| Not that he named the Grey Lady by name, but... |
(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, releasing a statement on Sunday about a secret memorandum he sent to the White House in January, said he identified "next steps in our defense planning process" that would be reviewed by decision makers in the coming weeks and months.
"There should be no confusion by our allies and adversaries that the United States is properly and energetically focused on this question and prepared to act across a broad range of contingencies in support of our interests," Gates said in the statement, issued to refute characterizations of the memo in a New York Times report.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday the military options available to Obama would go "a long way" to delaying Iran's nuclear progress but may not set the country back long-term. He called a military strike his "last option" right now.
| Obligatory hand-wringing follows. Summary: doing anything could precipitate unexpected responses. On the other hand, not doing anything will result in other countries in the region seeking nuclear arms, too. |
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