Gates says Gen. Petraeus not the sole US adviser on Iraq

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that the top US military commander in Iraq is not the sole adviser on the war and suggested that President George W. Bush this year will be confronted with competing views on what to do next. Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will weigh in, along with the head of US Central Command and the service chiefs, in addition to Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq. "It's clear that Gen. Petraeus' views will have a strong impact, but I think the president will need to hear other points of view as well," Gates said. Last month, after meeting with Petraeus, Bush signaled that he might endorse a pause in troop reductions.