This is Change? Seems alot like more of the same...

Just a few days from inauguration I am forced to take a hard look at the beginnings of this administration and make some conclusions about what the future will look like.

I have said several times in the last several weeks that this "change" does not seem like much change to me. The Cabinet is rife with appointees that have served in Democratic administrations before. Hillary Clinton, Leon Panetta, Bill Richardson (now gone, but still was a name from the past), Rahm Emmanuel and Eric Holder all will be or would have been filling top spots in the Administration. This change is tantamount to giving someone a dollar for four quarters, at the end of the day it is still a dollar. These Cabinet appointments are indicative of the old Washington order, after the rhetoric of the campaign I was hoping for more, I think the voters were hoping for more. It is disappointing that originality went out the window somewhere, or that the talent pool just has a shallow end (which after the last election cycle may indeed be the case judging bu some of the buffoons that ran for office across this country) and I find it difficult to swallow this pill that I have swallowed before. The worst about this is that these people weren't even the most talented of the cast offs from the Clinton Administration, they were just the ones that were available. I have high hopes for Hillary at State, after watching her confirmation hearings she at least seems to get it. The only question remains, will she be allowed to pursue the agenda that she espouses in an Obama Administration?

The rhetorical output of the Administration sounds like a familiar tune as well. Spend, spend, spend, spend, spend and oh yeah spend. I have said before and will say again, spending will not get us out of the predicament we are in. Ingenuity and an appeal to what makes this country great will be the only thing that helps us out of the mess we are in. This country is in danger of "undeveloping" if oil hegemons continue to grow at the alarming rate that they are growing currently. Unless there is a move to develop new energy sources and crack reliance on foreign oil the entire future of Western economic civilization is at stake.

Cabinet Musings

So the search for the Cabinet begins and the speculation is rampant at present. The appointment of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff should signal that the administrative heavy in the execution of governmental business will not be President Obama. Emanuel has a long history of being the guy that knows where the skeletons are and how to bury the bodies when discarded after political use. This then begs the question, who else will be on this cabinet and why?

Some serious pundits have put the Hillary question on the map. Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is very interesting, but I believe it is politically dangerous for Obama and politically damaging for Clinton. For Obama the selection of someone as polarizing and recognizable as Hillary Clinton would not be a good move. Much has been made of Obama's affinity for Lincoln and his assemblage of rivals for a cabinet, while the sentiment is nice, there is no way it can work today. Putting a media star like Clinton on the Cabinet could only be a political danger for everyone involved. Lincoln had a distinct advantage when he named Seward, Chase and other rivals to his cabinet, namely that there was no mainstream media at the time. The animosity and rancor that sometimes found it's way into Lincoln Administration proceedings was not viewed or even read about by the public at large. In today's day and age any sign of distress from the Cabinet room could be a soundbite in about 5 seconds. To put someone like Hillary there would only lead to distraction and possible mayhem if there were ever a diagreement between the President and the Secretary of State. It could also be problematic for Obama if he does not choose Bill Richardson for this post (he has long been considered a possibility and a favorite by many) because Richardson essentially burned his bridge with the Clinton's when he backed Obama for the Presidency. Not choosing Richardson could cause a political rift amongst others that Obama needed support from to win. Sending a message that loyalty is not repaid with loyalty would be a death knell for Obama in building a coalition between the far left and the middle left. Hanging Richardson out to dry would be a critical mistake at this point and it would also lead me to reassess the political acumen of the new President.

I also do not believe that there would be any upside for Hillary in taking this position. Hillary Clinton still wants to be President. As unlikely that it is that she ever will be, Hillary knows that being a middle left supporter of Obama's on the key issues while being a critic of the intiatives that are far left will serve her better in the long run. Hillary also has to consider that she could be getting set up to take a fall for Iraq should the new administration not be able to get out as quickly as promised. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense would most likely have to answer for the failure that is sure to come in this area. There is not a feasible way that Obama can meet his Iraq promise in any way that will not have the stench of failure on it. It is going to take longer that what has been promised to get out of the situation and Hillary knows this.

Some have advocated that John McCain be selected for Obama's Cabinet. This is actually an idea that makes some political sense. McCain is at the end of his career and he will not ever be President. For Obama to reward McCain for his many years of distinguished service would be a master political stroke. McCain would be an excellent choice for Secretary of Defense or State and would work well with Joe Biden in providing the President with sagely advice on the Foreign Policy direction of the country. There is no downside for McCain on this one and only upside for everyone involved.

The final Cabinet will look much different from traditional administrations. This will be an interesting transition period, the grist mill has only just started turning out the names.