Robert Gates: 'We're Not Ever Leaving' Afghanistan

[Moonlight Graham]

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In a shocking indication of a split between the White House and the Pentagon over the war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates believes that the U.S. military will never leave the war-torn country.

During a dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Afghan President Hamid Karzai in May, Gates reminded the group that he still feels guilty for his role in the first President Bush's decision to pull out of Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, according to Bob Woodward's new book, "Obama's Wars." And to express his commitment to not letting down the country again, he emphasized:

"We're not leaving Afghanistan prematurely," Gates finally said. "In fact, we're not ever leaving at all."

Woodward notes that the group was shocked by the blunt comment: "At least one stunned participant put down his fork. Another wrote it down, verbatim, in his notes."

Duh?

[Shady]

You gotta admire his honesty.

[Topaz]

You mean no tinfoil here? Of course they aren't going to leave the Middle-East, that was always the plan, to take over control over the areas.

[Shady]

You mean no tinfoil here? Of course they aren't going to leave the Middle-East, that was always the plan, to take over control over the areas.

I'm not sure "taking over control of the areas" is their plan. Besides, there's still American troops in Germany and Japan, and they hardly have "control" over those areas. I think it goes a little deeper than your unsophisticated assertion.

[eyeball]

"We're not leaving Afghanistan prematurely," Gates finally said. "In fact, we're not ever leaving at all."

The US deserves the place.

We're still leaving, in theory at least.