In short, says retired General Jack Keane, Gates will have to plunge into Iraqi politics.

NPR: Gates Has Just Two Years to Make a Difference in Iraq

Lieutenant General JACK KEANE (Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army): It's great to be back, thank you.

NPR: Is the Iraq Surge Strategy Working?

Today we're talking with General Jack Keane, a retired lieutenant general, former vice chief of staff of the Army.

NPR: Is the Iraq Surge Strategy Working?

One of the proponents of the buildup, retired Lieutenant General Jack Keane, joins us in a moment to take your questions.

NPR: Is the Iraq Surge Strategy Working?

Our guests are General Jack Keane, a former Army vice chief of staff, and he was in Iraq during the U.S. invasion.

NPR: Is Victory in Iraq Still Possible?

Our guests are General Jack Keane, former Army vice chief of staff.

NPR: Is Victory in Iraq Still Possible?

General JACK KEANE (U.S. Army, Retired): I think there's probably a sense of relief in the Pentagon, if you were looking for one word to describe it.

NPR: Gates Has Just Two Years to Make a Difference in Iraq

Our guest is retired General Jack Keane.

NPR: Is the Iraq Surge Strategy Working?

General Jack Keane - former vice chief of the US Army and the architect of the "surge strategy" in Iraq - told the BBC that the object of the new offensive was to "take momentum" away from the Taliban.

BBC: UK forces launch Taliban assault

Many of the people outside the administration who have been most prominent in proposing this have been people like General Jack Keane, a recently retired general, and a lot of people who are active in Tal Afar, which is a place where the clear hold-and-build strategy actually worked.

NPR: Week in Washington: Change and Strategy

Mr. JACK KEANE (Retired General, United States Army): They have a right to speak.

NPR: Criticism of Rumsfeld Sparks Debate in Military