Summoned

By Christopher J. Castelli / March 3, 2009 at 5:00 AM

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Oval Office today at 4:30 p.m., according to the White House. The meeting is closed to the press. No word yet what will be discussed, but it's a safe bet Obama will be asking questions.

On Sunday's Meet the Press, Gates said Obama is "somewhat more analytical" than former President George W. Bush, noting Obama "makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue, and if they don't speak up, he calls on them." Bush was interested in hearing different points of view, but didn't go out of his way to make sure everybody spoke if they hadn't spoken up before, Gates noted.

Though today's White House meeting is private, Gates is slated to go before the microphones earlier this afternoon at the Pentagon when he holds a press conference with France’s minister of defense, Hervé Morin.

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