US:Former CIA director Robert Gates is expected to face detailed questions on Iraq today when he appears before the Senate armed services committee hearing on his nomination to succeed Donald Rumsfeld as defence secretary.
In a written submission to the committee, Mr Gates said he supported President George Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and warned that a quick withdrawal of US forces would "have dangerous consequences" in the region and around the world.
Democrats and Republicans have indicated that they will support Mr Gates's nomination, which is likely to be confirmed by the entire Senate later this week. Democratic senators may use the confirmation hearing, however, to criticise the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war in advance of more extensive hearings on Iraq when the party takes control of the new Congress in January.
In his written submission, Mr Gates said that, with hindsight, the US should have done some things differently in Iraq, notably preparing better for the occupation after the initial combat phase of the invasion. He warned, however, that a hasty withdrawal could create greater problems for the US throughout the Middle East and beyond.
"I believe that leaving Iraq in chaos would have dangerous consequences both in the region and globally for many years to come," he wrote.
Two years ago Mr Gates co-chaired a council on foreign relations committee that recommended direct, sustained engagement with Iran. In his written statement to the Senate committee, Mr Gates said such engagement need not be bilateral, but could occur as part of a regional conference.
"In general, I believe no option that could potentially benefit US policy should be off the table. Even in the worst days of the Cold War, the US maintained a dialogue with the Soviet Union and China," he wrote.
Republican senator Lindsey Graham said this week that Mr Gates would do a better job on Iraq because he could make a fresh start with the US public.
"He's not a stakeholder in past mistakes as secretary Rumsfeld was. He has a chance to re-engage. I intend to vote for him unless he convinces me that he will not support a strategy to win. I'm looking for strategies to win, not political strategies," Mr Graham said.
Democratic senator Joseph Biden said Mr Gates's position on Iraq "is much closer to what we need to move to" and promised to support his nomination.
As a member of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group until his nomination as defence secretary last month, Mr Gates will be well placed to implement the group's recommendations if the administration accepts them. A veteran of former president Bush snr's administration, he was a Cold War hawk but is perceived in Washington as a foreign policy realist.
Mr Gates is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, a bipartisan group of former senior US officials and policy experts who meet regularly to discuss international affairs.
Democratic senator Jack Reed described Mr Gates as a "realistic voice on foreign affairs and somebody who deliberately tries to draw upon a cross section of views".
Mr Gates's career at the CIA was marked by accusations that he tailored intelligence reports to suit White House policy and questions about his role in the Iran-Contra affair during the Reagan administration. Democrats are unlikely to dwell on such controversies this week, however, not least because they were so vocal in demanding that Mr Rumsfeld should go.