An Early Look at Obama’s Appointments

On our Thursday radio show, we took a look at some of the speculation around President Elect Obama’s appointments for his cabinet and staff. I’d like to summarize some of our discussion and add to it with some suggestions and analysis of where we stand so far. The first choice, of course, was Barack’s selection of Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff. He’s certainly qualified, but he represents the sharp elbows of partisan division which have characterized Congress for far too long and stands in denial of Obama’s goals of a post-partisan administration. Someone with a greater history of reaching across the aisle would have been better, so we gave a partial thumbs-down to Rahm for this post.

The second, and much larger focus of our discussion was on the position of Secretary of State. There has been far too much discussion of John Kerry for that position. Mind you, this comes from somebody who was never one of the 2004 “John Kerry Hates America” contingent. Hell, as an opponent of the Iraq war, I actually voted for the guy, though I held my nose and thought he was a flawed candidate. But the fact is that Kerry’s military service, while admirable, did not rise the the expansive, diplomatic levels of people such as Colin Powell who commanded an entire theater, along with being head of the Joint Chiefs and a number of other positions of international responsibility. Nor does his domestic experience rise to the levels of Condi Rice or Madeline Allbright, with their backgrounds in international affairs. He has the same junkets that most Senators take, but that’s hardly a formula for a Secretary of State.

We had a radical and more mending suggestion, though I’m not sure if Obama would consider it. How about David Petraeus? He has not only a military record in warfare, but in managing a coalition of leaders from various countries and experience in dealing with problems specific to the Middle East. He is also wildly popular with the opposition party and would serve as a silent mea culpa regarding his success in Iraq, which only the most hard core partisans would deny. Petraeus was a success and likely deserves a career in the civilian sector. This would be a good start and would set your bona fides in terms of a post-partisan administration.

You have many other posts to fill, but here is one name to consider who might be good for any of several of them… Joe Lieberman. This could be an appointment where you reap multiple benefits. You have claimed to be someone who also crosses party lines and stands up to the party machine while you were out on the campaign trail. Right now the wolves are at the door and your party is getting ready to send Lieberman to the curb. But he is an experienced member of the party and quite popular with the opposition. Rather than allow him to be stripped of his party chairmanship and power positions, driving him into the arms of the Republicans, you could give him a prestigious position in the cabinet. Not only do you further your claim to leaving partisan bickering behind, but your party is mollified when a new Democrat takes his Senate seat. It’s something to think about.

If you go through and stock your appointments with nothing but Clinton-era leftovers and hard core Democratic Party warriors, one of the basic pillars of your campaign dissolves. Obviously you will need to name some trusted insiders who have worked hard for you and proven themselves over time, so I’m not saying you need an entire cabinet full of enemies. But if you take a few chances and really reach across the aisle, and you may find your road far easier in the years to come.