Notice that he’s sharing this order with Gates...EXCEPT...it’s Obama’s decision was planned well before Gates said he would stay. I’m betting that Gates doesn’t believe in this.
So why does Gates STAY ???!!
Gates is a master bureaucrat, a bureaucrat's bureaucrat. As such, he believes what his boss wants him to believe.
I am confident that his position on this and other issues has evolved comfortably into line with the values and priorities of Obama.