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talkingpointsmemo.com - 12/4/2008
No Transition From Nonesense
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Congressional Quarterly bemoans Obama's broken promise of a bipartisan cabinet since he's only appointed one Republican to one of the top three positions in government -- State, Defense and Treasury ... Now that President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet is, by his count, half picked, the odds ...
motherjones.com - 12/1/2008
The Curious Retention of Robert Gates
— motherjones.com — Barack Obama's national security team--at this early stage--presents more questions than answers. His selection of Hillary Clinton... to be secretary of state has been a much-chewed-over topic of pundit puzzlement . And with the Monday morning unveiling ... (more) The Curious Retention of Robert Gates

Comments vote down Open Left - Front Page found this 12/1/2008found this
Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great idea. - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine
slate.com - 11/27/2008
Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great idea. - By Fred Kaplan - Slate ...
— slate.com — 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 ... (more) Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is a great ...

Comments vote down Political Punch found this 11/27/2008found this
openleft.com - 12/9/2008
What Would Obama Do?
— openleft.com — Michael Tomasky writing in the Guardian about how anyone who thought Gates was a bad pick are... complete idiots: And people who can't see that Obama needs to reassure the political establishment by doing things like re-appointing Robert Gates at the ... (more) What Would Obama Do?

Comments vote down Eschaton found this 12/9/2008found this

Blog Reactions

TalkLeft:  Go Figure

Rising Hegemon:  What Democrats have to put up with

Political Animal:  A bipartisan cabinet

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Blog Reactions

Go Figure
TalkLeft — Josh Marshall writes: I don't have any problem with Obama's cabinet picks so far. But it's certainly true that Democrats with a high partisan profile haven't figured prominently among his major appointments, with the notable exception of Rahm Emanuel. I guess Hillary is in the "Hillary for New York" party. I am tempted to attribute this to CDS but that is probably not the case. He probably does not think Hillary has a "high partisan profile." After all, Republicans love the Clintons - remember all the Hillary-cans? ...

What Democrats have to put up with
Rising Hegemon — ... Suddenly, appointing 1 Republican to one of the 3 major cabinet positions is insufficiently bipartisan. Now, bipartisanship requires Obama appoint at least 2/3rds Republicans to run the government. ...

A bipartisan cabinet
Political Animal — ... without prompting vicious internal fights, and it's almost impossible to find Republicans who have been mentioned as candidates for any of them. CQ noted that former Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa, a Republican, is reportedly a possibility for Agriculture secretary, but his nomination also may not count towards bipartisanship, because he was a "borderline Republican during his House years, and spent so much time campaigning for Obama." It's a pretty unpersuasive argument. As Josh Marshall put it , "Obama's put not only a Republican but his predecessor's choice in charge of the ...

MORNING READ
News — ... . But that argument is nonsense, as Obama has chosen both Gates and retired Gen. Jim Jones, another Republican, to fill two of the most high profile posts in his administration, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall . Obama may also ask former GOP Rep. Jim Leach (Iowa) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to join his administration, notes Washington Monthly's ...

Related Content
The Debate Over Gates
openleft.com 11/25/2008 — The most important appointment decision Obama will make during the transition, bar none, is who becomes, or remains, Secretary of Defense. As I have noted in the past , the Department of Defense oversees the expenditure of 52% of all discretionary ...
Defense Secretary Gates to Keep Job Under Obama - FOXNews.com Transition Tracker
foxnews.com 11/25/2008 — Defense Secretary Robert Gates will keep the top Pentagon job for at least the first year of the Obama administration, FOX News has learned. There was very strong support for Gates among Democrats, said one Democratic source in the Senate whose boss ...
Gates As Obama Defense Chief: Another Centrist Obama Administration Sign
themoderatevoice.com 11/26/2008 — The clearly leaked news that Bush administration Secretary of Defense will likely stay on in the same post in President Barack Obama’s administration is yet one more sign that the incoming Obama administration will be centrist and will put a ...
Gates Stays on at Pentagon?
mudvillegazette.com 11/26/2008 — 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 ...
BREAKING NEWS: Gates to remain at Pentagon
the-reaction.blogspot.com 11/26/2008 — By Michael J.W. Stickings CNN : Several officials close to President-elect Barack Obama's transition tell CNN that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to stay on the job for at least the first year of the new administration. One source ...
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...
The Obama/Gates Pentagon
washingtonmonthly.com 12/2/2008 — THE OBAMA/GATES PENTAGON.... From a progressive perspective, there are a few concerns about Robert Gates staying on as Defense Secretary in an Obama administration. One the main issues has to do with Gates' deputies -- Gates may be a sensible...
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 ...
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 ...
Gates Keeper
weeklystandard.com 11/19/2008 — The Financial Times reports that Barack Obama is “negotiating terms” under which Robert Gates will remain as Secretary of Defense in an Obama administration. It was widely assumed that Gates would keep his job regardless of who won the election and ...
Gates has much to navigate in new administration — CNN Political Ticker 12/3/2008
New administration, old problem for Gates. WASHINGTON (CNN) — Since 2006, he has garnered an image of fixing problems at the Pentagon — he was the anti-Rumsfeld, and his time was to be short. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates now ...
Poll shows public approves of Obama's Cabinet picks — CNN Political Ticker 12/3/2008
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new national poll suggests that Americans think President-elect Barack Obama's getting it right when it comes to his Cabinet picks, especially when it comes to Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates. Seventy-five percent of those ...
Most approve of Obama's Cabinet picks, poll shows — CNN.com - Politics 12/3/2008
A new national poll suggests that Americans think President-elect Barack Obama's getting it right when it comes to his Cabinet picks, especially Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates.
Bill Gates presses for stimulus package, foreign aid — CNN.com - Politics 12/3/2008
Microsoft founder Bill Gates told CNN on Wednesday that he hopes President-elect Barack Obama and Congress immediately craft a wide-ranging stimulus package, to help jump-start the nation's sputtering economy, and double the United States' commitment ...
Gates Urges Foreign Aid, Education — WSJ.com: Politics And Policy 12/4/2008
Bill Gates urged lawmakers and the coming Obama administration to maintain investment in foreign aid and education initiatives despite the financial crisis.