Robert Gates got it wrong right out of the, er . . . gate on Tuesday in the opening session of his nomination hearing to replace Donald Rumsfeld as secretary of defense.

Gates declared that Iraq is “one of the central battlefronts” in the war on terrorism, but failed to note why. His omission compounded the biggest of President Bush’s Big Lies: The U.S. didn’t go to war in Iraq because it was awash with terrorists. It is awash with terrorists because Rumsfeld’s horribly botched occupation opened the door to Al Qaeda and others.

Gates did get a couple of big things right: The U.S. is losing the war and the resulting mess may trigger a regional war.

His candor is a refreshing change, but I fear that Robert Gates is too little too late.