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During his swearing-in, Gates said he looked forward to hearing “honest assessments” from military leaders and “to having the benefit of their advice, unvarnished and straight from the shoulder, on how to proceed in the weeks and months ahead.”
“All of us want to find a way to bring our sons and daughters home again. But, as the president has made clear, we simply cannot afford to fail in the Middle East,” Gates said. “Failure in Iraq at this juncture would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our credibility, and endanger Americans for decades to come.”
