live by as a Christian in his personal life is always applaudable, but when a President steps into the Oval Office at the beginning of his work day he should really balance the Bible with Machiavelli’s Prince.
As it is, Bush’s weakness is hurting the country, possibly even more than the Democrats are doing so. Of course, Bush isn’t hurting us deliberately…..
Lancer on April 12, 2007 at 8:34 AM