By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Longtime Iraq war critic Sen. Robert Byrd said on Thursday he knew of no obstacles to Robert Gates becoming the new Pentagon chief, helping keep the nominee's prospects bright ahead of Senate hearings next week. Byrd, 88, one of the most relentless opponents of the war since Congress four years ago authorized Bush to use force in Iraq, stopped short of promising to support Gates as he hosted President George W. Bush's nominee for a chat on Capitol Hill. But the West Virginia Democrat, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will vote on Gates' nomination, said he was pleased the Republican Bush had chosen Gates to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "He (Gates) is very capable, no question about that. He has the qualifications," Byrd told reporters as a smiling Gates, a former CIA chief, sat next to him. "I'll make up my mind as we go along ... but I don't start out with any minuses on the ledger," Byrd said. "At the moment, I don't see any, I don't know of any" obstacles to Gates' confirmation, he said. Earlier this month Republican and Democratic leaders said Gates should win speedy confirmation in the Senate, short of something untoward arising at the hearings which are scheduled to start on Tuesday before the Armed Services Committee. The panel is expected to send its recommendation to the Senate floor for a vote by mid-December. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who met Gates separately on Thursday, said afterward that the next Pentagon chief will face the greatest challenges of anyone in that job for decades. "Iraq is the defining issue of our time," Kennedy said in a statement. The Massachusetts Democrat said he would approach the confirmation hearings next week with an "open mind," but stressed Gates must convince Congress he is committed to a new course in Iraq. Democrats, who take power in the Senate in January, are coalescing behind calls for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In Gates' favor, they have noted they are in a hurry to be rid of Rumsfeld, a lightning rod for criticism of the war. But it remains unclear what Gates' attitude to the conflict will be. Gates has been careful not to publicly discuss options in Iraq since his nomination. But in written answers to questions from the Armed Services Committee this week, he said "leaving Iraq in chaos would have dangerous consequences both in the region and globally for many years to come." Bush announced Rumsfeld's departure the day after the Nov. 7 congressional elections, which were driven largely by voters' frustration with the war in Iraq. Gates, if he is confirmed, is likely to enter the Pentagon soon after a bipartisan panel makes its recommendations on the war. Those recommendations will include transitioning U.S. troops from a combat to a support role in Iraq, a source said on Thursday.
