Josh Marshall on TPM TV has stated that Obama is considering to keep Gates for one more year due to the influence of Brent Scrowcroft. A lot Democrats are angry at Obama for wanting to  keeping Gates, but if it means having a Secretary of State Hagel than I'm all for Obama listening to the advice of Brent Scrowcroft. Some progressives want Obama to pick Holbrooke as Secretary of State and reject Hagel because the former is a Democrat while the later is a Republican. Will progressives actually feel comfortable with Holbrooke's hawkishness towards Russia and Iran. Also how will Holbrooke's policies be different from the current neo-Conservative foreign policy of the Bush administration. Hagel's foreign policy would mark are sharp shift with its realist emphasis on diplomacy and working with allies. Hagel symbolizes change while Holbrooke is just the same product but in a different package.