President-elect Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are near an agreement that would leave Gates in his post for perhaps a year.  The Gates appointment would constitute a show of bipartisan continuity in a time of war, giving the new president a secretary with congressional support on both sides of the aisle, plus experience with world leaders and respect among senior military officers. 

Such an appointment might suggest that Obama, who made ending the war a central issue of his campaign, may be slower about drawing down the troops than previously anticipated.  Still, Gates -- the former CIA man who was president of Texas A&M -- will have to show his flexibility from serving the commander in chief who started the Iraq war to serving one who has promised to end it. Here' the NY Times story. 

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