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October 13, 2008 3:05:15 AM CDT

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‘Anti-Rumsfeld’ Cools Iran War Rhetoric

Posted Dec 3, 07 7:35 PM CST in US 

(Newser) – Dubbed the “Anti-Rumsfeld,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates is soothing fears that the US will bomb Iran—while trying to guard against mishaps that might trigger a war. Certain that a Tehran strike would spark a wider conflict and terror in Europe, Gates coolly tries to “lower the temperature,” Newsweek reports, as a Cold War-style counterbalance to the VP's battle plans.

A veteran, anti-partisan servant of 7 presidents, Gates embraces nation-building—a term Rumsfeld scorned—and recently stunned Capitol Hill by advocating more money for diplomats and aid workers. He scoffs at a claim that he's jockeying to stay on with a Democratic president, saying he carries a clock that ticks down to his last day in office—inauguration day, 2009.

Source Newsweek

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates arrives, Monday, Dec. 3, 2007, in Djibouti, Djibouti. (AP Photo/Pool, Haraz N. Ghanbari)   (Associated Press)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, center, accompanied by Army Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, commander, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan, right, and an unidentified member of the Belgium military,...   (Associated Press)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, talks with Defense Secretary Robert Gates as President Bush makes remarks with Salvadorian President Elias Antonio Saca, not shown, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007,...   (Associated Press)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates smiles during his meeting with Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, not shown, Monday, Dec. 3, 2007, at the Presidential Palace in Djibouti. (AP Photo/Pool, Haraz N....   (Associated Press)
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