Robert Gates threatens the future of NATO

Robert Gates who has been sniping at NATO about the need for more troops in Afghanistan for awhile, made another unbelievable statement yesterday before Congress.

"I worry a great deal about the alliance evolving into a two-tiered alliance in which you have some allies willing to fight and die to protect people's security and others who are not," the Pentagon chief said.

"And I think that it puts a cloud over the future of the alliance if this is to endure and perhaps even get worse," he told a congressional committee.

From Reuters:

"My view is you can't have some allies whose sons and daughters die in combat and other allies who are shielded from that kind of a sacrifice," Gates told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

Let's remember that just three weeks ago, Gates found himself forced to apologize formally and effusively after his comments that the NATO forces "don't know how to do counter-insurgency operations."

This comes just ahead of a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers.

Still 11 months left for the Bush administration to alienate everyone.

Meanwhile, (CBS) Condi Rice makes a surprise visit to Kandahar echoing the call for more NATO troops.