Is Gates right for SecDef?

Paul Mirengoff over at Power Line brings up an interesting point in this posting about one good reason to be hesitant about Robert Gates becoming the Secretary of Defense: he's a member of the Iraq Study Group, a.k.a. the "Baker Commission". This group is expected to recommend a potentially disasterous course of action in Iraq, e.g. inviting Syria and Iran - two of the biggest state sponors of terrorists - to actively participate in reconstructing a peaceful Iraq.

I will be following Mr. Gates' confirmation hearings and public statements with great interest.

I hope he remembers:

1) There should be only two acceptable outcomes when the United States goes to war:

• Unconditional surrender of our enemies
• Total destruction and annihilation of our enemies

2) Peace only follows victory; one side has to win

3) Syria and Iran should be next on the chopping block for reforming the Middle East, not invited to the table with us.

We'll see...