Hillary Stands Up, The Pentagon Backs Down

TPM Cafe:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is distancing himself from an under secretary's assertion that Senator Hillary Clinton's public questions about Pentagon troop withdrawal plans are aiding the enemy.

In response to our queries, the Pentagon declined to endorse the remarks made by Under Secretary of Defense Eric Edelman in a recent letter to Clinton.

"I have said on several occasions in recent months that I believe that congressional debate on Iraq has been constructive and appropriate," Gates said, in a statement that was emailed to Election Central by Pentagon spokesperson Karen Finn.

Gates added that he was "looking into the issues" raised by Edelman's comments in the letter and Hillary's concerns about them.

A Dose Of Realism?

Washington Post:

Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Bush administration's choice to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is deeply concerned that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are straining the U.S. military and he probably would seek political solutions to those conflicts, according to longtime military associates.

"He's concerned the Army has been carrying the heavy load for some time," said retired Army Gen. William "Buck" Kernan, the former supreme allied commander, Atlantic, under whom Mullen served in 2000. "He recognizes you can only stretch the rubber band so far."

If confirmed by the Senate, Mullen, 60, would become the first Navy admiral to serve as the nation's top military officer since the late 1980s. His selection comes as the Navy takes charge in several key U.S. commands covering the Middle East, Asia and South America, as well as U.S. Special Operations Forces.

Of course, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was also supposed to inject some realism into the Administration. There's no evidence anyone can.