Length:
1:40
LARGE (19.5 MB) -----
SMALL (2.0 MB)
HEIDI
COLLINS: Another top position to be announced,
Obama's secretary of defense. Robert Gates is
expected to stay on and continue his oversight of the
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. CNN's Michael Ware is
in Baghdad now this morning, with the view from
there. Hi, Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi. Well,
if, indeed, President-elect Obama confirms the
appointment of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates,
this will be a reassuring and a savvy move by the
incoming administration. Because this will be a feat
of ongoing stewardship as America is waging two wars.
Now, there's a number of things that can be said
about Secretary Gates and this appointment. Firstly,
Secretary Gates is politically non-aligned and he's
widely viewed as a moderate who's listening to his
generals. He's also very important by his mere
presence in the rehabilitation of the relationship
between those in uniform and the civilians who
command them, a relationship that was badly damaged
under this administration.
Also, as a former director of Central Intelligence,
Secretary Gates is a bridge between the intelligence
community and the Pentagon. And finally, as someone
who is overseen the implementation of the so-called
surge here on the ground in Iraq, Secretary Gates may
be a tempering influence on the Obama
administration's urgency to start pulling out troops
regardless of what's happening here on the ground --
Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Michael Ware, coming to us
from Baghdad, this morning. We're going to be
watching all of these appointments very closely.
Thank you, Michael.