Confirming nothing on Gates closeness...

By Fester:

Cernig is suspicious about the choice of keeping Sec. Def. Gates out of Washington during the Inauguration ceremonies tomorrow.  Gates is the Presidential succession back-up in case D.C. gets nuked.  I think logistics are more in play than pure politics here, but let's see Cernig's suspicians first:

Which speaks volumes for Obama's relationship with Gates, with other Dem leaders and to Obama's probable foreign policy course. You can probably forget the progressive foreign agenda you might have hoped for.

I think this is mainly a timing issue.  The US presidential succession runs Pres to the VP and then to the Speaker of the House, President Pro-Tem of the Senate and then to the Cabinet Secretaries in order of descending precedence.  And here there are logistical issues.  Obama is not keeping Rice or Paulson on.  He has named replacements for these two high precedence slots.  Gates as Sec Def inherits the Secretary of War's precedence and is the third cabinet department in order of precedence.  Other natural succession candidates have not been confirmed by the Senate yet, so Sen. Clinton is Sec-State designate, and Mr. Geithner is Sec. Treas. designate, which combined with five quarters gets you a cup of constitutional coffee.

Let's give Obama at least a day and a half before we judge the influence of Gates upon foreign policy.  I want to see the Wednesday meeting with the senior brass concerning Iraq before I join in Cernig's suspicians.