Gates: We're not winning in Iraq

How refreshing to see a BushCo nominee tell the truth for once:

Asked if he thought the United States was winning the war in Iraq, Defense secretary nominee Robert Gates answered with a simple "no."

Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D- Michigan, asked the question during Gates' Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

The former CIA director also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was "open to new ideas" regarding policy in Iraq and that "all options" remain open.

"I am under no illusion why I am sitting before you today: the war in Iraq," Gates told the committee. "I welcome the many alternative strategies and tactics proposed by members of Congress and others."

Apropos of nothing, I wonder if Jon Stewart will ever mention that he and Gates are alumni of the same college ... as am I. (Gates '65, Stewart '84, me '87.) Curious.