Obama's Cabinet & Cabinet level positions

[Medic]

Why would anyone want Lieberman near the White House? That man isn't fit to clean up dog shit, let alone become a major player in Obama's administration.

I believe in the article I posted, he was a McCain proposal. Certainly makes sense, he went to all the Gimp's rallies. I highlighted that only for the hilarity.

Republicans have their much despised "RINO's" but they've had a Republican-in-all-but-name for 2 years now in their pocket in the Senate.

[TithonusSyndrome]

Unless Edwards' affair has made him political poison, I think he'd make a good Labor Sec. He's apparently chaired positions relevant to the office before.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Unless Edwards' affair has made him political poison, I think he'd make a good Labor Sec. He's apparently chaired positions relevant to the office before.

Ahem. Bill Clinton? His past womanizing makes John Edwards look like a pure, virginal saint in comparison, and yet he'd be under serious consideration for a high-level government post. Edwards' affair may have helped torpedo his Presidential bid, but it's not going to make him persona non grata, nor should it.

[Ma Deuce]

Retain Gates he knows his business as I've now been convinced.

While it seems Obama would very much like to retain Gates (which I agree is a good idea), there are rumors going around that he instead wishes to retire.

[SirNitram]

Retain Gates he knows his business as I've now been convinced.

While it seems Obama would very much like to retain Gates (which I agree is a good idea), there are rumors going around that he instead wishes to retire.

Here's my prediction here: Obama will keep Gates for a period, and allow the man to retire at his own pace.

[Panda]

Good afternoon all.

Rahm Emanuel (D) Ill. has confirmed that he has accepted the role of Chief of Staff.

[Glocksman]

Dick Lugar would be a decent bipartisan choice for either SecState or SecDef.
I'm not real fond of him, but he is very experienced in foreign policy and has more than a passing familiarity with defense issues.

[Ender]

McCain for head of Veteran's Affairs. Token national unity and reconciliation in the face of the end of the Bush administration.

Fuck that and fuck you for suggesting it. McCain has screwed us over every chance he got.

Richardson SecState
Gore SecEnergy (though he has said he is done with politics and feels he can get more done outside)
H. Clinton SecHHS
B. Clinton UN Ambassador
Gates SecDefense for now, Mullen when he retires, Hagle if Mullen doesn't want it
Webb SecVA
Edwards AG if it won't hurt them too much politically.
Powell DHS
Hagel DNI
Nelson for Drug Czar

[Medic]

Dick Lugar would be a decent bipartisan choice for either SecState or SecDef.
I'm not real fond of him, but he is very experienced in foreign policy and has more than a passing familiarity with defense issues.

I think he also falls into the "thanks, but no thanks" category. He'd prefer to stay in the Senate is what I always hear on the news. The Republicans certainly need him now as much as ever.

[Knife]

Wonder how long till someone comes up with that conspiracy? Obama tempts Republican Senators into cabinet to get filibuster proof Senate.

[irishmick79]

I can see one of the Clintons being tapped for some sort of role in the administration, but not both of them. As some have mentioned before, it's apparent that Hillary wants to remain in the senate. That's a pretty good position for her, since she can address a multitude of issues and isn't necessarily pidgeon holed into dealing exclusively with one.

I guess it boils down to which former executives would be considered. I don't think Obama will consider too many senators, since he wouldn't want to short-hand the party in that chamber. I doubt he'd get a lot of support from Republicans in the senate, since they could concievably add to the democrat majority should they choose to leave their seat.

[Guardsman Bass]

Uh, I do believe Hillary Clinton's on the record as saying she's determined to stay in the Senate to help keep that in Democrats' hands.
Mind you, I don't exactly think the chances of a Republican are great of coming into her vacant seat, but I do remember that being covered on the news one day.

1st thing I saw on Google News on Obama's cabinet.

Barack Obama has lined up his Cabinet to avoid a power vacuum
In the event of victory, the Democratic candidate is anxious to make sure that there will be a smooth takeover at the top

Tim Reid

Barack Obama has already picked most of his Cabinet and if he wins tonight will be ready to name top posts within days as he seeks to ease into a governing role before Inauguration Day on January 20.

Unlike most previous presidential election winners, who spent weeks huddled with advisers before announcing their Cabinet and White House team, Mr Obama is anxious to hit the ground running and already has a list of key names he has decided upon.

The Democratic candidate is particularly anxious to immerse himself immediately in confronting the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and to avoid a power vacuum over the next two months as the country slides into what appears to be a deep and painful recession.

