Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Photo: Getty Images(Photo taken from New York Magazine)
From The San Francisco Chronicle/AP:
For a Democrat whose opposition to the Iraq war was a campaign centerpiece, President-elect Barack Obama is remarkably in sync with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on many core defense and national security issues — even Iraq.
The list of similarities suggests the early focus of Obama's Pentagon may not change dramatically from President George W. Bush's.
Given that Obama made the unprecedented decision to keep the incumbent Republican defense secretary, it would seem natural to expect that they see eye to eye on at least some major defense issues. But the extent of their shared priorities is surprising, given Obama's campaign criticisms of Bush's defense policies.
Read more ....
My Comment: The biggest difference between the two men is the modernization of America's nuclear forces .... a point that the San Francisco Chronicle ignores. Modernization would take years, and would involve the expenditures of tens of billions of dollars. A scenario that the cost conscious Obama administration will be sure to point out.
