Robert Gates

He rocked Washington by admitting something his predecessor as Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, wouldn't: The U.S. was not winning in Iraq. A year later, even war critic Rep. John Murtha declared that the "surge" strategy appeared to be working. A close associate of the first President Bush, Gates took some pressure off Bush II, but the toughest questions remain: can progress endure, will Iraq ever stand on its own, and has this war damaged the Army for years to come?