Go Along to Get Confirmed

No wonder the Democrats and the New York Times are so thrilled with Robert Gates' appearance before the Armed Services Committee today.

Mr. Gates declared that the United States is not winning in Iraq, that mistakes had been made all around, and that the president did not mean it — or at least, Mr. Gates did not intend to go along — when he said that the best strategy is to stay the course.

What could be better, if you're a cut 'n runner? Sounds like Gates is your guy, according to the hearing transcript. What's more, his decision to telegraph his opposition to any use of military force when it comes to Syria or Iran had to have the bad guys celebrating. Whatever happened to a little strategic ambuigity?

We could only wish that Democrats would offer Republicans similar sycophancy when Republicans are in the majority. It almost sounds like the Pentagon's gone Democratic.

And the Republican senators weren't much better. Of the two senior Republicans on the committee -- Senators Warner and McCain -- neither apparently believed that Al Qaeda or the larger war on terror were important enough to merit questions for the man who is ostensibly charged with defeating the one, and winning the other.