Remember the pander-sized brouhaha that resulted from Joe Biden’s remark that Barack Obama would be tested during his initial days in office? The GOP flunkies shrieked, flailed and bellowed:
"They’re going to test him! He’s not ready! We need a leader who can throw gambits without blinking at any and every crisis that confronts him! We need someone who can lurch from crisis to crisis in clueless desperation! Or, at a minimum, we need someone who can see Russia from their backyard!"
Well, Robert Gates has a few words that McCain’s losing backers might be interested to hear:
"So anyone who thought that the upcoming months might present opportunities to ‘test’ the new president would be sorely mistaken," Mr. Gates said at the conference. "President Obama and his national security team, myself included, will be ready to defend the interests of the United States and our friends and allies from the moment he takes office on January 20."
Gates made his remarks at a conference on security. According to Gates, the President-Elect has done more preparation for the transition than any previous president in his recollection. And Gates is somewhat an expert in this area—his vast experience spans seven presidents before Obama.