Senate committee approves Gates for Pentagon
Source: Reuters
(Updates with committee vote) WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel unanimously recommended on Tuesday approval of the nomination of Robert Gates, President George W. Bush's nominee to be defense secretary. Gates' nomination now goes to the full Senate for a vote, where he is also expected to prevail in his bid to replace Donald Rumsfeld, a lightning rod for critics of the increasingly unpopular Iraq war. Acting quickly after just one day of hearings, 21 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the nomination. Gates told the committee that Iraq would be his highest priority. He also said the United States was not winning in Iraq and all options for improving the situation were on the table. Gates was less forthcoming on how he thought U.S. fortunes in Iraq could be improved, saying he wanted to consult first with military commanders and others. He won widespread credit from the senators for his candid assessment of the Iraq war.
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