The news pundits and blogs are full of suggestions and criticisms of Obama's picks for his cabinet. From the cacaphony of ranting about his "enemy" Hillary to the murmurs that the cabinet is not the left-wing cabal that was promised. Missing in all these notions is the reality that Obama was elected to LEAD. His victory was as much his ability to bring together a coalition of disinfranchised nonpolitical citizens as about his stellar rhetorical skills. Now that he is the president-elect can't we expect that the same abilities will come to the fore? Can't the country stop for a moment from the addiction to the drama of negativity to look at his building of an extraordinary cabinet and see that he is again bringing together a coalition to do something else extraordinary?
Is this same group of people complaining about his appointments of people with experience those who complained that he would bring in a bunch of radicals and turn the country into a socialist mecca? Are the radical left really worried that Obama is bringing in centrists and abandoning his principles?
I count myself as a pretty liberal person (one online test said I was a socialist) and while I am not sure that some of the appointments are on the face of it as liberal as I would have liked, the reality is that these people are charged with carrying out the policies of the President, not their own agendas. That they are not in lock step with Obama in my mind is a good thing. Just as long as they, too, are open to new ideas and real discussions of alternatives. I voted for Obama not for his political experience, but for his intellectually curious mind and his way of looking at problems without ideology. I think his cabinet picks so far have shown that he is willing and able to surround himself with people who know more than he about complex issues, but he's not afraid of being overshadowed. I am pretty sure he won't be another Bush letting Libby, Cheney, Rove et al run things.
I am waiting until they are in office and begin their work together to give my opinions on the choices. I wish them all well.
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