Mr Obama’s transition team has been headed by John Podesta, a Washington veteran and former chief-of-staff to Bill Clinton. One of his priorities has been discussing with Mr Obama his choice of Treasury Secretary, a key post given the current economic climate and one he is set to announce quickly if he wins.

The leading contenders to head the US Treasury in an Obama Administration are Tim Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Laurence Summers, President Clinton’s last Treasury Secretary, and Paul Volcker, who chaired the Federal Reserve from 1980 to 1987. Mr Volcker, in particular, has become an enormously influential economic adviser to Mr Obama in recent months.

It is understood that offices for a new Treasury team – be it John McCain’s or Mr Obama’s – have already been set aside in the Treasury Building to shadow the Bush Administration’s efforts to rescue the stricken financial sector.

History is also a compelling factor in Mr Obama’s desire to move quickly. During the Great Depression Franklin D. Roosevelt was not inaugurated until March 1933 – five months after election day – a period of relative inaction in which the US economy worsened significantly.

One thing Mr Obama’s aides say he is reluctant to do if he wins is attend the G20 summit of world leaders in Washington on November 15, convened by President Bush, to discuss the global economy. He is anxious not to distract attention from Mr Bush’s efforts, and is also keen not to have his hands potentially tied by involvement in an economic forum that might fail.

A President Obama would draw heavily for his Cabinet and White House appointments from a pool of Democratic governors, former Clinton White House officials and political veterans from his power base in Chicago.

The short list for Secretary of State includes Bill Richardson, a former presidential contender last year, New Mexico Governor and Mr Clinton’s former UN ambassador. Also being seriously considered is John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and an early supporter of Mr Obama in the primaries.

Two Democratic governors who have thrived in Republican-leaning states – Janet Napolitano, of Arizona, and Kathleen Sebelius, of Kansas – are also tipped for Cabinet posts: Ms Napolitano as a possible Attorney-General; Ms Sebelius as a potential Energy or Education Secretary.

Inside an Obama White House his chief campaign strategists, David Axelrod and David Plouffe, would get senior posts. Two men are strong contenders for White House chief-of-staff: Tom Daschle, the former Democratic Senate Majority Leader, and Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman.

Both Mr McCain and Mr Obama are likely to keep President Bush’s Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, in his post. Mr McCain is also looking at two former primary rivals: Rudy Giuliani, the former New York Mayor, and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, for top positions.

Senator Joe Lieberman, an “independent” Democrat who campaigned tirelessly for Mr McCain, would almost certainly get a top post, possibly Secretary of State. << bwahahahahahaha

Robert Zoellick, the World Bank President, is another possibility for that slot in a McCain administration, or another big job. Two prominent women from the corporate world, the former eBay chief Meg Whitman, and the former Hewlett-Packard chairman Carly Fiorina, would be strong contenders for roles as advisers to a President McCain.

Actually, my favorite in the above list is keeping SecDef Gates. USAF couldn't get their shit together on nuclear security so he fired their top military and civilian leadership and is guiding a hopefully effective restructuring in the nuclear mission. The guy actually has balls and seems to be toeing a fine line between "this-war-itis" and "next-war-itis" on recapitalizing DoD weapon systems, as they age and are replaced. That sort of consistency is nice from my point of view, as a servicemember.

I'm hoping he keeps Gates as well; Gates has his shit together, has served under both democratic and Republican administrations (IIRC, he talked about serving under Zgbniew Brezinzski in the Carter Administration in his memoirs, From The Shadows - a very good read, by the way), and has a background both in defense and in the CIA. Obama needs to talk Gates out of retiring.

One question about Hagel, since he's been brought up - what does he bring to the position of Secretary of Defense? I'm looking at his committee assignments in the Senate, and it looks like he's served mainly on foreign affairs committees, the Intelligence committee, and some domestic committees. Before that, he was a war hero, with a brief stint as deputy administrator of the VA, and the CEO spot of the United Services Organization. That's not to demean him, but he seems more like a candidate for Secretary of State than Defense.

[The Original Nex]

I doubt Webb will be taken out of the Senate, particularly when it's not guaranteed to be a hold for the Democrats once the election of whomever is appointed comes around. Let him do good things in the Senate.

[Battlehymn Republic]

McCain for head of Veteran's Affairs. Token national unity and reconciliation in the face of the end of the Bush administration.

Fuck that and fuck you for suggesting it. McCain has screwed us over every chance he got.

Well, sorry for wanting to see more Republican heads explode in confused anguish.

[RedImperator]

Webb has that Senate seat for as long as he wants it. I doubt the Democrats would be happy if Obama pulled Webb out of it, and for that matter, I don't know if Webb would want to leave.

