Nelson Supports Gates for Defense Secretary
NELSON SUPPORTS GATES FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY
Nebraska's Senator Pressed Nominee on Establishing Measurable Goals in Iraq; Gates Says "That's the Right Approach"
Citing his support for changing course in Iraq and for establishing measurable goals to track our progress on key objectives there, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson today voted to approve President Bush's nominee to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Dr. Robert Gates, President Bush's nominee to head the Department of Defense, today appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee and fielded questions regarding the future plans for the war in Iraq and other military policies. Nelson is a member of the committee.
While questioning Dr. Gates, Nelson outlined his vision to establish measurable goals in Iraq so we can track our progress on key initiatives such as training Iraqi troops, reducing sectarian violence and establishing an Iraqi security force.
Referencing an earlier hearing where he asked Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about measurable goals, Nelson asked Gates, "We need to measure and know how many Iraqi troops need to be trained, how fast we can do it, and what's the time frame, what does it take to get it done. Secretary Rumsfeld said, yes, he agreed that that kind of an approach was necessary and that General Casey was working with Prime Minister Maliki in order to be able to do that. Is that your understanding at this point in time?"
Dr Gates responded, "I have not had discussion with anybody about benchmarks, but I think that's the right approach."
Senator Nelson has been pushing the Administration to identify and adopt measurable goals in Iraq so we can begin to determine when our troops can return by tracking how close we are to achieving our objectives. Nelson has rejected calls for arbitrary deadlines or calendar dates for drawing down troops. He has also said that staying the course is not a viable option. Nelson's plan would give the American people a tool to measure progress in Iraq and the ability to know when the job is done and our troops can come home.
The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously confirmed Dr. Gates' nomination on Tuesday afternoon. The nomination will now go to the full Senate for consideration. The Senate could vote on the nomination yet this week.
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