Robert (unindicted co-conspirator) Gates

is Bush's nominee to replace Rumsfeld.
(Whoa! Flashback to Iran-Contra, dude)

Today in class we warmed up by talking about voting and elections. That led to a conversation about who Daniel Ortega is, what was the Sandinista revolution, what was Iran-Contra, what was going on in Central and South America in the 70s. These kids were not even born yet when some of this was happening, but the same freakin' criminals are revolving through the administration. LondonYank over at DKos calls it Bush's Felon Job Replacement Program:
"Bush II must be an inspiration to criminals everywhere that they can be tomorrow's leaders! Who better to preach patriotism, democracy and human rights than those who committed espionage, perjury, fraud and covered up torture and massacres?"

Seriously, read Senator Harkin's testimony in the 1991 Congressional record in opposition to Gates' nomination as CIA Director, from the Congressional Record:
"...Mr. President, I also have doubts and questions about Mr. Gates' role in the secret intelligence sharing operation with Iraq. Robert Gates served as assistant to the Director of the CIA in 1981 and as Deputy Director for Intelligence for 1982 to 1986. In that capacity he helped develop options in dealing with the Iran-Iraq war, which eventually involved into a secret intelligence liaison relationship with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Gates was in charge of the directorate that prepared the intelligence information that was passed on to Iraq. He testified that he was also an active participant in the operation during 1986. The secret intelligence sharing operation with Iraq was not only a highly questionable and possibly illegal operation, but also may have jeopardized American lives and our national interests. The photo reconnaissance, highly sensitive electronic eavesdropping and narrative texts provided to Saddam, may not only have helped him in Iraq's war against Iran but also in the recent gulf war. Saddam Hussein may have discovered the value of underground land lines as opposed to radio communications after he was give our intelligence information. That made it more difficult for the allied coalition to get quick and accurate intelligence during the gulf war. Further, after the Persian Gulf war, our intelligence community was surprised at the extent of Iraq's nuclear program. One reason Saddam may have hidden his nuclear program so effectively from detection was because of his knowledge of our satellite photos. What also concerns me about that operation is that we spend millions of dollars keeping secrets from the Soviets and then we give it to Saddam who sells them to the Soviets. In short, the coddling of Saddam was a mistake of the first order."

There's plenty more. Alternet just ran a three-part series by journalist Robert Parry, who investigated many of these stories in the 80s. (Read parts I, II and III). His account of the original "October Surprise" is a reminder that the roots of today's Iraq war go way, way back.

But what I heard on NPR today was a reporter saying "uh huh" while a former CIA employee of Gates praised him for being pragmatic and "an excellent bureaucrat."
UPDATE: Democracy Now talks to journalist Robert Parry and former CIA analyst Mel Goodman about Robert Gates' shady record.