WASHINGTON What Robert Gates once called "inconceivable to me" his remaining as defense secretary beyond Inauguration Day is looking a bit more conceivable to the rest of Washington.
The 65-year-old former spymaster has turned publicly mum on the circumstances under which he would stay, even briefly, after President-elect Barack Obama takes office. But one of the leading scenarios for a wartime transition at the Pentagon has Gates holding the fort, at least for some months.
If Gates does stay on, the announcement could come soon.
A national security spokeswoman for Obama, Brooke Anderson, said Thursday she had no comment on Gates or on whether the president-elect has held discussions with any candidate for the Pentagon job.
By keeping mum, both camps may preserve the option of walking away without hard feelings.
