Defense Tech pal Dan Dupont points us to an interesting lecture presumptive Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Here's a snippet:
"In addition to our military .. and intelligence and law enforcement campaign, we also need a positive component to our strategy: a diplomatic, economic, political, humanitarian component that addresses some of the issues in the region that provide fertile recruitment grounds for these terrorist groups," Gates said. "You'll never stop the leaders, but maybe you can make it harder for them to recruit their armies."
With sentiments like these, it's no wonder that Tom Delay, Frank Gaffney, and other neocon-types are wasting no time blasting the Gates nomination, accusing him of "negotiat[ing] with terrorists."
Meanwhile, our pals at 27B are nervous because of AP story, which characterizes Gates as saying that "cyberterrorism could be the most devastating weapon of mass destruction yet." Please, let that be a lazy reporter talking, and not our next SecDef.
![A cameraman films U.S. Navy SEALs during an episode of the Fox network television series "24" at Camarillo Airport in 2008.](http://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-04/mil-filming-seals-in-series-24-1800.jpg?itok=WZFSEAJB "A cameraman films U.S. Navy SEALs during an episode of the Fox network television series "24" at Camarillo Airport in 2008. (U.S. Navy)")
