With all the electile dysfunction just ahead in MMXII - 44 will most likely start making some changes in the top FoPo and Nat'l (or is it Internat'l) Security positions.
"...The candidate who fills Gates' shoes will require the international prestige to meet with foreign leaders on equal terms, the military bona fides to manage the United States' wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the political savvy to guide the Pentagon though what will surely by its most complex interactions with Capitol Hill in many years.
"...The top candidates discussed around town are John Hamre, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Michele Flournoy, Gates' undersecretary for policy (who would be the first female defense secretary), and CIA chief Leon Panetta.
"...The dark horse is former Obama campaign advisor Richard Danzig, who is also chairman of the Center for a New American Security. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's name has been tossed around but is seen as a less likely choice.
Several other CNAS cats make their way into the mix for highly desirable gigs too!
"...We're told that, sooner rather than later, Eikenberry will be recalled to Washington. Clinton has been tight-lipped about possible replacements, but the short list could include David Barno, a retired lieutenant general who served as the top military commander in Afghanistan and now works as a fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
"...Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) - Michael Vickers, who was immortalized as the boy genius in Charlie Wilson's War, will be leaving this post after being nominated as undersecretary of defense for intelligence, replacing James Clapper, who is now the director of national intelligence.
"...While most posts in the Office of the Secretary of Defense that are up for changes will stay unfilled until there is more clarity concerning Gates' departure, this vacancy probably can't wait until then. The crucial nature of the SOLIC office, which oversees many of the secret operations that have become so central to the effort in Afghanistan mandates it been backfilled with urgency.
"...There have been several reports that Michael Sheehan, a former top counterterrorism official at the State Department during Bill Clinton's administration, has been offered the job. John Nagl, the president of the Center for a New American Security, had been rumored for the post, but now seems to be in line for the job of principal deputy to Sheehan, if Sheehan takes the gig.
Pic - "Minor Threat"
Hamre was a great DepSecDef, hoping he gets the nod. Of course, I didn't see Dempsey coming as the CSA either, so what do I know?
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