Sunday's Wash. Post says, 

"[R]etention of Robert M. Gates as defense secretary and expected appointment of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones as national security adviser have been greeted with relief at the Pentagon." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/29/AR2008112901912.html?hpid=topnews

I came up with my own Overreach THIS! list of which appointments might have made them less comfortable: 

State: Al Franken
Nat Sec Advisor: Keith Olbermann
Defense: Jesse Jackson

If you can excuse my twisted humor, the truth is, they are all much relieved that they will no longer need to agree that a given outcome is brilliant before it is even discussed or presented, as under Bush's Stalinist party-discipline style. "In the Bush administration, you had to drink the Kool-Aid before you got to go to the meeting," said Maj. Gen. Wm. Nash of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Republicans are excited about this savior of South Asian decent.  They say he's smart, handsome, charismatic, results-oriented, compassionate, and his principles are acceptable to the base.

What could realistically block him from the nomination? 

Well, there is one problem:  the "base" is a coterie of committed racists who will never support him because of the color of his skin. Plus they don't value "smart."  Not a winning combination, Bobby.  How'd you get mixed up with these anti-intellectual bigots in the first place?