Who’s Who in the Obama Administration
Lots of rumors flying about who (and more importantly when) Obama names the key individuals in his administration. Here are some of the key players:
Chief of Staff: I keep reading that Rahm Emanuel is the top guy. I have a hard time buying that, given the differences in tone and style between the two men. But then again, I didn’t like the other early pick, Tom Daschle — too wimpy. If I had to choose, I’d go with Emanuel. Other picks include John Podesta.
Attorney General: Remember when John Edwards had a lock on this position? Um, remember John Edwards? OK, maybe not. Janet Napolitano’s name is getting mentioned a lot now. She was an early supporter of Obama and she apparently wants the job. On the other hand, I’m also reading that she wants to run for McCain’s Senate seat in 2010 — in fact, early polling shows her leading by double-digits.
Secretary of State: Dick Lugar’s name gets tossed into the ring as well as John Kerry and Richard Holbrooke. Lugar worked with Obama, early on in the Senate, on loose nukes legislation and his confirmation hearings would be a breeze. Ditto Kerry although with Kerry you risk losing both Senators from Massachusetts on top of Biden (and Obama!) that’s a lot of reliable Democratic Senators to say goodbye to. Richard Holbrooke is a Clinton retread but has a pretty solid reputation.
Secretary of Defense: Lame duck Robert Gates may not be so lame after all. Keeping him around may give Obama the necessary cover to pull out of Iraq. Long shot, Lincolnesque, wildcard pick: John McCain.
Secretary of Treasury: Paul Volcker gets high marks from Democrats and Republicans alike, a quality that Obama values highly (except, apparently, in the case of Rahm Emanuel). Wildcard pick: Warren Buffet.
All the Rest: Who cares? All the other cabinet positions are career-killers. The only excitement would be in guessing who stays behind during each State of the Union address.
Bear in mind that I’m pulling this out of my you-know-what. The actual appointees will probably be entirely different. But I would bet Obama starts naming names sooner rather than later in order to send a message that he understands the gravity of the situation this country is in — and that he is ready to lead.
