WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Bush has asked outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to advise him until successor Robert Gates is sworn in, aides say.
Bush specifically asked Rumsfeld to stay in power until Gates was in place, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Rumsfeld said he has spoken with Gates twice since Gates was confirmed by the Senate 95-2 Wednesday.
Rumsfeld will preside over a meeting with Bush at the Pentagon Wednesday, which will include a briefing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the department's recommendations for a new way forward in Iraq, the Times said.
Rumsfeld's departure marks the second time he has stepped down from the defense secretary job. He also had that job in the Gerald R. Ford administration.
He leaves 11 days shy of breaking Robert S. McNamara's record as the longest-serving defense secretary.
