The whole world is watching the United States once again, wondering who will be the players that will help President Elect Obama accomplish all that he sets out to do. Like the Shakespearean audience awaiting the reveal of his cast of characters, we too are also waiting to see who will be cast as a part of our future, our history.
So far, here are some of the names circulating for President Elect Obama’s new cabinet: Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates, Richard Danzig, Tom Daschle, Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor Bill Richardson; Treasure Secretary: Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner; Secretary of State: Sen. John Kerry, Sam Nunn, Sen. Chuck Hagel; Director of the Office Management and Budget: Peter Orszag; U.S. Trade Representative: Dan Tarullo; Attorney General: Eric Holder, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, and Agriculture Secretary: Tom Vilsack, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and Charles Stenholm.
Not too surprising are the choices that served under the Bill Clinton Administration: Summers, Geithner, Orszag, Tarullo, Eric Holder. All during the latter half of Obama’s campaign, he referred back to the financially lucrative days of the Clinton White House (Ahh, the good old days).
Governor Richardson and Senator John Kerry, were both ardent supporters of Obama during the Primaries. And while Senator Clinton and her supporters were a “little” upset when she didn’t get the nomination and then was passed over as the Vice Presidential pick, she (and her supporters) rallied around Pres. Elect Obama and helped him win the election.
Yet, Senator Clinton is the one candidate that does stand out amongst all of the rest. What a wonderful turn of the plot. If you think back to the beginning of the Primaries, she was very firm on her direction of wanting to be President of the United States. When she dropped out of the Primaries, her chances looked pretty good that she was going to be Obama’s V.P. pick. When Senator Biden was chosen, it looked as if Senator Clinton would be content to wait out the next for years and be content as the Senator of New York. Hmmm, the plot thickens.
But now, she is back in the news as a viable candidate for Secretary of State. The difference is this time however, she is getting an unprecedented amount of support from the opposite side of the party line. Supporters like Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, Jon Kyle of Arizona; Sen. Byron Dorgan (R, N.D); and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are all stepping up and saying that not only is she a good choice for Secretary of State, but she would be an “outstanding appointment”, giving the appearance that they would all be eager to work with her.
What makes this interesting is that she just might be the candidate who would be considered the first step in reaching out to the Republican Party. Could she be the person who would help unify the two parties? Could she have the ability to cross party lines and gain the respect from both sides like Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell? Interesting.
And where is Senator McCain in all of this? His name too has been reappearing in the same conversations. Will he suspend his campaign – I mean – day and go to Chicago, or will he continue on his lonely path as the “Maverick” Senator of Arizona? I don’t know about you, but once again President Elect Obama has me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting with anticipation. And I’m so glad. Because immediately after the election I was worried that I would have to go back and start watching “reality” television.
