Holdovers: The Worst Rumsfeld Deputies Obama Is Stuck With

Awkward as it may be, some of the Pentagon officials who contributed to the foreign-policy debacles of the last eight years that brought Barack Obama to power might be sticking around briefly during his first year in office.

It's an unusual circumstance for a defense secretary to remain in his position despite the transference of political power from one party to another. So Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in uncharted territory. Add to that the fact that the Obama transition team has made it clear that most of Gates' aides and subordinates -- some of them holdovers from his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld -- will be replaced.

Here's a guide to those who might be the most awkward for the progressives in the Obama Pentagon to work with, however briefly.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[JiminNC]

Reads like a nice witness list for the prosecution to me.

[Skepticat]

I suspect that Obama will easily deal with such problems without our help. My suggestion is to give them office space in a Quonset hut in the Aleutians in winter - and sunny Guam or Marfa Texas in summer doing some of the necessary but less exciting military work like office supply inventory.

[ramblingjohnny]

I think we got a few base in Antarctica or in the North Arctic. No sense in sending them to a nice warm and cozy place like Guam.

[rich misty]

Rumsfeld's deputies specialized in removing impediments to access the nuclear arsenal. The GOP wanted to have all "yes men" in the chain of command.

[JISantiago]

Come Jan 20, Obama will be the President of the United States. From that day onwards, the US administration will be known as Obama administration. If the President so desires, all handpicks or remnants of disgraced Rumsfeld must go. There is no two-way about it.

If Gates does not accede to the wishes of the President, then he must go. It is simple as that.

Gates is only there for continuity for the conduct of the two wars. He is there at the pleasure of the president. He is not there to impose his own will. So, if the transition team wants Rumsfeld surrogates out, they must be out. Robert Gates has or should have no say in the matter. Period!

[Bitsko]

Well put. These non-stories about permanent Bush appointees is nothing but fiction on the level of The Da Vinci Code.

[serenegeezer]

An irritating HuffPost common practice....the meaning of the headline in important ways does not conform to the meaning of the story............................as this story clearly states, the objectionable aides will remain at DOD for only a short period of time......a totally unremarkable circumstance.......which in no way even suggests that Obama will be "stuck" with them as the headline blares.

Junior high school journalism...if journalism at all.

[baba2nde]

Second that! Call it sensational or teaser headlining, I got suckered too, shame on me.

[sinope]

Yeah I'm coming to realize that HuffPo, while fun, is basically a tabloid like the Drudge Report. The front-page story about Obama's pecs was absurdly trashy.

http://english.aljazeera.net/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

[jdmba]

Nowadays, I actually read the comments first to see if an article is worth linking, or if a healine is honest. In this instance, I'm not even going to go to the article.

Thanks for saving me from reading a pointless story!!

[Bitsko]

You said it all.

[Dave-O]

I say fire them all. It would be like buying out their contracts. It would be a small price to pay to get these idiots out. They're part of the problem. They need to be excised like a tumor. Throw them into the pile of toxic waste.

[bby328]

If BHO cuts their pay by a dollar . . . I'm sure they'll all quit.

. . . with these guys a paycheck always trumps "principles".

[Totto]

My God, these are people to whom war is the only answer to every problem. They are completely unconconcerned about human suffering, unless it's their own. Take away their offices, move them to another location, give them a desk and a chair and completely separate them from the functioning of the Pentagon. Instruct any other personnel that to discuss defense policy with them means immediate termination. Monitor their e-mails. Turnabout is fair play.

[theone718]

It's only for a year to get Obama's people in folks NO need to fret. Am I the only one that thinks Gates may stay on for more than a year? I just sort of have a feeling of that.

[lizziekw]

There are going to be turf battles and head butting with these hold-overs, no question about that. Still, we're in these two stupid wars and the DoD has to be fully staffed. We can't have everyone being "the new guy" in a situation like this. Replacing them over the course of 2009 seems about right.

[BannedInBoston]

Deputy Dawg.

[Bubba Gump]

One fact of military/government life wasn't mentioned at all: the power in transfer. If you really want to effectively, publicly punish someone without prosecuting that individual, a transfer to Antartica or a posting in Mongolia is not only poetic justice, it's a living reminder to other active duty members that they serve at the pleasure of the President. And that's the lesson: only the President is commander-in-chief.

[Allablaze]

It would be interesting to know just how loyal these "Rumsfeld people" are. Have they been truly supportive of Gates, and will they support Obama.

[serena1313]

Actually this is not unusual.

Finding suitable replacements for several hundred key positions takes time. Considering the US is embroiled in two separate wars it would be irresponsible not to keep them on until they can be replaced.

[castrochavez08]

Good idea, serena! Because it is obvious that in a country the size of the USA there just aren't any qualified people who know about war and stuff. It could take years and years to find "suitable" replacements right?
I mean it isn't as if Democrats had any idea a year ago that they might win the election, so it would have been impossible for them to actually start a search for a Gates replacement, right?

Maybe we should keep the Bush people for environmental posts, health care and our torture department too? Would that be prudent?

This is highly highly unusual. Clinton did not keep Bush 1 people, and W Bush did not keep Clinton people.
Everyone brings in their own people, every time.

We voted for hope and change like the slogan said. Changing the war department should be the first thing on the list.

[honeydiva]

cackle, cackle, cackle...it said briefly.

[Billar]

Obama does not have to keep these creeps-fire them all. Obama has a great pool of experienced military to replace these NeoCon chicken hawks.