Word: levins
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Levin's follow-up question was just as freighted. The senator pulled out a quote from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, from a Nov. 23 press conference, and read it to Gates: "The crisis is political, and it is the politicians who must try to prevent more violence and bloodletting. The terrorist acts are a reflection of the lack of political accord." Levin asked Gates if he agreed with Maliki's statement...
...Gates's answer was important. In Levin's view, Maliki's statement reinforced the Democrats' own arguments to begin a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces. "There's no military solution here now," Levin explained to TIME last week. "There's only a political solution now. That's why we should not put so much emphasis on a military solution and we should force the politicians to reach some kind of compromise on Iraq...
...response to another question from Levin, Gates indicated that he would be open to modest troop withdrawals to force the Iraqi political leadership to take on more responsibility for security. "All options are on the table," Gates said. He also was not shy about suggesting that Rumsfeld had made misjudgments in the Iraq war. Asked by Republican John McCain, a likely 2008 presidential candidate, if the Pentagon had too few troops in Iraq at the outset - something the senator has long argued - Gates agreed. "There clearly were insufficient troops in Iraq after the initial invasion," the former CIA director said...
...Levin, in his questioning, read to Gates the response of CENTCOM chief Gen. John Abizaid at a Nov. 15 Armed Service Committee meeting, when McCain pressed him on his proposal to send more troops to Iraq: "I've met with every divisional commander, General Casey, the corps commander, General Dempsey - we all talked together. And I said, 'In your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq?' And they all said no. And the reason is because we want the Iraqis to do more...
...Levin, who had voted against Gates's nomination to be CIA director 15 years ago, seemed almost relieved that he was willing now to take over the Defense Department. Simply hearing Gates acknowledge that the U.S. was not winning the war is "a necessary refreshing breath of reality," Levin said. Gates's candor is "something that has been sorely lacking," added Sen. Hillary Clinton, another Democrat on the committee...