Gates Confirmed by Full Senate 95-2 Vote...Biden/Bayh & Dole Not Voting!

[KoKo]

By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 47 minutes ago

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to confirm Robert Gates as defense secretary, with Democrats and Republicans portraying him as the man who will help overhaul President Bush's Iraq policies. The 95-2 vote was a victory of sorts for Bush, who named Gates to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon on Nov. 8, a day after voters gave Democrats control of Congress for next year.
-snip-

Overall, 52 Republicans, 42 Democrats and one independent voted for Gates. Three lawmakers — Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del., Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C. — did not vote.

-snip-
Committee Democrats said they decided to endorse Gates because of his frank assessment of the Iraq war and his openness to change. Many of them said they saw the Iraq Study Group's report and the change in leadership at the Defense Department as the necessary impetus for a different approach to Iraq. Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., said he thought Gates "recognized the high price that our troops are paying for the current policy."-snip-

Gates' swift approval contrasted with his experience 15 years ago when he was picked to head the CIA.
In 1991, 31 Democrats voted against confirming Gates, citing charges he had pressured intelligence analysts to develop conclusions that fit President Reagan's policies and turned a blind eye to the Iran-Contra scandal — when arms were sold to the Iranians and the cash used to supply the Nicaraguan Contra rebels. Twelve of the senators who rejected Gates 15 years ago remain in the Senate today, including Biden, Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

Gates won political points with Democrats when he said he did not think the U.S. was winning in Iraq. That response appeared to contradict Bush, who said at an Oct. 25 news conference, "Absolutely, we're winning."
Gates later said he believes the U.S. is neither winning nor losing "at this point." Levin said Wednesday he was pleased that Gates agreed with Democrats that "only a political settlement by the Iraqis can end the violence in Iraq and that the military force that we have there cannot do that for the Iraqis."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061207/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/gates_pentagon&printer=1

[MADem]

1. Biden and Bayh are hedging because they are running--chickenshits.

If the guy cocks it up entirely, they can wag their finger and say 'Well, "I" didn't vote for him!!!!" If he does well, they can claim they supported the decision but couldn't get back to DC for the vote!!

Santorum and Bunning voted NO, actually! Their logic: He criticized the Monkey, and he thinks we should talk to Eye-Ran!!!!!
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2006/12/06/ap/headlines/d8lrm9p81.txt
Two Bush allies, Sens. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and Jim Bunning, R-Ky., voted against Gates, citing his criticism of the war and his view that the U.S. should engage Iran as part of a solution.

"Mr. Gates has repeatedly criticized our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan without providing any viable solutions to the problems our troops currently face," Bunning said. "We need a secretary of defense to think forward with solutions and not backward on history we cannot change."

Santorum, who lost his re-election bid last month, mocked the idea of engaging dictators and talked at length of the evils of "radical Islamic fascism." When it comes to reaching out to Iran to discuss the security of Iraq, Santorum said of Gates, "I think he is in error."

[Hippo_Tron]

4. How about this for a 50 state strategy, Santorum/Bunning '08

The GOP might carry Utah, but that might even be a stretch.

[MADem]

5. Supposedly, Santorum is angling for the Bolton UN job, so he pulled that absurd

'loyalty' speech out of his ass. It'll be a bitch of a commute to the UN for him from McLean, VA, though--he'd have been better off buying a fancy house in PA!!!

That IS a dream ticket though...we could run RFK's ghost and win!

[Straight Shooter]

2. This is a "confirm him and get it over with and let's move on" vote.

:banghead:

[Zodiak]

3. Another Iran-Contra criminal confirmed

just like Negroponte.

I know that the TeeVee tells me don't worry, be happy...he's an adult.

But I know that this is putting lipstick on the pig, and the Senate should know it, too. All this talk of victory or six months to stabilization. What horseshit. More men, women, and children will die due to our failure to admit defeat.