Wearing two Hats

A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy
--Benjamin Disraeli

I am confused again. Pentagon Chief Gates told Russian President Putin this weekend, "One Cold War was quite enough," and that he would go to Moscow "to try to reduce tensions." Never mind that Putin was correct in fingering U.S. foreign policy "for inciting other countries to seek nuclear weapons to defend themselves from an 'almost uncontained use of military force.'"

Isn't Gates the Secretary of Defense? Shouldn't diplomacy be the purvue of the Department of State? Or has Gates been given a lateral transfer without Senate approval? We're still a democracy, and you mayn't coopt another's cabinet position, even if she's not doing a very good job of it. It's not kosher.

One would think that as Secretary of Defense he would have his hands full, what with overseeing two elective wars, and not have enough time to carry out diplomatic missions as well.

Here's a simple idea: Let defense handle military matters, and State perform the diplomatic functions. That is so simple, even a Ranger can understand it.