Washington in Five Minutes

PENTAGON

Gates seeks to buck up allies

The Pentagon’s chief is undertaking the tricky task of convincing allies to remain committed to the war in Afghanistan even as the Obama administration continues to debate whether to send more troops there to fight.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was set to leave Sunday on a weeklong mission to Japan, Korea and Slovakia - in part to ask NATO partners and Asian allies for continued contributions to a war now in its ninth year.

Mr. Gates himself is undecided - at least publicly - on whether to order more forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan as his top commander there has requested or to focus more narrowly on al Qaeda terrorists thought to be hiding in neighboring Pakistan.

While asking others for help amid the U.S. indecision, Mr. Gates is seeking more than just military aid.

“A lot of the very valuable contributions in Afghanistan are on the development and the training, with the police and other aspects of civil life,” a senior defense official at the Pentagon told the Associated Press last week on the condition of anonymity to discuss Mr. Gates’ travels more candidly.

SUPREME COURT

Sotomayor says even clothes picked

NEW HAVEN, Conn. | Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says her nomination process was so tightly scripted, even her clothes were chosen for her.

Justice Sotomayor made the comments when she appeared at her 30th Yale Law School reunion on Saturday.

The New Haven Register reports that Justice Sotomayor spoke to 1,800 alumni, students and faculty, describing her recent grueling nomination process.

State Sen. Ed Meyer was among those in attendance. He said Justice Sotomayor became teary at times but kept the crowd laughing. He said she talked about shopping for clothes to wear to her acceptance ceremony. Government officials, however, told her to bring five suits, and they recommended which one she should wear.

Justice Sotomayor, the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court, attended a luncheon, coffee reception and a 30th reunion dinner with about 50 guests.

STATE

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