- Joined
- Dec 29, 2015
- Messages
- 45,404
- Reaction score
- 11,746
- Location
- Olympia Wa
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Other
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is Putin gaining influence?
GATES: I think that Putin certainly has reasserted Russia's role. You know, we basically excluded them from the Middle East in the early 1970's and they've had no real influence or presence there ever since, until the intervention in Syria. Now it's pretty clear that any negotiation on Syria, if there ever is one, Russia will be at the table.
BRENNAN: So his bet is paying off?
GATES: I think it is. I think that he has gotten in there with a limited military intervention, you know? Everybody thought he was crazy. Everybody that he was going to get sucked in and just be more and more involved in this military conflict in Syria. And he's managed to limit their military intervention but maximize its influence in Syria in terms of propping up the Assad government.
Former Defense Secretary: Next president must "lay down a line" with Russia - CBS News
WOW, you gotta wonder now if Gates is beginning to understand where Trump came from....this is a huge failure of the DC Elite Foreign Policy Brain Trust Middest Division. As Gates says, nobody get to the right answer till after Putin had done his work and won. I mean we have long been able to count on the CIA to be wrong, but usually there is some smart person around talking sense.Not this time.
We are not challenging Putin because we are not up to the job, and that is so very sad.
Last edited: