With the intention behind the administration’s drawdown date for Afghanistan becoming increasingly hard to pin down, it’s not unreasonable to theorize that the U.S. could have a significant stake in the nation for the remainder of Obama’s presidency. Bearing this in mind, it would be wise to keep the waters as calm as possible. Getting a new defense secretary will not do this.
Robert Gates is the perfect secretary for the perfect time, simply because of the lack of passion he generates. As the most prominent Republican in Obama’s cabinet, he’s not under any particular scrutiny from those on the right hoping to win political points. Democrats, who still harbor fresh memories of the clown who preceded him, are also generally accepting of the Bush appointee. As a result, Gates is free to oversee the country’s two wars and spearhead massive reform efforts, all with a minimum of partisan white noise.
Read more at the Daily Caller.