Gates is a technocrat, and him being the SecDef will be good for the troops and the US, unless Obama and ilk are becoming dominant. This is what I fear. That Obama will either use Gates (and thus the very policies he opposed) to get credit for “winning the WoT”, and pave the way for Democrat rule for at least a decade, or he will pin HIS failures on Gates the Fall guy. Part of me wants that Gates had resigned and let the Dems crash.
This could mean Gates is carrying over Iranian attack plans into Obama’s term.
You hit the nail on the head!
Obama uses people and then sacrifices them if it benefits himself. Loyalty should be a two-way street; Dubya’s mistake was in believing Democrats who worked for him had a sense of honor and loyalty. If they are partisan, and most Democrats are, then they have neither.
Keeping Gates in charge is what's best for our country. The man has a considerable ability to focus and stay on task with what's important. He doesn't appear to micromanage and doesn't let partisan infighting interfere with the mission. He has a considerable talent for surviving the bureaucratic games in DC and has successfully kept otherwise difficult people at bay. We are very lucky Obama will be keeping him in for at least a year. But as someone here as stated, I wouldn't be surprised if Obama tapped Wesley Clarke to succeed Gates though.