Matt Cutts: How is the link structure between .gov (US) domains seen by Google?

Hi Matt,

I was wondering if you could provide some insight on an inbound link question? I'm specifically curious about the treatment of .gov domains.

An inbound link from one .gov to another .gov does not seem difficult to obtain. On the other hand, an inbound .gov link to a .com is typically much harder to obtain or 'earn'.

This ease of leveraging authority among government sites seems like a potential issue.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance

-Tom