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Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great idea. - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine
Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great idea. - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine
Robert Gates. Click image to expand. Robert Gates If the reports are true that Robert Gates will stay on as President Obama's defense secretary, the move is a stroke of brilliance—politically and substantively. In his nearly two years at the helm of the Pentagon, Gates has delivered a series of ...
Obama Plans to Retain Gates at Defense Department
Obama Plans to Retain Gates at Defense Department
nytimes.com — President-elect Barack Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates as a show of continuity in a time of war, Democrats close to the transition said. > (more) Obama Plans to Retain Gates at Defense Department
Gates Stays on at Pentagon?
mudvillegazette.com — First, your U.S. history trivia for the day: Henry Lewis Stimson, Secretary of War throughout World War Two under Democrat Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, was a Republican. ***** And now back to the news. If the rumors are true, then Politico ... (more) Gates Stays on at Pentagon?
Report: Gates To Stay At Defense
talkleft.com — Reports say : Defense Secretary Robert Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Barack Obama, according to officials in both parties. Obama plans to announce a national-security team early next week that includes Gates at the Pentagon and ... (more) Report: Gates To Stay At Defense
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Cabinet Thoughts
Political Punch — ... Cabinet Thoughts November 27, 2008 5:45 PM Writing at Slate, Fred Kaplan likes the idea of PEBO keeping on Defense Secretary Robert Gates -- "the move is a stroke of brilliance—politically and substantively," Kaplan writes."In his nearly two years at the helm of the Pentagon," Kaplan writes, "Gates has delivered a series of speeches on the future direction of military policy. He has urged officers to recognize the shift in the face of warfare from the World War II legacy of titanic armored battles between comparably mighty foes to the modern reality of small shadow wars ...

FRED KAPLAN: “Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great idea.” …
InstapunditFRED KAPLAN: “Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great idea.”

An argument for keeping Gates at the Pentagon
The Reaction — ... , I'm just not all that angry about it. The arguments against it, some of which I noted in my posts, are still valid, but I do concede that there is a good argument for it -- and it comes from Slate's Fred Kaplan, hardly a right-wing wacko, who calls Gates, assuming "the reports are true," "an excellent choice" and Obama's "move... a stroke of brilliance -- politically and substantively." ...

Gates' Pentagon
Political Animal — ... from Wednesday, I've been reading a bit about the various perspectives on whether it's wise for Barack Obama to keep Robert Gates on as the Secretary of Defense. Slate's Fred Kaplan, whose perspective on military and national security issues I regularly enjoy, described Gates as "an excellent choice" and " a stroke of brilliance ." In his nearly two years at the helm of the Pentagon, Gates has delivered a series of speeches on the future direction of military policy. He has urged officers to recognize the shift in the face of warfare from the World War II legacy of titanic ...

A Progressive Case for Gates
democracyarsenal.org — ... ” by firing two top Air Force officials and appointing Gen. Norton Schwartz – a non fighter pilot – to be Chief of Staff. As Slate’s Fred Kaplan argues, ...

