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The Transition/Pre-Inaugural Thread

post #1 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
Various places are reporting Rahm "Real Josh Lyman" Emmanuel has been offered Chief of Staff and is "agonizing" over the job.

I thought, with all the threads and the massiveness of the election one, we could have a place to talk about the appointments and announcements that will be coming down when Transition HQ opens at noon today.

Obviously, Chief of Staff is the one we've all been talking about, but I think the three most important appointments are going to be Treasury, State, and Attorney General. And I would not want to be the guy who's going to be the new Treasury Secretary. State and AG are incredibly important, the former because it needs to be a strong pick that will assuage the people who worry about Obama's "experience," and I'm hoping we have an AG who looks into a lot of the civil rights abuses over the last eight years. If Eliot Spitzer weren't such a cock-up, he'd be a great guy for that job.

One of the out-there recommendations/theories floated by Huffington Post is that Schwartzenegger is in line for Energy Secretary.

Obama has said he wants a bipartisan cabinet, and it's been speculated that he'll leave a lot of the defense guys in place (Gates, Petreaus, etc.), although he could, very easily, appoint Colin Powell to that slot. I don't know if Powell would want to clean up the messes he tried not to start, though. One of the things I'm most interested in during the lead up to January is how Obama starts to take more control over affairs in the Middle East while still respecting Bush as Commander in Chief. Petreaus is expected to deliver a major report in December where he'll probably make the first recommendations for troop withdrawl/timetable.

I'm excited to see how this plays out, not just for the administration, but for the country. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, he offers Chuck Hagel and some of the more high-profile Republicans who supported him.

If this thread is not needed, just say "fuck off, Rath."
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post #2 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:03pm
Please Colin Powell, come work with Obama. Secretary of State or Defense. Either is dandy.
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post #3 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:06pm
I saw no to Colin Powell, we need new people. I don't have a better suggestion, but the last thing we need is more recycling.

Matthews was saying the "buzz" was diverse and new, so I'm hoping the stick with that.
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post #4 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:08pm
Robert Kennedy Jr for AG?
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post #5 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:08pm
I thought you want a unified government? I don't think there's a more beloved political figure on either side of the fence than Colin Powell. Even the most deep seated redneck bastards in the deep dark south respect Colin Powell for his years of service, and obvious intelligence. Colin would help unify the country a great deal.
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post #6 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:12pm
I do want a unified government, but I also want 'CHANGE'. I'm sorry, but Powell did that job in the last administration, do we really need to bring him back in the same capacity?

What message does it also send to the world after his performance at the UN on case for the Iraq war?
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post #7 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
One of the out-there recommendations/theories floated by Huffington Post is that Schwartzenegger is in line for Energy Secretary.

Obama has said he wants a bipartisan cabinet, and it's been speculated that he'll leave a lot of the defense guys in place (Gates, Petreaus, etc.), although he could, very easily, appoint Colin Powell to that slot. I don't know if Powell would want to clean up the messes he tried not to start, though. One of the things I'm most interested in during the lead up to January is how Obama starts to take more control over affairs in the Middle East while still respecting Bush as Commander in Chief. Petreaus is expected to deliver a major report in December where he'll probably make the first recommendations for troop withdrawl/timetable.

I'm excited to see how this plays out, not just for the administration, but for the country. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, he offers Chuck Hagel and some of the more high-profile Republicans who supported him.

If this thread is not needed, just say "fuck off, Rath."
Would love to see Arnold in the cabinet, but I have been hearing reports that he is going to be actively seeking the Secretary General position of the UN the next time it's open and an American can be nominated.

Also hearing reports Obama might keep Paulson for a year or so just to get the bailout plan going with no hiccups because of transition. He would be replaced by Larry Summers more than likely.

Hagel and Powell would be good and I love hearing that Obama wants a bi-partisan cabinet.
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post #8 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyG View Post
Please Colin Powell, come work with Obama. Secretary of State or Defense. Either is dandy.
No retreads. And he can't be Sec of State because he fucked up at the UN. He can be an senior advisor, that's about it

Sec. of State or Defense will go to a Republican.

I'm sure Treasury Secretary will be picked first.
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post #9 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:14pm
Dick Lugar for Sec of State? (I'd rather have him than Kerry)

Frankly, trying to cast the cabinet can be a real bitch. I know a guy who is trying to do this though.

