There was the announcement that Joe Lieberman would keep his position as head of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, without so much as a slap on the wrist. Then there was all of the drama over picking Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Bill included. And then of course there was Sarah Palin giving a TV interview after pardoning a turkey while a turkey was being slain behind her.
But in all seriousness, there has been some major news regarding President-elect Obama's cabinet. Most of the major cabinet positions in his administration have already been filled, only three weeks after Election Day. The current list is as follows:
Secretary of Treasury: Timothy Geithner
Geithner is the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and there seems to be a lot of confidence in his ability to handle the economic crisis. On the day of his announcement as Treasury Secretary, the stock markets shot up over 500 points. He is widely respected in his field and is seen by most economic experts as a reassuring pick. He is a self-described moderate, and he is also said to have a good working relationship with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, which would ease the transition and ensure stability in Washington. He will be joined by former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Christina Romer as members of Obama's economic team.
Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates
Robert Gates will reportedly stay on as Defense Secretary under the Obama administration for as long as a year. He clearly has support from members of both parties with a unanimous confirmation in the Senate Armed Services Committee and a 95-2 vote in the Senate when he was confirmed as Defense Secretary under George Bush in 2006. As of now, he is the sole Republican reported to be in Obama's cabinet. Several media outlets are now reporting that he has accepted the offer.
Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton
Talk about a team of rivals. Obama reached out to Hillary after their long and bitter primary battle to take the top foreign policy position in the nation--and boy was there drama. She took a while to accept the position, as she was reportedly torn about giving up her seat in the Senate. Hillary is largely thought to be to the right of Obama on matters of national security and foreign policy--as shown by her initial support for the Iraq War. She often called Obama naive on matters of foreign policy during the primaries, especially meeting with hostile leaders of foreign nations without preconditions. However, she will now be tied to the Obama administration and will serve at his disposal. Members of the international community know and respect her and know that she means business, which will help when other nations test Obama early in his presidency.
Attorney General: Eric Holder
Holder was a deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno during the Clinton administration. During the final days of that administration, Holder was involved with President Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive and Democratic contributor Marc Rich. His participation in the Rich's pardon came into question, and a controversy formed over offering his opinion to Clinton about the pardon, as Clinton mistook it for the opinion of the Justice Department. Holder was one of the three members of Obama's vice-presidential selection committee and was a senior legal advisor to Obama during the campaign. He will be the first African American Attorney General.
Secretary of Health & Human Services: Tom Daschle
The former Senate Democratic Majority and Minority Leader from South Dakota was an early supporter of Obama, and served as one of his campaign’s national co-chairs. He was largely thought to be a top contender for the position of chief of staff, but Obama picked Rahm Emanuel instead, so Daschle got this position instead. In his career in Congress, Health Care has always been one of the most important issues to him, and he will be aggressive on that issue.
Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano
Napolitano is the current (popular) governor from Arizona, and is a rising star in the party. She was an early supporter of Obama and played a large role in his campaign in the primaries and the general election. Her qualifications for this position, however, seem slim.
Secretary of Commerce: Bill Richardson
Richardson was the former Ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration, and is the current governor of New Mexico. He endorsed Obama in the middle of the primaries, despite his long association with the Clintons. Richardson, along with John Kerry, was thought to be a contender for Secretary of State, but since that position was taken, Richardson will become Commerce Secretary in the Obama administration. Although his expertise is in other areas, he seems to be qualified for the position.
The positions of Secretary of Energy, Education, Labor, Interior, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Veteran's Affairs have yet to be announced.
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