Early speculation indicates a cabinet that's anything but "purple"
The first test of President-elect Obama's sincerity in seeking to turn us into a "purple" country will be the make-up of his own administration. And preliminary speculation as to the character of his cabinet is not reassuring.
A case could be made that appointing Colin Powell Secretary of Defense would be a gesture toward Republicans- if Powell still had any credibility among Republicans after his endorsement of Obama. On the other hand, the president-elect is reportedly also considering maintaining some continuity despite the change in administrations by retaining Bush Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
But the appointment of John Kerry as Secretary of State would only confirm conservatives' worst fears about the direction the Obama administration's foreign policy will take. And certainly the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.- author of the discredited smear that Republicans stole Ohio in 2004, and recently the defender of the legality of registering cartoon characters to vote as long as they don't actually try to cast ballots- to any prominent position in the administration would be a slap in the face to the very people the new president says he hopes to conciliate.
One appointment to a major post which might actually go a long way toward reassuring reasonable Republicans would be that of a Democrat at whom only Democrats would be likely to balk: 2000 vice-presidential nominee and 2008 McCain supporter Sen. Joe Lieberman. Appoint Joe Lieberman Secretary of State, and all of a sudden the conservative fears which a Kerry appointment would intensify might suddenly begin to fade instead.
Just sayin.'
A case could be made that appointing Colin Powell Secretary of Defense would be a gesture toward Republicans- if Powell still had any credibility among Republicans after his endorsement of Obama. On the other hand, the president-elect is reportedly also considering maintaining some continuity despite the change in administrations by retaining Bush Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
But the appointment of John Kerry as Secretary of State would only confirm conservatives' worst fears about the direction the Obama administration's foreign policy will take. And certainly the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.- author of the discredited smear that Republicans stole Ohio in 2004, and recently the defender of the legality of registering cartoon characters to vote as long as they don't actually try to cast ballots- to any prominent position in the administration would be a slap in the face to the very people the new president says he hopes to conciliate.
One appointment to a major post which might actually go a long way toward reassuring reasonable Republicans would be that of a Democrat at whom only Democrats would be likely to balk: 2000 vice-presidential nominee and 2008 McCain supporter Sen. Joe Lieberman. Appoint Joe Lieberman Secretary of State, and all of a sudden the conservative fears which a Kerry appointment would intensify might suddenly begin to fade instead.
Just sayin.'
Comments
After being out of power for eight years, the liberals are going to be eager to portray their accumulated might.
The leftist illuminati have no concern for giving a platform to conservatives, or even with negotiating with them.
Obama is more of a lone ranger than many people would imagine.