Steve Benen's first reaction:
I'm not at all convinced that Gates is a poor choice. In fact, I've seen ample evidence that Gates is exactly who Obama needs at the Pentagon right now.
Gates may be a leading member of Bush's team, but he represents a complete break from the neo-conservatives who dominated the administration's first term. Gates is considered a non-ideological pragmatist, who's open to competing ideas, and who enjoys broad respect from the brass and lawmakers in both parties. In the midst of two wars, having a competent and qualified Pentagon chief, who has no partisan or ideological axe to grind, will bring a degree of steadiness and consistency that may benefit Obama enormously.
It falls short of the change thing, but it more than underscores the president-elect's 'out of many, one' concept, so it's a net zero proposition in terms of campaign pledges -- the president-elect always talked about having some Republicans in his cabinet. However, I still believe the decision was based on a desire for practicality and continuity. The message: Not everything in America is rank with mayhem and transition and crisis.
And for what it's worth, there have only been four Democratic secretaries of defense in the last 50 or so years. Not exactly a confidence booster for Democrats. And I'm automatically suspicious of anyone who George W. Bush deemed as "qualified."