The Hill News

When we went to war at the beginning, we were fully unprepared. We went from peace to war overnight. Our army under Tommy Franks and the administration with Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush had no hands-on experience, and Congress was made up of peacetime people concerned with housekeeping issues. Not until Defense Secretary Robert Gates came to the position did a steady hand come to policy in the Middle East conflicts. But Gen. David Petraeus also brought stability and success to a mess he did not create. At his confirmation hearing today to become the next CIA director, he should speak plainly about his assessment of the situation as we enter the post-Gates period.

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