He was speaking at a dinner of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, a coalition of businesses and organizations supporting international programs.

Where foreign policy is concerned, Secretary Gates urged a lesser role for the military.

"Broadly speaking, when it comes to America's engagement with the rest of the world, it is important that the military is and is clearly seen to be in a supporting role to civilian agencies," he said.

Maintaining the respective roles of the State and Defense departments is important.

"The Foreign Service is not the Foreign Legion, and the U.S. military should never be mistaken for a Peace Corps with guns," Secretary Gates said.

Contrary to those who may be looking for a military victory in the war on terror, Mr. Gates said "we cannot kill or capture our way to victory."

Secretary Gates said that civilian institutions have been understaffed and underfunded since the Cold War ended.

The military is trained for combat. The State Department should foster economic and political development that can lead to more stable societies. That relationship and those roles should be restored.

It's about time that a SECDEF stood up to Cheney and informed him of this. Btw, it was also then-National Security Adviser Condi Rice's job to tell this to alseep-at-the-helm POTUS and to always angling-for-more-power Cheney. Either she had no cajones (she doesn't) and/or she had no clue (she didn't).

And it was Rummy-the-Dummy's job to prevent mission creep, but my bet is that he saw mission creep as a pathway to more power and more money for influential friends in the defense contracting pipeline.

We should only go to war if the reason is strong enough that we don't care about "hearts and minds" of enemy civilians. Bombing people and then expecting them to be our bestest buddies isn't smart.

Sounds like Cheney is finally getting his comeupance. Gates is certainly a big improvement for the Bush administration. I have a feeling Bush regrets his choice of VP.

I have a feeling Bush regrets his choice of VP.

Posted by danni

Bush didn't choose Cheney. Cheney chose Cheney. Bush may regret being to lazy to check him out, but I doubt Bush regrets his nap times.

Bush probably is too clueless to appreciate the realistic thinking Gates brought into this inept administration. That Gates touts the company line so often publically is a tragedy for our poor troops caught in Shrub's political bind.

1.2 million dead, 4 million displaced, of which 600,000 are Iraqi Christians on the run for their lives. People keep dying because Shrub refuses to admit he's wrong.

The military is an ATM with no limit.

The GOPpers' Corporate Owners

The military is NOT a Peace Corps with guns? Let the recruiters be sure to point that out to the kids to whom they lie. Personally, I prefer my Peace Corps WITHOUT guns. herm