Anyone who takes SecState does so knowing that Biden is going to stick his nose in his business, often.

I think Edwards is too badly damaged (Clinton cheated on his wife, but his wife didn't have cancer), but if he weren't, I'd think he'd want AG more than SecLabor.

I think Obama will try to yank a Republican or two out of the Senate. Arlen Specter would be a good candidate--give him the choice between ending his long Senate career in an impotent minority, the majority of whose hardcore supporters think he's a RINO anyway, or entering the cabinet and ending his career in public life as a bipartisan statesman. And his replacement would be appointed by Ed Rendell (Rendell might even have the chutzpah to appoint himself). The problem is, Obama would probably have to offer him AG, and the Democrats would rightly howl if a Republican got that one, considering the mess that needs to be cleaned up.

[CmdrWilkens]

Specter over to DHS might actually be a close enough substitute. That said I think Specter is all set to finish out his term and retire gracefully. I don't doubt that he could be effective as either AG or DHS but I don't think he would want the post for a full term even.

[Surlethe]

Pulling Lugar will probably not flip a seat to the Democrats; Indiana is still a pretty red state, and Mitch Daniels would definitely appoint a Republican in the interim. For example, witness how said Republican governor won reelection in a landslide.

[J]

I want Volcker for SecTres.

I don't. Paul Volcker is on record as stating the US governnment should consider buying up credit default swaps and other derivatives & investment instruments to stabilize the economy. That just gives the banks another way to hide their losses and compound the current problems.

My first choice would be Janet Tavakoli. She advocates full transparency of bank balance sheets and forced cramdowns of insolvent banks. And well, you need to hear her opinion of the bailout bill for yourself, she's got a way with words.

[The Spartan]

McCain for head of Veteran's Affairs. Token national unity and reconciliation in the face of the end of the Bush administration.

Fuck that and fuck you for suggesting it. McCain has screwed us over every chance he got.

Well, sorry for wanting to see more Republican heads explode in confused anguish.

What? Are you fucking stupid? They would love having him in a position of power in Obama's administration, not die from "confused anguish."

This is more of the same nonsense that what's-his-name was spouting about hoping McCain won to galvanize the Democrats or some other such bullshit.

[Glocksman]

Pulling Lugar will probably not flip a seat to the Democrats; Indiana is still a pretty red state, and Mitch Daniels would definitely appoint a Republican in the interim. For example, witness how said Republican governor won reelection in a landslide.

There is that, but I suggested Lugar because I thought he'd be a decent Republican choice, not because I wanted to somehow snatch his seat for the Democrats.

Conversely though, that same dynamic makes it highly unlikely Evan Bayh will take a spot in the administration if they were to offer him one.

IMHO, Mitch won because the Democrats ran a weak candidate.
If a strong Democrat had ran, Mitch would have been beatable.

The Dems have a lot of recruiting and rebuilding to do statewide.

[Tanasinn]

What? Are you fucking stupid? They would love having him in a position of power in Obama's administration, not die from "confused anguish."

This is more of the same nonsense that what's-his-name was spouting about hoping McCain won to galvanize the Democrats or some other such bullshit.

Depends on the Republicans you're talking about. The Jesus freaks and neocons would consider it heresy and party disloyalty respectively...though they already suspect him of being on the other side. Middle republicans and the ultra-rich would consider it a boon, and they're the Republican party that needs to be worked with, not madmen obsessed with a bronze age rag written by frauds or madmen who get a hard-on at the idea of napalming foreigners.

That said, I don't think McCain would bring anything valuable to the Obama administration, and as high-ticket a guy he was, it might alienate democrats.

[Thanas]

Good afternoon all.

Rahm Emanuel (D) Ill. has confirmed that he has accepted the role of Chief of Staff.

Said so on the page before your post.

[Duckie]

Emmanuel has since denied on MSNBC that he is taking the post, merely that he has been offered and is considering.

[The Romulan Republic]

I was pleased to see that Richardson is on the short list for Sec. of State. I'd have been just as happy to see him as the VP, but I don't know that an all-minority ticket would have won. Still, the man is intelligent and experienced and deserves a post in Obama's government.

[CmdrWilkens]

Pulling Lugar will probably not flip a seat to the Democrats; Indiana is still a pretty red state, and Mitch Daniels would definitely appoint a Republican in the interim. For example, witness how said Republican governor won reelection in a landslide.

Well its all for naught either way since Lugar is now stating that he does not want a Cabinet post of any kind but would prefer to continue working on the Foreign Relations Committee.