Gates is closely identified with the surge and, in tandem with Petraeus, he would probably counsel Obama to rethink the idea of unconditional withdrawal of combat forces. ~Robert Dreyfuss

If he ever believed in “unconditional” withdrawal, Obama reconsidered this long ago. That was one of the reasons why there was some controversy in early July when Obama made clear that withdrawal of combat forces would be tied to conditions and the advice of commanders “on the ground,” which is virtually indistinguishable in this respect from the long-term view of the current administration. Even earlier, he had made commitments that large numbers of “residual” forces would remain once the “combat forces” had departed. Incredibly, despite Obama’s rather impoverished withdrawal position, McCain was permitted throughout the election to make false claims that Obama wanted to engage in precipitous withdrawal without regard for conditions. It might have been a more interesting series of debates if Obama actually held some position remotely like that and had been willing to defend it, but as longtime antiwar observers already know he has never held such a position, which is why his antiwar backers never should have expected much from him.