Here is a little suggestion to any other Democratic president that feels they have to put a republican in charge of defense or state to look credible:
DON'T.
I hope you have seen the error of your ways Mr President, seeing as how Bob Gates has just taken a giant crap on your administration in his new book.
The guy is obviously a self serving narcissist but even worse than that he's an ingrate. Gates seems to think very little of the presidents decision making abilities but strangely he was just fine with the unmitigated disaster in Iraq and the clown show that started it. I'm assuming he waited till now to stab POTUS in the back because the media has him on the ropes. According to reports Gates seems to have blown a kiss to Hillary while simultaneously bashing the president. So Gates is hedging his bets on Hillary or some other new Republican warmongering nightmare will descend on us like a plague in 2016. In other words this knife in the back is better than a resume. According to Bob Woodward (please suppress gag reflex), Gates standards of good leadership must mean that Sociopath and serial liar Draft-Dodging-Dick Cheney was strong by sending thousands to die based on a lie. Even the deciderer himself apparently gets to keep riding his mountain bike through the annals of history unscathed according to Bob Gates. But Joe Biden is somehow a double agent and has been the linchpin of every bad foreign policy decision in this last 40 years? Joe Biden, not George Bush? Are you f'ing serious BOB??? Really?
So after the Judd Gregg debacle, and Obama's incessant need for Olympia Snowe's approval almost destroying Healthcare we now have this douche questioning the presidents commitment to the mission. What mission??? I guess he means the shit storm Bush and crew started that destroyed the lives of so many Americans and Iraqis. Democrats I hope you have learned your lesson.
In retrospect what was the benefit in keeping Gates around, so the media would like Obama because his administration was just so damn bi-partisan? Oh wait maybe the Republicans would magically become less nihilistic!
Who was the genius who thought it was a good idea to keep one of the founding members of the Iraq Study Group on anyway? They take a 20 plus year CIA guy who supported the disaster in Iraq and they didn't think this would happen? Brilliant idea.
Mr President, I'm quite sure there were dozens of well qualified people that were up for Secretary of Defense who wouldn't betray you like this and as an added bonus (ding, ding, ding) may have actually believed in your purpose and wanted you to succeed.
But of course if you listen to the PEZ dispensers in the mainstream media; Democrats Need Republicans to run the wars because you know they do such a good job at it. Democrats you bought into the bi-partisan hype. How's that going for you?