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Gates a 'Done Deal'
blogs.abcnews.com 11/25/2008 — Martha Raddatz and Jake Tapper Report: Sources tell ABC News that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be staying on in the top Pentagon job, for at least the first year of the Obama administration. "It is a done deal," a...
Barack Obama to keep Robert Gates in Defense, Fox reports
latimesblogs.latimes.com 11/26/2008 — President-elect Barack Obama has decided to retain the Bush administration's Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates , in his current position, at least for a year. According to a report just posted on FoxNews.com, Gates' re-appointment as Defense ...
Gates to stay at Defense
swamppolitics.com 11/26/2008 — by Frank James It's being widely reported that President-elect Barack Obama has asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stay on at the Pentagon and that Gates has agreed. The move would maintain continuity at the Pentagon at a critical time ...
Gates Likely to Stay Defense Secretary
poligazette.com 11/26/2008 — Not that I’m sure anybody is surprised by this at this point (perhaps except the far-left hoping Obama might change his mind), but it is looking increasingly likely that current Defense Secretary Robert Gates will hold his job for at least ...
Thanks, George
julescrittenden.com 11/26/2008 — Obama, acknowledging his debt of gratitude to George Bush, will keep Robert Gates on as Secretary of Defense. Politico: Defense Secretary Robert Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Barack Obama, according to officials in both parties. ...
Times: Gates to Stay at Defense
dailykos.com 11/26/2008 — Peter Baker and Thom Shanker at The New York Times write: Obama Plans to Retain Gates at Defense Department : President-elect Barack Obama has decided to keep Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in his post, a show of bipartisan continuity in a ...
Gates
washingtonmonthly.com 11/26/2008 — GATES.... As has been widely reported, Barack Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates at his post next year. This is not a surprise -- speculation about Gates staying on was common even before the election -- but it is...
Gates will stay
politico.com 11/26/2008 — Mike Allen and ABC report that, as expected, Obama will keep Robert Gates as Defense Secretary. There's a lot of logic to the move: It puts a Republican, as promised, in a top slot; it prevents Obama from taking the blame, immediately, for whatever ...
Obama: Gates Will End The War In Iraq
tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com 12/1/2008 — Another key moment from Obama's national security presser today: In case there were any lingering doubts about how his decision to keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates might impact his promise to withdraw from Iraq, Obama made it clear: Gates will be ...
Statement by Secretary Gates
mudvillegazette.com 12/1/2008 — Statement by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates "I am deeply honored that the President-Elect has asked me to continue as Secretary of Defense. Mindful that we are engaged in two wars and face other serious challenges at home and around the ...
Obama Retains Gates as Defense SecretaryDrudge Retort
President-elect Barack Obama asked Robert Gates to stay on as defense secretary, retaining the Republican named by Bush to replace embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2006.
Obama Taps Gates to Remain as Defense SecretaryVictory Caucus -- All Content
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain in the Pentagon's top post when President-elect Barak Obama's administration takes office.
Obama Taps Gates to Keep Serving as Defense SecretaryVictory Caucus -- All Content
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain in the Pentagon's top post when President-elect Barak Obama's administration takes office.
Former Rumsfeld Deputy Blasts Gates PickThe Huffington Post | Full News Feed
Larry Di Rita, a close confidant of former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, criticized President-elect Barack Obama's expected retention of Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a "safe decision" that maintains the "status quo" of those who resist broad efforts to transform the Defense ...
Former Rumsfeld Deputy Criticizes Gates44
By Ann Scott Tyson Larry Di Rita, a close confidant of former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, criticized President-elect Barack Obama's expected retention of Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a "safe decision" that maintains the "status quo" of those who resist broad efforts to transform the ...
Just below GatesPolitical Animal
JUST BELOW GATES.... Following up on this morning's item, one of the key decisions for Barack Obama relating to the Pentagon is not just whether to keep Robert Gates on as Defense Secretary, but also determining who will make up...
In Defense of Defense Secretary GatesPundits Blog
Anti-war Democrats, like Brent Budowsky, are disappointed in the decision to keep Robert Gates on as Defense secretary for at least one more year. So far they can see not one appointee in the Change Administration who opposed the invasion of Iraq. It's not clear that anyone will appear, but for ...
GatesThe Reaction
By Creature Battles must be chosen when it comes to Obama's picks. Putting a torture-and-rendition enabler in a top spot, a fight worth having . Robert Gates staying on as Defense Secretary , not so much. It's clear continuity is needed. It's clear, with two active wars, that these are not ...
Gates to Stay at DoDPoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts
As has been reported since yesterday (and speculated about for far longer than that), Bob Gates is set to stay at the DoD. WaPo reports today that Agreement Near for Gates to Stay On as Defense Secretary Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is close to finalizing an agreement to remain at the ...
Secretary of Defense Robert GatesPatterico's Pontifications
[Guest post by DRJ] The AP reports Barack Obama will keep Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense for at least a year. That’s good news for Iraq and the US military because it should provide stability during the transition and the early days of an Obama Administration. Watching Obama act ...
Obama to ask Robert Gates to stayCrooks and Liars
OMG, another leak . Seeking experience in a time of war, President-elect Barack Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates in that job — if only temporarily — and he has chosen a retired Marine general to be his national security adviser, officials said Tuesday. Gates and retired Gen. ...
Reports: Gates To Stay As Secretary Of DefenseTPM Election Central
And speaking of the question of whether Robert Gates will remain as Obama's Sec Def, it looks like he's staying : Sources tell ABC News that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be staying on in the top Pentagon job, for at least the first year of the Obama administration. "It is a done ...
Gates accepts position as Obama's defense secretaryAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth
From Politico Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Obama, according to officials in both parties. Obama plans to announce a national-security team early next week that includes Gates at the Pentagon and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as secretary ...
Gates will stay on as Secretary of Defense.Think Progress
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Obama “ for at least the first year .” Obama will make the announcement official next week when he introduces his national security team. Politico’s Mike Allen reports : The selection of a member ...
Report: Gates to Remain as Defense SecretaryNews
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will keep his post in the Obama administration, reports ABC News. A source close to the process told ABC that it was "a done deal." The formal announcement is likely to be made after Thanksgiving. President-elect Obama will roll out the rest of his national ...
Gates Will Stay as Defense SecretaryTaegan Goddard's Political Wire
Sources tell ABC News that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be staying on in the top Pentagon job, for at least the first year of the Obama administration. Said one source: "It is a done deal."
With Gates returning to Defense, continuity could bring some conflicts (CQPolitics.com)Yahoo! News: Politics News
CQPolitics.com - The selection of Robert M. Gates to remain as Defense secretary in the new presidential administration represents continuity of management but also could spark policy disagreements on various military issues.
Robert Gates agrees to stay on as Defense chief under ObamaL.A. Times - Politics
Obama is apparently ready to choose another military leader with bipartisan support, Marine Gen. James L. Jones, for national security advisor. > Defense ...
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is close to finalizing an agreement to remain at the Pentagon for at least the first year of an Obama presidency, providing the new commander in chief with a Republican in his Cabinet and continuity for a military ...
Officials: Obama to ask Pentagon chief to staymsnbc.com: Politics
Seeking experience in wartime, President-elect Barack Obama intends to re-enlist Defense Secretary Robert Gates as head of the Pentagon — if only temporarily — and has chosen a retired Marine general to be White House national security adviser, ...
First Read: Gates likely to remain at Pentagonmsnbc.com: Politics
One source familiar with the selection process tells NBC News that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain on the job at the Pentagon for at least a year.
Officials: Defense Sec. Gates to stay on under Obama (Politico)Yahoo! News: Politics News
Politico - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Obama, according to officials in both parties. Obama plans to announce a national-security team early next week that includes Gates at the Pentagon and Sen. ...