America moves forward as from Westmoreland to Abrahms

Asia Times has a couple of optimistic links on the possibility of Mr. Gates contributing to success in Iraq (and Iran). Alcibiades, at Keshertalk, expresses concern and Rumsfeld is missed. Woodward's recent book suggests that, as the saying goes, if Rumsfeld wanted your opinion he'd give it to you. He is a good man, a bright man, but that is a limitation. Regarding Gates, Fritz Ermanth says, 'he understands big agencies, big programs, lots of people and lots of money - from being the director of central intelligence, being in the national-security business all these years and running a big university.' Virginia Postrel finds that that running the university was harder perhaps than getting the football team to win, but Mr. Gates did it.