Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates speaks to more than 1,200 students, faculty, ROTC cadets and civilians about the achievements of the all-volunteer military force and the stresses it faces at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Sept. 29, 2010. DOD photo by Cherie CullenWhen Robert Gates Leaves, It's Time For A Democratic Defense Secretary -- Washington Post
In 2006, when Robert Gates left his post as president of Texas A&M University to become secretary of defense, he placed a special clock in his briefcase that counted down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until Jan. 20, 2009. That's when President George W. Bush's term would be up, and when Gates could leave the pressures of public life and retire to his family home in the Pacific Northwest. That countdown has long since expired, but Gates's retirement hopes live on. He continues to talk about his plans to step down, most recently in a Foreign Policy magazine interview and at a Pentagon briefing late last month, when he emphasized his desire to leave next year.
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My Comment: I am sure that there are many in the White House (and outside) who are lobbying for this job right now. But if a Democrat is chosen .... I would not be surprised.