The word is though there will be no retreads and will be diverse.
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post #10 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
One of the things I'm most interested in during the lead up to January is how Obama starts to take more control over affairs in the Middle East while still respecting Bush as Commander in Chief.
I doubt Bush gives a shit. I wouldn't be surprised if he told Obama he could move his stuff in early because he wasn't planning on using the Oval Office again before January.
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post #11 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:17pm
I nominate Sarah Palin for Director of the Visitors Office.
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post #12 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:18pm
As I said in some other thread. Be on the look out for some retirements from the Supreme Court this June. I just know it.
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post #13 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 
Where did you hear the Arnold as Secretary-General rumor?
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post #14 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElCapitanAmerica View Post
I nominate Sarah Palin for Director of the Visitors Office.
I wouldn't let that woman give tours of the White House, let alone work in it.
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post #15 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:23pm
That rumor sounds very similar to the one floated that Clinton was considering the job.

Most likely, Arnold will probably either retire or take a shot at Boxer in '10 for a senate seat. We'll see.
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post #16 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
Where did you hear the Arnold as Secretary-General rumor?
Ohh man I gotta find that... I definitely remember it being floated around on CNN right around the time Ban Ki-Moon started last year.
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post #17 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:37pm
I'd put money on Hagel for SecDef.
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post #18 of 301
11/5/08 at 12:48pm
Thread Starter 
Hagel would be a great Sec Def. And I know this was mentioned earlier, but with Obama's plans for green jobs and initiatives, Energy Secretary's fast becoming one of the most important jobs in the Cabinet.
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post #19 of 301
11/5/08 at 1:38pm
I really do wonder what Bill Richardson is going to try and do seeing how he delieved NM and didn't take the Senate seat. (Which in my view he should have)
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post #20 of 301
11/5/08 at 1:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
I really do wonder what Bill Richardson is going to try and do seeing how he delieved NM and didn't take the Senate seat. (Which in my view he should have)
I think Richardson just needs Supreme Court to finish his Government Bingo Card.
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post #21 of 301
11/5/08 at 1:54pm
While funny, I don't think the guy was ever a lawyer. So strike that from the list.
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post #22 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
While funny, I don't think the guy was ever a lawyer. So strike that from the list.
I could be mistaken but technically I don't think that is a mandatory requirement for the Supreme Court.
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post #23 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
Various places are reporting Rahm "Real Josh Lyman" Emmanuel has been offered Chief of Staff and is "agonizing" over the job.
Apparently he has aspirations for Speaker of the House eventually, hence the agonizing.

I was polled 3 times over the last year, Gallup, WaPo, and one other, and each time I stated the most important issue for me was energy policy (usually only 5% polled joined me there). I'll be watching the Secretary of Energy post with great interest, and also Science Advisor.
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post #24 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudgeSmails View Post
I could be mistaken but technically I don't think that is a mandatory requirement for the Supreme Court.
You don't need to be a judge. But it would look pretty rediculous if you put someone up there with no legal background at all.
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post #25 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:20pm
Powell's performance at the UN shows he does not have the intellectual integrity to hold any sort of high office.
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post #26 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:32pm
And you don't think what he said on Meet the Press wasn't?
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post #27 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:33pm
I semi agree with Seabass, I wouldn't say "any type of high office" but certainly not Secretary of State ... again.
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post #28 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:36pm
If you want Powell. Have him as Sec of Defense.
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post #29 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:37pm
Powell won't hold a significant cabinet post. He'll take some sort of elder statesman role.
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post #30 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:44pm
Just curious, anyone thing Hillary'll be up for or considered for a position in the cabinet, despite her stance that all she wants to do is work the Senate?
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post #31 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:48pm
There was speculation that she might be up for a Supreme Court seat but she says she doesn't want it. So at the moment, she stays where she is.
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post #32 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:52pm
Thanks, Ed. I dimly recall hearing something about that, but she seemed pretty adamant after the convention that she wanted to go back to the senate. Bill Clinton pretty much confirmed that she was happiest there, but she's changed her mind before, so...
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post #33 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:52pm
The last thing anyone needs is a Republican SecDef. All that will do is reinforce the stereotype that Dems can't handle national security. The party needs to make a statement that we can handle it, and we can handle it better.
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post #34 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:54pm
There's nothing wrong with a Republican SecDef. FDR's Sec of War was a Republican.

William Cohen under Clinton was a Republican.
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post #35 of 301
11/5/08 at 2:58pm
Powell would qualify as a retread. He can't be in the cabinet.

