Analysts: Gates unlikely as Obama SecDef

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A number of defense sources say there are potentially sizeable hurdles to Defense Secretary Robert Gates holding onto his position under President-elect Barack Obama.


Analysts: Gates unlikely as Obama SecDef
By John T. Bennett - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 10, 2008 21:41:36 EST

A number of complex forces would make it extremely difficult for President-elect Barack Obama to keep Robert Gates — despite his successes — on as defense secretary, according to sources.

Since Obama’s decisive Nov. 4 triumph, he and his top aides have turned their focus toward getting his transition team in place and selecting individuals to populate his government. The shape of the president-elect’s Pentagon team, sources say, will depend in large part on whether Obama decides to ask Gates to be his defense secretary.

In the runup to the election, former Pentagon officials and analysts said Gates had a good chance of being asked to stay on into the next administration, noting his role in revamping U.S. strategy that steered the conflict in Iraq in a more positive direction.

But in the past few days, a growing number of defense sources say there are potentially sizeable hurdles, including:

• Doubts about how well Gates would mesh, in terms of ideology and world view, with other members of the Obama defense and national security teams.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/defense_gates_obama_111008/%2e