Defense Secretary Gates remains by Zuzana Zelenakova

According to the official statements released on Tuesday Defense Secretary Robert M Gates has agreed to continue to serve in the Cabinet of Barack Obama. It is quite a surprising situation for Gates to remain in the office because as we all know President-elect Barack Obama criticized actions and strategies of previous administration. One of Obama´s former transition advisors said that it was “99% certain” that Gates would serve as Defense Secretary under Obama for at least a year. "This is good for Obama becuase it lets him say that he has a Republican in his Cabinet, and also gives him instant credibility with the military," Politico's chief correspondent Mike Allen said. "Gates tells us he's excited about being able to finish some of what he started and to wind down in Iraq in a way that's consistent with how they've been running the surge.” Gates has been the head of the department since 2006 after he had to give up his post as a president of Texas A&M University and replace Donald Rumsfeld. Also the position of national security advisor has its candidate and it is Gen. James L. Jones, a retired Marine commandant. Both men bring years of experience to the Cabinet of Barack Obama who will certainly learn a lot from them about foreign policy. Partnership with Gates would be of high value to Obama who wants to remove US troops from Iraq. As there has been an agreement recently between US and Iraqi officials the withdrawal of the troops seems to be in sight finally and the pressure put on Obama in this matter is easing. "The real issue is: Who does Gates keep, and does Obama have a say in what team is there," the official said. Many assume that Gates remaining in the office is the right move for the continuity and stability.


related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081125/pl_politico/15986;_ylt=AvyuIE93KC9Q.jo5jbjZlLCs0NUE

by Zuzana Zelenakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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edited by Beata Biskova