Robert Gates awarded Medal of Freedom

2011-06-30 10:59:16

#1

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5499|foggy bottom

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama awarded retiring Secretary of Defense Robert Gates the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a farewell ceremony on Thursday morning.

"A humble American patriot; a man of common sense and decency; quite simply, one of our nation's finest public servants," Obama said of Gates.

Obama spoke at a departure ceremony outside the Pentagon. Leon Panetta has been named Gates' successor as Defense Secretary.

Gates was originally appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006 and retained by Obama, making him the only defense secretary in history to be asked to remain in office by a newly elected president, according to the Department of Defense."

Great Secretary of Defense.

Tu Stultus Es

2011-06-30 13:43:32

#2

NeXuS: Shock it till ya know it; +375|6581|Atlanta, Georgia

yay

2011-06-30 14:36:13

#3

Shocking: sorry you feel that way; +333|6239|...

Too bad he only sat for about 5 years, I liked him tbh.

inane little opines

2011-06-30 14:56:11

#4

11 Bravo: Banned; +965|5477|Cleveland, Ohio

Wonder why they call the secretaries

2011-06-30 14:57:26

#5

Hurricane2k9: Pendulous Sweaty Balls; +1,538|5942|College Park, MD

11 Bravo wrote:
Wonder why they call the secretaries

Assistant to the Secretary of Defense probably

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/36793/marylandsig.jpg

2011-06-30 14:59:12

#6

11 Bravo: Banned; +965|5477|Cleveland, Ohio

Wat

2011-06-30 15:18:31

#7

Hurricane2k9: Pendulous Sweaty Balls; +1,538|5942|College Park, MD

I thought you said "what" not "why"

2011-07-01 02:38:59

#8

FEOS: Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate; +1,182|6651|'Murka

Gates certainly did a lot to improve civil-military relations. Sooo much better than that turd Rumsfeld and his crowd.

I can understand Gates moving back to the private sector...but he would do great in any other high-level public office. I'm sure he's sick of it, though.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein
Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

2011-07-01 02:47:22

#9

Dilbert_X: The X stands for; +1,815|6346|eXtreme to the maX

He seemed pretty good, and he wasn't Rumsfeld.

Fuck Israel

2011-07-01 03:32:45

#10

Spark: liquid fluoride thorium reactor; +874|6915|Canberra, AUS

FEOS wrote:
Gates certainly did a lot to improve civil-military relations. Sooo much better than that turd Rumsfeld and his crowd.

I can understand Gates moving back to the private sector...but he would do great in any other high-level public office. I'm sure he's sick of it, though.

That's how it goes, tbh. The best are the most reluctant.

The paradox is only a conflict between reality and your feeling what reality ought to be.
^{~ Richard Feynman}

2011-07-03 08:12:53

#11

Macbeth: Banned; +2,444|5825

Can anyone give me some of his career highlights or something? I don't understand what he has done to make everyone on the right and left like his some much. While he was secretary of defense, it seems he was never criticized for anything. So I guess he was an amazing secretary of defense who did everything right? That's pretty much impossible...

I've been reading some news blog articles regarding his retirement and the comments sections on them are all filed with people fawning over him and I don't understand why. It seems to me to be a part of that whole irrational American admiration of the military thing.

2011-07-03 08:22:26

#12

FEOS: Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate; +1,182|6651|'Murka

wiki wrote:
Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W. Bush as Director of Central Intelligence. Immediately after being recruited by the CIA, he also served as an officer in the United States Air Force.[2][3] After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates also served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, that has studied the Iraq War. He was also the first pick to serve as the first Director of National Intelligence (DNI), but he declined the appointment in order to remain President of Texas A&M University.[4]
Gates accepted the nomination for Secretary of Defense on November 8, 2006, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. He was confirmed with bipartisan support.[5] In a 2007 profile written by former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Time named Gates one of the year's most influential people.[5] In 2008, Gates was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.[6] He continued to serve as Secretary of Defense in President Barack Obama's administration.[7] Gates announced in August 2010 that he planned to retire in 2011, and President Barack Obama announced in April 2011 that he would be replaced by CIA director Leon Panetta.[8][9] “He’ll be remembered for making us aware of the danger of over-reliance on military intervention as an instrument of American foreign policy,” said former Senator David L. Boren. [10] Gates was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by President Obama during his retirement ceremony.[11]

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein
Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

2011-07-03 08:27:32

#13

Macbeth: Banned; +2,444|5825

It seems to me to be a part of that whole irrational American admiration of the military thing.

He was never in the military.

The position of secretary of defense isn't linked to the military at all? Well okay...

