Remember how the Coughlin, Hesham Islam, Gordon England thing made you feel like PC dems were still in charge?

Why was Bush's second term so completely frustrating (except for the surge)?
GERTZ

Obama wants Bush war team to stay

He was a satisfactory democrat in foreign affairs!

EXCLUSIVE:

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has been named to the same Cabinet post in the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama, is asking experienced members of the Bush war team to stick around to smooth the transition in the Pentagon. (File photo)

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has asked most Bush administration political appointees except those targeted for dismissal to stay on in the Pentagon until replaced by the Obama administration in the coming months.

"I have received authorization from the president-elect's transition team to extend a number of Department of Defense political appointees an invitation to voluntarily remain in their current positions until replaced," Mr. Gates said in an Dec. 19 e-mail to political appointees.

The chance to stay is "available to all willing political appointees with the exception of those who are contacted individually and told otherwise," he stated.

Notification of those who must depart was to be done before the close of business Monday. The identity of the dismissed officials could not be learned.

The policy affects some 250 political appointees in the department. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman have already announced they plan to depart by Jan. 20.

Other federal agencies are not keeping political appointees, including the state, justice and homeland security departments that are planning personnel changes without Bush administration appointees in place.

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