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WASHINGTON D.C. -- Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Venice), Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee, today released the following statement on President Bush’s nomination of Bob Gates to be the Secretary of Defense:
It is welcome news that there will be regime change at the Pentagon. I have known Bob Gates for years. If confirmed by the Senate, his varied experience and even temperament will serve him well in a very difficult job.
As Director of Central Intelligence, Bob Gates gave perhaps the most important speech ever delivered at Langley. In part, he said that national security professionals were duty-bound to speak truth to power, telling the political leadership when their policies had veered off course.
Bob Gates would not give up the presidency of a huge educational institution that he loves without an assurance that he will be empowered, as Secretary of Defense, to make significant changes at the Pentagon. First, he will respect the role of civilian intelligence agencies, including the CIA. Second, he will listen to the uniformed military leadership about critical matters. Third, he will engage with Congress, as he has done on a bipartisan basis in the past. Finally, he will bring some humility to a challenging job and not act as though that he alone has all the answers.
Yesterday, many Republicans and independents voted "blue." They elected Democrats who are centrists and campaigned on the need for tough and smart security policies. They are the people who brought our party into the majority, and our opportunity to stay there depends on whether our caucus projects clearly and unequivocally that we understand the threats against America, and have principled and creative strategies to defeat them. In that effort, I am hopeful that Secretary Gates will prove a worthy partner.
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