2011-07-03 08:29:42

#14

Macbeth: Banned; +2,444|5825

FEOS wrote:
wiki wrote:
Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W. Bush as Director of Central Intelligence. Immediately after being recruited by the CIA, he also served as an officer in the United States Air Force.[2][3] After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates also served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, that has studied the Iraq War. He was also the first pick to serve as the first Director of National Intelligence (DNI), but he declined the appointment in order to remain President of Texas A&M University.[4]
Gates accepted the nomination for Secretary of Defense on November 8, 2006, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. He was confirmed with bipartisan support.[5] In a 2007 profile written by former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Time named Gates one of the year's most influential people.[5] In 2008, Gates was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.[6] He continued to serve as Secretary of Defense in President Barack Obama's administration.[7] Gates announced in August 2010 that he planned to retire in 2011, and President Barack Obama announced in April 2011 that he would be replaced by CIA director Leon Panetta.[8][9] “He’ll be remembered for making us aware of the danger of over-reliance on military intervention as an instrument of American foreign policy,” said former Senator David L. Boren. [10] Gates was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by President Obama during his retirement ceremony.[11]

That's great and all but the opening paragraph of his wiki article doesn't really explain why he is held in such a high regard though. Can you exlpain it in your own words? Why is he an amazing statesman?

2011-07-03 08:30:47

#15

Macbeth: Banned; +2,444|5825

In your own words.

2011-07-03 08:31:19

#16

11 Bravo: Banned; +965|5477|Cleveland, Ohio

just another bloated white guy who makes way too much money for no reason

2011-07-03 08:43:04

#17

FEOS: Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate; +1,182|6651|'Murka

Macbeth wrote:
In your own words.

He wasn't the prick that Rumsfeld was, for one. Rumsfeld and his group never trusted the military and micromanaged, but they never made tough decisions and left the military leadership hanging when their own decisions went south. Gates was the opposite. He empowered his people, deflected credit, and took blame when it came. He made tough decisions and said they were his, not someone else's.

And Gates did serve in the military, but only briefly (see wiki quote). I would think that his history should show on it's own why he's so admired by so many...my personal take is based on personal observations, having worked in the Pentagon under both him and Rumsfeld.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein
Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

2011-07-03 08:47:12

#18

Macbeth: Banned; +2,444|5825

And Gates did serve in the military, but only briefly (see wiki quote).

The "He was never in the military." was a quote from you before you edited.

So basically the fact that he wasn't Rumsfeld is the only thing you can really say about him otherwise he was an slightly above average official. Well okay. I guess I was right.

2011-07-03 08:49:24

#19

11 Bravo: Banned; +965|5477|Cleveland, Ohio

so gates says that anyone who gets involved in the ME is crazy yet does it anyway. hmmmmmmmmm

Last edited by 11 Bravo (2011-07-03 08:49:39)

2011-07-03 12:29:48

#20

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5499|foggy bottom

Macbeth wrote:
And Gates did serve in the military, but only briefly (see wiki quote).
The "He was never in the military." was a quote from you before you edited.

So basically the fact that he wasn't Rumsfeld is the only thing you can really say about him otherwise he was an slightly above average official. Well okay. I guess I was right.

as someone who served under the last three secretaries of defense I could tell you gates was the best. the first thing that comes to mind is his doing away with the stop loss.

Tu Stultus Es

2011-07-03 12:30:23

#21

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5499|foggy bottom

11 Bravo wrote:
so gates says that anyone who gets involved in the ME is crazy yet does it anyway. hmmmmmmmmm

thats a derp comment if there ever was one. thats like saying youre partly responsible because you pay taxes.

Tu Stultus Es

2011-07-03 12:32:00

#22

11 Bravo: Banned; +965|5477|Cleveland, Ohio

eleven bravo wrote:
11 Bravo wrote:
so gates says that anyone who gets involved in the ME is crazy yet does it anyway. hmmmmmmmmm
thats a derp comment if there ever was one. thats like saying youre partly responsible because you pay taxes.

oh ok. you are right. he doesnt have more pull on that matter versus the average tax payer.

2011-07-03 12:36:23

#23

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5499|foggy bottom

dude, you know very well its a lot more complicated than that. you know the sec of defense is subordinate to the commander and chief and the congress. you know an administration is gonna do what its gonna do without thinking about the consequences or repurcussions. this isnt new info for you. would you have preferred he resigned?

Tu Stultus Es

2011-07-03 12:38:04

#24

11 Bravo: Banned; +965|5477|Cleveland, Ohio

unsure why he gets a medal is all

2011-07-03 12:40:30

#25

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5499|foggy bottom

cus obama knows people like him so it will help his image with the moderate righties.

Tu Stultus Es

BF2S Forums Robert Gates awarded Medal of Freedom

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eleven bravo wrote:

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