Gates wins unanimous committee approval

updated 9:13 p.m. ET Dec. 5, 2006

WASHINGTON - Robert Gates won approval by a Senate panel Tuesday to be the next defense secretary after a daylong hearing in which he said the U.S. is not winning the war in Iraq and there could be a "regional conflagration" if the country is not stabilized.

At a Senate confirmation hearing that was long on praise for Gates and short on criticism, the man President Bush picked to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld said he is open to new ideas about correcting the U.S. course in Iraq. He said the war would be his highest priority if confirmed as expected.

In a closed-door meeting following five hours of open testimony, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 21-0 to recommend approval of Gates' nomination, said panel chairman John Warner, R-Va.

A vote by the full Senate could come Wednesday and is virtually certain by week's end.

Gates, 63, said he believes Bush wants to see Iraq improve to the point where it can govern and defend itself, while seeking a new approach. "What we are now doing is not satisfactory," Gates said.

"In my view, all options are on the table, in terms of how we address this problem in Iraq," he added. He did not commit to favoring any specific new course, saying he would consult first with commanders and others.

Asked point-blank by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., whether the U.S. is winning in Iraq, Gates replied, "No, sir." He later said he believes the United States is neither winning nor losing, "at this point."

At the outset of an afternoon session of questions about Iraq and other subjects, Gates began by telling the committee he wanted to amplify on his remark about not winning in Iraq. He did not withdraw the remark but said, "I want to make clear that that pertains to the situation in Iraq as a whole."

He said he did not want U.S. troops to think he believes they are being unsuccessful in their assigned missions.

"Our military wins the battles that we fight," Gates said. "Where we're having our challenges, frankly, are in the areas of stabilization and political developments and so on."

At the White House, press secretary Tony Snow was pressed by reporters about Gates' answer that the U.S. is not winning in Iraq -- one that seemed to be in conflict with the president's own position.

GATES AT A GLANCE NAME:  Robert M. Gates. AGE: 63 BIRTH DATE AND BIRTHPLACE: Sept. 25, 1943, Wichita, Kan. EXPERIENCE: CIA intelligence analyst, 1966-1974; National Security Council staff, 1974-1979; director of executive staff for CIA director, 1981-1982; deputy director for intelligence, 1982-1986; chairman of the National Intelligence Council, 1983-1986; deputy director of CIA, 1986-1989; acting director, 1986-1987; deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs, 1989; assistant to the president and deputy for national security affairs, 1989-1991; CIA director, 1991-1993; interim dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, 1999-2001; president of Texas A&M University, 2002-present EDUCATION: B.A. from College of William and Mary, 1965; M.A. Indiana University, 1966; Ph.D. Georgetown University, 1974. FAMILY: Gates and his wife, Becky, have two children.

Snow said that Gates' testimony, taken in its entirety, shows he shares Bush's view that the U.S. must help Iraq govern and defend itself.

"I know you want to pit a fight between Bob Gates and the president, it doesn't exist," Snow told reporters.

"If you want to try get a nuanced and full understanding of where Bob Gates stands on these issues with regard to the president and his policies and the definition of what it is to win and Iraq and what it takes, then I think you're going to find he agrees" with Bush, Snow said.

The spokesman rejected any notion that Gates' assessment of the war would be demoralizing to U.S. troops. "What I think is demoralizing is a constant effort to try to portray this as a losing mission," Snow said.

Gates was noncommittal on questions about whether and when to begin a U.S. troop withdrawal, saying it "depends on the conditions on the ground." He also said that if confirmed he would go to Iraq soon to consult with U.S. commanders.

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