Former U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates issued a sharp critique of both presidential candidates in the Wall Street Journal , but blasted Donald Trump as being “unqualified and unfit to be Commander-in-Chief”.
Mr. Gates — a Republican who was Pentagon chief under Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama —has worked with eight Presidents and is among the most widely respected U.S. voices on national security matters. “I believe Mr. Trump is beyond repair. He is stubbornly uninformed” and “temperamentally unsuited to lead our men and women in uniform”. Mr. Gates wrote in an Op-Ed piece posted late on Friday on the Journal ’s website. “He is unqualified and unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.”
Mr. Gates worked closely with Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State, and did not hold back on his criticism of her tenure.
He said Ms. Clinton’s failure to predict the chaos that would follow Western intervention in Libya had raised credibility questions, as had her shifting position on the Iraq war. He also assailed Ms. Clinton’s opposition to a pending Asian trade agreement she once supported, said she had been vague on dealing with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, said she offered few specifics about North Korea, and had no clear strategy toward “a Middle East in flames”.
While not saying he would vote for Ms. Clinton, Mr. Gates said he would be listening for reassurances from her ahead of the November 8 election. — AFP
