In convenient list form! Featuring more "on the other hand"s than Tevye!
- Seems to be a pretty good administrator. On the other hand, he didn't exactly have a tough act to follow. Bozo the Clown would probably be hailed as a skilled manager following on Rumsfeld's tenure.
- Appears not to be a partisan or an ideologue. Everyone seems to say he's not, Harry Reid even said he's not a Republican! On the other hand, Harry Reid seems to think Joe Lieberman is a Democrat.
- Relatively easy vetting as he is already Secretary of Defense. On the other hand, I wouldn't exactly credit the Republicans with very good vetting over the past few years. When dealing with Republicans, it's best to heed the words of their Lord and Savior. "Trust, but verify." Which is fancy talk for "Republicans don't trust people and shouldn't be trusted."
- Is not to be a neoconservative. On the other hand, he might be a secret neoconservative who actually was sworn into office on a stack of back issues of "Commentary." Also, have we checked his elementary school records?
- If he does a good job, Democrats will get the credit. As evidence, I invite you to look at Meteor Blades' list. Bill Clinton gets credit for doing a good job managing the DoD in his second term. No one says "but William Cohen was a Republican!" On the other hand, Democrats will still get the blame if things go badly. No one says, "Boy, that Republican, Robert McNamara, sure screwed things up in Vietnam. This proves Republicans have poor defense policy."
- Well-liked by the brass. Yes, this matters. On the other hand, see 1.
- If and when Obama tries to end DADT, Robert Gates would be a very good point man. On the other hand, we don't know if Gates is going to be a point man on this. We aren't really sure where he stands.
- Obama promised a Republican. Now he's marked off the "bipartisan" check box and we don't have to worry about a Republican Secretary of Labor. On the other hand, there's no guarantee he doesn't pick another Republican.