Gates in!

The Election is over, the Democrats have eviscerated the Republicans, and the White House in particular, and the Secretary of Defence takes the fall.

Robert Gates is to take over. His style is generally considered to be much less 'in your face', but much is left to sort out in the Pentagon.

The draw down of troops in Iraq could now jump into high gear, but with less emphasis on cleaning up the mess we created and more on getting out in one piece. Gates will surely not bring on conscription, but the army is a mess, and in questionable shape to do enough to convince either Iran or North Korea to pass on Nuclear weapons development.

Huge (expensive) programs are sitting ready to go ahead; Sub's, UAV's, F-35, KC-X, B-X, JCA, you name it. In the next two years can Gates drive that fine line between keeping the industrial base happy and keeping defense spending at manageable levels?

Gates has a hard job facing him, and a President that is not likely to support much if it is in the least way controversial. He has to walk a line that will be on the one hand be good for the home fires, and at the same time not diminish US foreign policy aims (if such really exist.)