I found this item of news very surprising, considering no one else seems to be putting his or her neck out to say what all the chaos in the Arab world could eventually mean for the United States. Today Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told a group of reporters at a Pentagon press briefing that he's feeling pretty good about what the Arab world will look like when all the dust settles. He said the uprisings show everyone in North African and the Middle East that ideals can be achieved without terrorism:
Gates added:
Far be it from me to question the logic of our secretary of defense, but I'm still worried that the power vacuum in many of these countries will be filled with the leadership of violent extremists. Not necessarily al-Qaeda, but dangerous groups nonetheless. What do you think?
You can watch the press briefing (given by Gates and Joint Chief of Staffs chairman Mike Mullen) in its entirety below, courtesy of the Pentagon Channel:
