Jacob Weisberg, writing in Slate.com, has captured my thoughts, hopes and dreams about the dominant personality traits within an Obama administration.
I'm an unabashed elitist when it comes to political power in the Executive Branch, and it's clear that Weisberg is too. I'm beyond tired of having a president who sounds like a ten year-old at every (rare) press conference, and who values personal loyalty above brains, ability, and character.
I am optimistic that Obama has the intellectual firepower and leadership skills to feel comfortable filling his cabinet with very smart people who will not check their reasoned, principled positions at the door.
If Obama starts "rewarding friends and backers, playing congressional politics, seeking diversity, and appeasing industry and interest groups", his stock will go down with me.
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4 comments:
He's already tagged more Washington insiders for his cabinet than Bush or Clinton. How does that bring change?
I think your question may, at some point, be valid. But it is at least 160 days premature: 60 days until Obama is inaugurated plus a 100 day honeymoon all presidents deserve to have the chance to demonstrate their leadership skills.
The biggest and most important change of all is Obama himself. He won't allow a personal loyalty test to stifle honest intellectual debate.
Lanna, you might want to have a look at this NY Times article. The Times is, of course, famously liberal, but they don;t see Obama's cabinet as shaping up that way.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/us/politics/22assess.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Here is another fresh article about Obama's placing competence above ideology in selecting cabinet officers:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/politics2990448
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