While President-elect Obama does not plan to officially unveil his national security team until after Thanksgiving, one thing seems pretty clear among Washington insiders: Defense Secretary Robert Gates is not going anywhere. For the first time, a Pentagon commander will be asked to keep his post during a transition between presidents of two different parties. The Takeaway talks to Peter Baker ("Obama Plans to Retain Gates at Defense Department " [New York Times]) about Obama’s decision.

"Somebody from a rival cartel pulled up in a car, snatched this girl, threw her in the back of the car, drove away, called the guy and said, 'we've got your daughter and we're going to kill her.'"
--Mark Moran on the increased drug cartel activity in Phoenix, Arizon

"Moments later, Jones pulled out vats of Flavor-Aid (not Kool-Aid, as the urban legend goes) containing valium, cyanide and more -- a deadly cocktail. And he urged members to commit 'Revolutionary Suicide.'"
--Adaora Udoji on the Jonestown Massacre

"Not only is it the largest vessel that has been attacked -- over 300,000 metric tons -- it's almost three times the size of a U.S. naval aircraft carrier."
--Nathan Christiansen on the hijacking of a Saudi Arabian oil supertanker

"Whether we're convinced if he's dead or not, [Obama] can never give up the hunt for bin Laden. He can not afford it politically, even though in his heart he knows it's a waste of people and money."
--Robert Baer speaking about President-elect Obama's future search for bin Laden

It’s called “security theater:” highly visible measures that serve no genuine security purpose. Those National Guard troops you see at the airport? Generally those big guns aren’t loaded. Having to show one's ID at every turn? The 9/11 hijackers carried genuine drivers licenses, too. The Takeaway talks to the man who coined the phrase “security theater” about what makes genuinely good security and what's just for show.