Any foreign policy/defense expert who was in a position of authority during Reagan or Bush I terms would have had some peripheral involvement in Iran-contra or Iraqgate (which funneled arms to Saddam Hussein through a bank in Europe). There are no completely skeleton-free Repubs from this era.
But Gates is not an ideologue. Most recently he called for the US to engage in direct talks with Iran, a policy which as been anathema to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld:
Quote:
In the summer of 2004, Gates and former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski co-chaired a task force sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations that argued for opening a dialogue with Iran. The task force’s report contended that the lack of American engagement with Iran had harmed American interests, and advocated direct talks with the Iranians. “Just as the United States has a constructive relationship with China (and earlier did so with the Soviet Union) while strongly opposing certain aspects of its internal and international policies, Washington should approach Iran with a readiness to explore areas of common interests while continuing to contest objectionable policy,” said the report, entitled “Iran: Time for a New Approach.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2006/1...ctive-on-iran/
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