Good interviews are hard to come by these days...

What with all the loud-mouths who won't let their "guests" get a word in edge-wise. But Charlie Rose is different, as this recent interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates shows. Rose asks intelligent questions and engages in intelligent conversation while maintaining the proper sense of humility that makes for a great interviewer: focusing the attention where it should be focused - on his guest.

And thankfully so in this case, because Gates is such an impressive public servant. In his interview with Rose, Secretary Gates outlines a view of American defense policy (and foreign policy) that is both realistic and consistent with American idealism. Pay particular attention to what he has to say with regard to Russia and NATO expansion. Very interesting. That President-elect Obama has chosen to retain him as Defense Secretary is an encouraging sign.