Based on well-founded rumors, leaks and semi-official statements, here is the current list of the men and women in President-elect Obama’s cabinet and senior staff:
• Vice-President: Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE, hopefully you know who he is by now)
• Chief of Staff: Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL, inspiration for Josh Lyman on the West Wing, all around badass)
• Secretary of State: Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-NY, candidate for president, former first lady)
• Secretary of Treasury: Timothy Geither (president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York)
• Secretary for Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle (former U.S. Senator D-ND)
• Attorney General: Eric Holder (Deputy Attorney General under Clinton, judge of the DC Superior Court)
• Secretary of Homeland Security: Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ, she’s close to Mexico which apparently makes her qualified)
• Secretary of Commerce: Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM, presidential candidate)
• White House Counsel: Greg Craig (special counsel to Pres. Clinton during impeachment hearings)
• National Security Advisor: Gen. James Jones* (retired four-star Marine Corps general)
• Secretary of Defense: Sec. Robert Gates* (currently the Secretary of Defense under Pres. Bush)
*Hiring General Jones as NSA and keeping SecDef Gates onboard is fairly speculative, but I included them in the list because of the increased speculation by insiders.
The Cabinet is coming together quite well only three weeks after the election and is composed of some very strong, respected individuals. I am a bit concerned by the hawkish foreign policy squadron Obama has developed, but they are all first and foremost strong pragmatists, so this significantly eases my concerns. The biggest thing Obama needs to work on is getting more Republicans into top posts (although keeping Gates and adding Jones would definitely help).
I am very excited to see who Obama picks to be Secretary of Energy and head of the Environmental Protection Agency since the President-elect has put a major emphasis on alternative energy in these first few weeks since being elected president. Hopefully these picks will be announced pretty soon.
November 23, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Not much gets past you, but I point you towards the rumor that RFK Jr may serve as head of the EPA. The thought of an environmental activist/defender serving in this post is exactly what this country needs after such poor everything by Bush EPA.
Also, since you’re a foreign policy guy, I’m curious to know your opinion about Clinton (over Kerry for example). Clinton was a surprise for me, but at Kerry has Senate Foreign Relations. Your thoughts on the pros/cons with regards to both American politics and foreign affairs?
November 30, 2008 at 4:07 pm
It seems like Obama is surrounding himself with people who have a ton of experience. Although Obama doesn’t have much political experience himself, it seems like this administration might be one of the most experienced I have seen in my time. Not only is it an experienced group, but it is an intelligent group as well.
I agree with Gates staying on purely because Colin Powell isn’t an option. If he was, I would go with Powell over Gates in a second. And as a Hillary supporter, I am glad to see her as Secretary of State. She has been in the White House and deserved a chance to be a part of Obama’s cabinet.
Overall, it is a solid group and I am impressed with Barack Obama’s choices so far.
December 7, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Rahm Emmanuel is such a badass. I can’t wait to have a white house full of dogs, they are going to bark and bark and bark for 4 years it will be endlessly entertaining. Also, Condi gave her support for Clinton today, which proves she is officially trying to repent for being tied to the Bush Administration for 4 years and secretly wants to hop aboard team Obama.