US | Robert Gates ‘Anti-Rumsfeld’ Cools Iran War Rhetoric Servant to 7 presidents prefers 'soft power' to VP's battle plans By Jonas Oransky Posted Dec 3, 2007 7:35 PM CST Copied U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates arrives, Monday, Dec. 3, 2007, in Djibouti, Djibouti. (AP Photo/Pool, Haraz N. Ghanbari) (Associated Press) 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. Read These Next Feds cite ChatGPT evidence in arrest of Palisades Fire suspect. The Treasury isn't backing down from its Trump coin plan. It's being called a disturbing trend: paragliders with bombs. Trump, Johnson aren't happy with pick for Super Bowl headliner. Report an error