I think what is so refreshing about Gates stems at least in part to the fact he has always viewed this as a temporary assignment. He reluctantly came out of a posh job and apparrently wants to go back to it and so has no further political ambitions. As a result, I think he's more inclined to do what he thinks is the right thing to do more than another secretary might be.
So I think his chances of staying on, even if asked, are slim, but I think his temporary stint shows what a competent individual with no political ambitions or axes to grind can do.
Which, sadly, makes me think that he's the last of his kind we'll see for some time.
"On the plains and mountains of the American West, the United States Army had once learned everything there was to learn about hit-and-run tactics and guerrilla warfare."
T.R. Fehrenbach This Kind of War
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