US defence nominee frank on Iraq

By Adam Brookes
BBC News, Washington

Robert Gates, the man President George W Bush has nominated to be his new secretary of defence, faced the Senate Armed Services Committee with a mixture of deference, caution and blunt independence.

In the spotlight: Robert Gates and his views on Iraq

The most striking moment came early in the hearing. Senator Carl Levin asked him whether the United States was winning in Iraq.

With no equivocation and no caveats, Mr Gates responded: "No, sir."

Later, Sen John McCain asked him the same question.

Once again: "No, sir."

Mr Gates went on to hint at how he sees the possible outcomes in Iraq.

Over the next two years, he indicated, he could still envisage "a slowly improving situation".

But his worst-case scenario was truly alarming. He spoke of the possibility of a "regional conflagration" involving Iraq's neighbours if the situation was not controlled.

No swift exit

Repeatedly, Mr Gates was asked his views on whether the US military presence in Iraq should be drawn down.

He said that the US was going to have some presence in Iraq "for a long time".

Donald Rumsfeld was abrasive in his dealings with Congress

The new Iraqi armed forces, he said, possessed no logistical capability and no air power.

Therefore some level of continued support would be necessary, but he said that could be achieved with a "dramatically smaller" number of troops than were there now.

On the vexed question of whether the US should attempt dialogue with Iran and Syria over Iraq, Mr Gates called to mind America's Cold War experience in earlier written testimony.

The United States should "not be afraid to engage in direct discussions with our adversaries", as it did with the Soviet Union and China.

Overall, Mr Gates appeared ready to speak bluntly about the dangers of failure in Iraq and the possibility of those dangers materialising.

No commitments

However, as the hearing wore on, it was also clear that Mr Gates was not committing to any radical new policy prescription.

Perhaps that is no surprise given that a torrent of policy reviews is about to land on the president's desk.

Mr Gates will not want to commit to radical change in Iraq without the knowledge and the approval of his president.

His underlying message seemed to echo current policy: train up the Iraqi security forces, encourage political reconciliation.

But the tone of Mr Gates's testimony was markedly different to that of his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld, whose appearances before Congress seemed sometimes to verge on the contemptuous.

That new tone in itself, many in Washington feel, will prove difference enough, and could foster bipartisan agreement on the furious, emotional Iraq debate.

There is little doubt that Mr Gates will be confirmed in the job with an almost unseemly rapidity.

Sen McCain offered Mr Gates his congratulations - and his condolences.