--> I must admit, the recent leaks of Obama's Cabinet choices have me a little giddy. Let's assemble our crew: (note - all of the following are leaks and rumors, not yet confirmed/officially announced)
United States White House: 2009-2012
The Players:
The Begrudging Ally - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After all the rumors (VP??? 3rd Party?? 2012?? 2016??), Clinton has reportedly given in and agreed to take the most powerful diplomatic post in the Obama regime. As a native New Yorker, I'd like to thank her for her hard work on our behalf, and wish her the best of luck. As an American, I am thrilled to have someone who can seem so nice but be so terrifying as the person negotiating with dictators and despots.
If the government were an action movie, then Hillary is the character that seems like he/she is not happy with their role in the team, and could potentially turn on the leader of the group. Some examples:
In this model, Hillary doesn't betray the team, but ends up learning to respect the leader who she originally doubted so much. They bury the hatchet and decide to kill terrorists together.
In this model, Hillary decides that her personal ambitions would be better suited in the Republican Party; just before the 2012 race, she abandons her Cabinet post, switches parties, offs Bill, and gives the Republican nominee all the inside dirt on Obama they need to shoot...err, defeat him electorally.
In this model, Hillary comes to the realization that the responsibility of the highest office in the land is too much for a newb like Obama. She tries to unseat him in a heated primary battle in 2012, but is ultimately turned into a pin-cushion by Republican forces who rediscover their former zeal for hating her.
Which do you think Secretary Clinton will follow? Check out the poll in the right-hand column to decide...
The Wunderkind - Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner. Potentially one of the youngest heads of the Treasury in U.S. history, what Geithner lacks in wrinkles he makes up for in brains. He was mentored by both Larry Summers and Robert Rubin (former Secretaries themselves), and has been at the table throughout the federal discussions of the current crisis through his role as New York State President of the Federal Reserve. As news of this decision leaked on Friday, stocks shot up as investors seemed pleased with the choice. It goes without saying that this post has increased importance in today's financial environment; Newsweek even declared Hank Paulson the first King of America since George III. Geithner seems to have a clean record (he's never given a political contribution to ANYONE), so I'm still working on how to make fun of him beyond the simple, "TIMMAY!!!!" He does have a terrific claw attack, though.
The Beard - Secretary of Commerce Bill Richardson. Apparently having failed to grab the State Department, Richardson will reportedly be offered this consolation prize - a prize with increased importance in this economic climate. Richardson really is the ultimate government utility player, having qualified for Congress, UN ambassador, Secretary of Energy, Governor of Mexico, and now Commerce. In fantasy government, people draft Richardson early because of his flexibility. Plus, the beard is worth 20 points (here's hoping he grows it back).
The Parting Gift to John McCain - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Napolitano is a brilliant, gifted politician (and an early contender for 2016), and her experience in governing a border state makes her qualified for this position. However, the decision is quite possibly also seen as a favor to Senator McCain, who would have probably been deposed in 2010 by Napolitano, who was term-limited as Governor of Arizona that year anyway. With the popular governor out of the picture, McCain will probably have a clear shot at reelection should he decide to pursue it. Perhaps Obama is hoping that McCain no longer has any hard feelings towards him, and they can work towards a common agenda.
The Doctor - Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Daschle. Daschle (D-SD) was the top-ranking Democrat in the Senate for ten years until his surprising defeat in 2004. Obviously being rewarded for his early, vocal support of Obama's presidential campaign, Daschle will now be the guiding force on the new administration's healthcare reforms. His working relationship with Congress is certainly an asset, and one of the biggest reasons he was chosen, beyond his expertise in that policy area. Ever the poet, Daschle also recently described the U.S. healthcare system as "islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity." Let's see if he can change that.
--> There is a lot of talk that many of these moves signal a rightward shift by the incoming president, at least in terms of foreign policy. Appointments like Clinton and Geithner signal a desire to value pragmatism over ideology, and while it might irritate the base a little bit, it's the right thing to do in a volatile situation like this.
Besides, there's something to be said for NOT filling your administration with yes-men.
--> Believe it or not (maybe not given the focus of this blog and its predecessor), there are a couple other branches of government in Washington, D.C. Recent developments in the legislature will have major consequences for the ability of President Obama to follow through on his agenda.
The West Coast Powerhouse - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Boxer, and newly-annointed Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Henry Waxman. Waxman, in a surprising event, dethroned the veteran Democratic leader of the committee Congressman John Dingell (MI). This represents a major ideological shift in Congress, beyond the historic implications of violating the sacred laws of House seniority. Dingell was in the pockets of the auto industry, while Waxman takes his marching orders from Speaker Pelosi and is a staunch advocate of fighting climate change.
These three Californians now hold the keys to any green part of Obama's agenda, and we should be hearing from all of them quite a bit.
--> In other news, I will fulfill my sacred oath to not stop making fun of Sarah Palin. Here is an instant classic video, as Palin symbolically pardons a turkey, and then gives an interview as turkeys are brutally slaughtered behind her.
--> There is, of course, one enormous piece of news that I failed to report on this week. However, the news took a long time making its way through the series of tubes to my desk. You see, when you want to send a message, you put the message in, and it gets in line. The Internet is not some truck that you can just dump things on, after all.
I apologize for making that joke again, but sadly it will be the last time I get to make that joke (without really reaching for it). Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) finally lost his heated race with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who now becomes the crucial 58th Democratic senator in the next Congress. Stevens will no longer be there to grant us his humorous take on those damn kids, that dang-blasted technology, or the importance of wearing one's pants at the chest. I hope he finds his way home across an unnecessary, incomplete bridge.
On behalf of CWVF, I would like to thank Ted Stevens for all the decades of hilarity he has provided us all - first as a corrupt senator, and more recently as a cliched, crotchety old person.
You will be missed, and here's hoping you'll be true to your refusal to be quiet.
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