As rumored for days, President-elect Barack Obama has named former rival Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state and retained Robert Gates as defense secretary.

Interesting moves, both of them. After working for months to draw the brightest possible lines between his philosophy and Clinton’s during the primary season, he’s put her on his team. Does the move strike you as particularly interesting or surprising?

Likewise, after being critical of the Bush Administration’s policy toward Iraq for months, he’s retaining Bush’s vanguard in the Department of Defense.

What do these moves mean for Obama’s foreign policy? For the future of the Iraq war?