(If MSNBC is to be believed about no retreads.)

Accounts of the leadup to the Iraq War have him knowing the information was faulty and following through out of loyalty. He would not be a sign of change, regardless of what he's done since, including getting knocked up. [/movie reference]

This article suggests Kerry, Holbrooke, Hagel or Nunn for Sec of State:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27554337/
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post #36 of 301
11/5/08 at 3:02pm
Add me to the Hagel column.
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post #37 of 301
11/5/08 at 3:06pm
I actually think if there's one cabinet position where a Democrat should sit, its Defense Secretary. Americans need to know that Liberals and Democrats can be just as smart, if not smarter, than Republicans on Defense. That should start now.
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post #38 of 301
11/5/08 at 3:09pm
Does anything prevent ex-military men from being Secretary of Defense? Namely, does anything prevent Wesley Clark from being Secretary of Defense?
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post #39 of 301
11/5/08 at 3:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
There's nothing wrong with a Republican SecDef. FDR's Sec of War was a Republican.

William Cohen under Clinton was a Republican.
That was a different time. Obama needs to prove that the left can handle national security and do it well.

I don't think Clark should be SecDef for the reason that he was a General. We need civilians in control, not former military.
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post #40 of 301
11/5/08 at 3:20pm
Yeah I know former military men have ben Sec of State but not defense. Hell the presidents of GM and Ford were Defense secretaries.
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post #41 of 301
11/5/08 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pop Zeus View Post
I actually think if there's one cabinet position where a Democrat should sit, its Defense Secretary. Americans need to know that Liberals and Democrats can be just as smart, if not smarter, than Republicans on Defense. That should start now.
In theory, I agree with you. In practice, almost all other cabinet positions are ideologically problematic for having a Republican secretary. Hagel and Obama already share foreign policy/defense views. Find me a prominent Republican who shares his education/labor/energy/justice/etc views.
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post #42 of 301
11/5/08 at 4:17pm
Lugar is another strong possibility for a Republican in an Obama administration.
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post #43 of 301
11/5/08 at 4:20pm
Hagel or Lugar could be Sec of State.
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post #44 of 301
11/5/08 at 4:22pm
From politico.com:


Quote:
President-elect Barack Obama is strongly considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Environmental Protection Agency, a Cabinet post, Democratic officials told Politico.
Actually, I think this might be a pretty good choice. He's got a pretty good record on wanting clean air and water. I wouldn't argue this. But I still think that Gore should have some spot in Obama's new administration, under what capacity, I'm not sure. I don't think the EPA would be a great fit, undecided on the Secretary of Energy position. Maybe a special advisory position on global warming?
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post #45 of 301
11/5/08 at 4:23pm
The idea of Gore in the cabinet was floated and sunk. An advisory position would allow him to keep doing what he's doing but still have influence without having to deal with matters outside his baleywick.
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post #46 of 301
11/5/08 at 4:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pop Zeus View Post
Hagel or Lugar could be Sec of State.
I think that whoever gets named Secretary of State is going to be taking a back seat to Biden, who's going to be the de facto go-to guy for foreign relations.
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post #47 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 
Gore should be a global warming advisor or some such.

I really like the speculation of RFK Jr. as head of the EPA. He'd make a great AG, but the EPA job's a much better fit for him if it pans out.

Also: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/1..._n_138240.html

Fuck yeah.
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post #48 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
If you want Powell. Have him as Sec of Defense.
That would be worse!

Put him somewhere entirely domestic. If he's willing to tell lies that get thousands killed, let him run FEMA or something.
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post #49 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark View Post
I wouldn't be surprised if he told Obama he could move his stuff in early because he wasn't planning on using the Oval Office again before January.
I'm actually curious if Bush and Co. have big plans to fuck up everything they can before Obama takes office.
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post #50 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:14pm
Quote:
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
A senior Obama advisor confirms to NBC News that Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel has accepted the job of Chief of Staff for the Obama White House.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archi...5/1654796.aspx

Also from there:

Quote:
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
GOP Sen. Richard Lugar says he does not want to be Secretary of State or to join the Obama cabinet in another capacity. In response to speculation that Obama was considering Lugar for the State Department, a spokesman says the 76-year-old ranking Republican on Foreign Relations has definitely ruled it out. Lugar's spokesman says the senator has good relations with both Biden and Obama -- and looks forward to improving bipartisan cooperation on foreign policy from his position on the Foreign Relations Committee.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archi...5/1649916.aspx
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